By Iraphne Childs

Dear Members, I hope you are managing to keep well during the colder weather. Although we are now in winter and Brisbane recently experienced a cold snap, the winter solstice has passed, so we can soon look forward to days getting longer again.

Celebrating the Winter Solstice: the solstices are the two times each year when the tilt in Earth's axis lines up most with the direction of the Sun, creating the maximum difference between daylight and night-time hours. The winter solstice is the day of the year that has the least daylight hours, the darkest and shortest day of the year. In 2021 the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere occurred on Monday, June 21. Across Australia various communities mark the winter solstice with feasting and ceremony.

Hobart’s DARK MOFO festival delves into centuries-old winter solstice rituals, including a mid-winter feast and colourful parade at the Hobart waterfront. The annual Hobart nude Solstice Swim usually has more than 1000 people dropping their clothes and inhibitions to welcome back the light after the longest, coldest night in the nation. Brrrr!! In Brisbane, the Northey Street city Farm had a Winter Solstice festival on 19 June 2021 with a bonfire, solstice ceremony, lantern parade, music, dance and lots of food.

Geographical conferences: The Institute of Australian Geographers & New Zealand Geographical Society (IAG/NZCS) combined conference is in Sydney 6–9 July 2021. The conference theme, Remembering, Reimagining Geography, considers how geography evolved, its influences on the human world and the contribution the discipline can make to more just and sustainable futures.

The Geography Teachers Association conference (GTAQ) will be held at the QUT Kelvin Grove campus in Brisbane on 31 July; conference theme is Visible Geography.

At RGSQ in July we present a very important public lecture Bushfire - an Intensifying Risk for Queensland by Lee Johnson AFSM FIFireE Commissioner (Ret) QFES on 6 July. Hope you can attend either in-person or via zoom. To register, visit https://rgsq.org.au/event-4343673.

TAAC’s Christmas in July in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland on 13 July is already fully booked out. A reminder that our trips and activities are popular so keep an eye out on the website for events that you may wish to join.
The 2021 AGM will be on 19th October. I hope that we will be able to hold this important meeting at our premises this year, rather than by zoom. Although still months away, I invite members to consider nominating for the Society’s Council. This is my 4th consecutive year as President and under our Constitution the limit is a maximum of four (4) consecutive one-year terms to serve in this role. So, the position of President will be vacant at the October AGM. Please contact me at i.childs@uq.edu.au if you would like any further information on any of these roles.

Enjoy the Brisbane winter!
Best wishes, Iraphne Childs, President

References
Geoscience Australia. Summer and Winter Solstice. https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/astronomical/summer-and-winter-solstice
BOM Solstices and equinoxes: the reasons for the seasons, 21 June 2018 http://media.bom.gov.au/social/blog/1762/solstices-and-equinoxes-the-reasons-for-the-seasons/

Northey Street City Farm (2021) https://www.nscf.org.au/solstice-festivals
Dark Mofo 2021 https://tasmania.events/event/13161855-a/dark-mofo-2021#gallery-1

Image sources:
Solar diagram: Media BOM, 2018; Dark Mofo: Dark Mofo 2021