ROYAL
GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
John
Hemming was Director and Secretary of the Royal Geographical
Society for 21 years from 1975 to 1996 (previously on
its Council). This was a period of tremendous growth
and modernization of the Society. Its Fellowship more
than doubled; finances went from deficit to comfortable
surplus; facilities for Fellows were vastly improved,
including catering, bars, outside lettings, and many
activities. Branches were created in regions of the
UK; lectures went from fewer than twenty a year to over
four hundred, with greatly increased audiences –
he personally organized this lecture programme. The
premises, Lowther Lodge, were completely refurbished
– roofs, brickwork, cleaning, railings restored,
electrics and heating replaced, IT wiring, rooms added,
etc. In 1980 there were extensive celebrations of the
Society’s 150th anniversary. The increase in academic
activities led in 1994 to the Institute of British Geographers
merging with the Society.
Hemming
revived expedition training in the RGS, and this led
to the creation of the world-famous Expedition Advisory
Centre. Throughout the 1980s record numbers of research
expeditions were supported each year, and he was involved
in assessing and screening more expeditions than anyone
had ever done.
During
these decades, the RGS sponsored ten of its own multi-disciplinary
scientific projects in different terrains. He was closely
involved in planning, organizing and visiting these:
in forests of Mount Mulu (Sarawak); Karakoram mountains
(Pakistan); Kora savannahs (Kenya); Kimberley outback
(Australia); Maracá rain forests (Brazil) –
leader, see above; Wahibah Sands desert (Oman); Badia
semi-desert (Jordan) – of which he was co-chairman
with the head of Jordanian science for twelve years,
1992-2004; river geomorphology, Himalayas (Nepal); Mkomazi
savannah (Tanzania); Temburong rain forest (Brunei).
John
Hemming became an authority on the history of exploration
generally.
BOOKS
The
Royal Geographical Society History of World Exploration
(Introduction, Paul Hamlyn, London, 1991)
Royal
Geographical Society Illustrated (Introduction,
editor, part-author, Scriptum Books, London, 1977)
The
Golden Age of Discovery (Pavilion Books,
London, 1998). In this book Hemming argued that modern
scientific discoveries and expeditions are so remarkable
that we are living now in the golden age of discovery.
