THE SIR HUBERT WILKINS FOUNDATION

About the Foundation

Sir George Hubert Wilkins (1888—1958) is a name not widely known to Australians, even in his own state of South Australia. Wilkins is better known in the United States from where he launched his major polar expeditions and spent most of the last thirty years of his life. An explorer, meteorologist, ornithologist, aviator-navigator, war photographer and cinematographer, geographer and philosopher, Wilkins was arguably one of the most adventurous polymaths of the first half of the twentieth century. A veritable Renaissance man, Wilkins is long overdue to be placed in the same category as other great Australians.

Four Wilkins biographies have been written since 2000, and more media products are on the way.

Why a foundation?

Despite the importance of his historical achievements, there is no official organisation tasked with promoting the Wilkins name within Australia.

Why a board?

The Wilkins Foundation is a registered not-for-profit Association. The Board of the Foundation is currently formalising its objects and procedures, and pursuing charitable status to facilitate tax-deductible donations.

Our aims

Although specific aims will be developed by the Board, the general aims listed below suffice to summarise the spirit of the Foundation:

to inspire young Australians by promoting educational material for schools which highlight the life of Sir Hubert Wilkins
to incorporate books and digital artefacts about Sir Hubert in the national curriculum
to promote the recognition of the Wilkins name both in Australia and internationally
to manage a philanthropic fund to support the activities of the Foundation, develop awards and medals to honour achievements in disciplines relevant to Wilkins’s pursuits, and to create scholarships for outstanding students in relevant fields
to lobby to have public spaces, places and appropriate initiatives named after Wilkins
to employ the Wilkins name to increase awareness and understanding of issues emerging from the reality of climate change
to make his books and articles more available both in hard copy and online
to assist researchers interested in making media productions.

Stay updated

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The board is currently investigating various funding possibilities.

Individual are of course welcome to contribute via the Foundation’s bank account:

BankSA: BSB 105 131 Act. No. 073110140