New Years Honours

Updated January 2021

Lovely news today that former GA President Margaret Roberts has been awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours List.

Here she is working with teachers in Singapore in 2016.

The citation mentions the GA:

Margaret Grace Roberts. 

External Examiner and President, Institute of Education and Geographical Association. 

For services to Education. 

(Sheffield, South Yorkshire)

Margaret was GA President in 2008.

Other GA Presidents to gain awards or honours:

Richard Daugherty, OBE

Eleanor Rawling, MBE

Denys Brunsden, OBE

Rex Walford, OBE

Frank Debenham, OBE

Harry Thorpe, OBE

J R James, OBE

Osbert John Radcliffe Howarth, OBE

Leonard Brooks, OBE

Kenneth Charles Edwards, CBE

John Allan Patmore, CBE

Michael John Wise, CBE

J A Steers, CBE

Sydney William Wooldridge, CBE

Robert Steel, CBE (awarded in 1983 - thanks to Elizabeth Steel for details)

Sir Halford J Mackinder

John Linton Myres, OBE (later Sir...)

Sir Charles Prestwood Lucas

Sir Richard Arman Gregory (first Baronet)

Sir Harry Alexander Fanshawe Lindsay, CBE

Sir William Mitchell Ramsay

Sir Patrick Abercrombie

Sir Alexander Morris Carr-Saunders

Colonel Sir Henry G Lyons

Colonel Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich

Sir John Russell

Sir Charles Close

Sir William Leslie Mackenzie

Sir Cyril Norwood

Sir Thomas Henry Holland

Sir Laurence Dudley Stamp, CBE

Sir Josiah Stamp (later Lord Stamp)

Lord James Scorgie-Meston

Lord Nathan

Lord Robert Cecil - also a Nobel Prize winner

William George Arthur Ormsby Gore (later Lord Harlech)

Also good to hear that Professor Mark Brandon from the Open University has also been awarded an MBE for his work in Polar science.

He has helped support the geography teacher community in different ways over the years through his work.

A lovely quote from Margaret on the GA website.

“I was very surprised to receive the award and felt very honoured, particularly when there are so many people in geographical education who have worked so hard to promote good practice. I would not have been able achieve what I have done without the support of the community of the Geographical Association. Through the GA I have met and shared ideas with so many inspirational people. The GA has given me opportunities to publish my ideas and those publications have led to further opportunities to present work at conferences and to work internationally. I feel most fortunate to have had this support but feel a bit parasitic, feeding off the ideas of others and incorporating them into my own thinking.”

For those wishing to incorporate some of Margaret’s inspirational ideas into their own thinking, a good place to start would be:

Geography Through Enquiry (2013)

Or listen to Margaret talk about her life and career in education on GeogPod.