Christine Speak RIP

In this blog, I have tried to feature people who may not have had the same public profile as others, but who in their own way were particularly supportive of the Geographical Association.

The Autumn 2025 issue of GA Magazine featured an appreciation for the memory of Christine Speak, a former chair of the GA's International Committee, active in Hong Kong, author of articles for GA journals and a long standing member of the association.

It also included a link to a video with Christine, which can be viewed on this link.

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Judith Mansell RIP

I heard the sad news today that Judith Mansell has passed away.

She was the first Education Officer of the Royal Geographical Society. She authored materials which are still available on the website to this day. She was involved in the creation of the Discovering Antarctica and Discovering the Arctic websites - the former was recently given a fresh relaunch at an event at the RGS.

She also worked on the Unlocking the Archives project - a major undertaking which received a large sum of National Lottery Funding.

She also helped with the creation of the Geography Ambassadors Scheme.

She was also a judge in the early years of the Young Geographer of the Year award, along with the tireless Rex Walford.

From the RGS News - 1999

She held the post from 1999 to 2010, working latterly with Steve Brace.

Prior to that she taught geography at Bishop's Hatfield Girls School for 11 years, having been educated at Harrow County Girls School.

She was on the project team for the Digital Learning for Key Stage 4 project which happened during the Action Plan for Geography, and was also a Trustee of the GA for some time. This was a joint project between the RGS and the GA and she was one of the people to work to support both organisations, something I think is really important at this time. She was also involved in the Young People's Geographies project in an advisory role, and contributed to the GA's journals as well, as well as TES.

She contributed to many conferences and CPD sessions during her time with both organisations, and also on committees of the AGI.

In Jeremy Krause's GA Presidential biography he talks about her contribution below:

Membership and Professional Development Committee (M&PD)
Prior to becoming Junior Vice President in 1999 I served as Hon Secretary to the GA’s M&PD Committee Chaired by Judy Mansell. This Committee no longer exists, but at this time it played the role described in its title. It carried overall responsibility for Membership and Professional Development activities such as Conference. It also held an overview of Local GA Branches. Each of these areas had a Hon Officer such as Paul McDermott for the GA’s Annual Conference. When it was decided to close down the Committee its activities moved either to Education Standing Committee (Education Group) or to paid staff at GA HQ.

She also wrote an obituary for David Wright - who contributed a great deal to Norfolk geography during his time at UEA.

From the GA Magazine, 2018 - talking about her work as the GA Branches Officer.

Update

Thanks to Claire Brown, who worked with Judy when she started out at the RGS. She says:

Judy was the Society's first Education Officer and the work that she started in that role has shaped our education programme today. Judy started our CPD programme for teachers, A Level study days, the first Young Geographer of the Year competition, and so much more.

An official RGS obituary of Judy is here.

And here's an appreciation of Judy by Steve Brace from the GA Magazine's Autumn 2025 issue.

Remembering Peter Haggett

In the Summer 2025 issue of GA Magazine.

Michael Chisholm - RIP

St. Catharine's College, Cambridge has close connections with a great many prominent geographers, former GA Presidents amongst them.

We heard earlier of the passing of another former lecturer and Fellow Michael Chisholm.

We were sad to learn that Emeritus Fellow Prof. Michael Chisholm FBA (1951, #Geography; Fellow 1976–96), Emeritus Professor @CamUniGeography, died at home in Cambridge on 9 July. Our flag is at half-mast today in his memory: https://t.co/wb15zUqS3q @RGS_IBG pic.twitter.com/GgWHBfrqjq

— St Catharine's College (@Catz_Cambridge) July 16, 2024

Professor Chisholm was admitted to St Catharine’s to read Geography as an undergraduate in 1951. He went on to make fundamental contributions to economic geography and its translation into public policy, including serving on several government commissions. He returned as a Professorial Fellow in 1976, following his election to the 1931 Chair of Geography at the University of Cambridge in 1975. On his retirement in 1996, he became an Emeritus Fellow and turned his attention to advancing our understanding of the drainage and navigation of the Fens throughout history.

Memories of Denys Brunsden

A piece of writing that I put together with the memories of Professor Denys Brunsden from Andrew Goudie and Anjana Khatwa was published in the Summer 2024 issue of GA Magazine.

Join the GA to see the full issue, and subscribe to the three other GA journals.

Check out some free samples here.

Image copyright: Geographical Association

Liz Young RIP

Via the latest Spring 2024 issue of the GA Magazine, we heard about the sad passing of Liz Young, who was heavily involved in the North Staffs Branch of the Geographical Association as well as working as a Senior Lecturer at Staffordshire University. Condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.

Trevor Bennetts

Updated October 2025

One of the names which has been cropping up throughout my work on the blog has been that of Trevor Bennetts. He was Senior Geography HMI during the 1980s: a time when the GA had to fight hard to ensure that geography found a place on the curriculum.

He lived in Eastleigh and was associated with the University of Southampton, where he was a Visiting Fellow in the School of Education. He was one of the attendees of the GA's Centenary weekend in 1993 at the University of Oxford. He can be seen chatting to Patrick Bailey in the centre of the image, in the light coloured jacket and trousers.

He was a long-standing member of the GA's Council - a key position.

In 1985, he published an article in 'Geography' on Geography from 5-16, which also remains significant.

Trevor Bennetts has written a great many important papers and articles and some are referenced at the end of the piece.

He was also involved in the development of the GCSE's in the late 80s (when I started teaching)

Richard Daugherty provided some details on Trevor's association with the GA, describing him as a 'long time supporter of the GA'.

"Trevor told me at the time that, against all expectations that ministers’ speeches are usually mainly written by officials, Joseph took great trouble to prepare what he said to the GA. Trevor was sent away more than once to supply Keith Joseph with further reading so that the Minister could satisfy himself that he had his arguments right when it came to speaking to the GA.
That tallies with my own experience of seeing the early drafts of the first ever GCSE geography criteria. As Pat Wilson, geography officer at SEC and SEAC, will confirm, their draft versions of the geography criteria came back from the Department of Education with insertions and amendments in Keith Joseph’s own handwriting. Not a Secretary of State who left things to his officials! "

His work on Progression in Geography from 2008 is still useful today.

Trevor was also included in the list by Jeremy Krause of people who should perhaps have been GA Presidents but never were.

References

Researchgate entries.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203994238-17/continuity-progression-trevor-bennetts?context=ubx&refId=620ebb2b-1c9a-42a3-ae5b-3772303f1406 

Bennetts, Trevor. “Geography from 5 to 16: A View from the Inspectorate.” Geography, vol. 70, no. 4, 1985, pp. 299–314. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571001. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.

Bennetts, T.H. (1981) ‘Progression in the geography curriculum’ in Walford, R. (ed) Signposts for Geography Teaching. Harlow: Longman, pp. 165-85. 

Bennetts, T.H. (1995) ‘Continuity and progression’, Teaching Geography, 20, 2, pp. 75-9. 

Bennetts, T.H. (1996) ‘Progression and differentiation’ in Bailey, P. and Fox, P. (eds) Geography Teachers’ Handbook. Sheffield: Geographical Association, pp. 81- 93.

Image: thanks to Sheila Jones, GA President in 1975

All comments on Trevor Bennetts work with the GA welcome as always.

Update

Was sorry to hear that Trevor passed away in May this year. An appreciation of his work will feature in a future issue of GA Magazine. Condolences to Janice, family and friends.

Update September 2025

Here is the piece by former GA Presidents Eleanor Rawling and Richard Daugherty from GA Magazine's Autumn 2025 issue.

Update October 2025

Some memories from former President Jeremy Krause on the impact of Trevor's work.

"Firstly as an 'A' Level student in Harrow I am grateful to Trevor and others for running the Harrow and Wembley GA Branch. It was lectures from the likes of Prof Eric Brown that fired up my enthusiasm for geography beyond school. 

Secondly, Trevor and I found ourselves on the SEAC Geography Committee in the late '80s. It was a privilege to be party to the key debates about the nature of geography and its assessment. Trevor's clarity about what geography was and how it could be assessed with validity, were often at the heart of the debates and decisions we made. I recall the lengthy discussions about Humanities and how the proposals that we considered lessened the place of geography.

He also supported me when I was GA President.

What a loss, but weren't we fortunate to have him with us along the way."

Any other memories of Trevor and his work are welcome.