The Western Australian Museum in partnership with Chevron Australia is proud to announce the third year of The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West.
The In the Wild West lecture series is named after Dr Harry Butler, a WA Museum Fellow and National Living Treasure, in honour of his contribution as a noted conservationist and naturalist.
‘Into the valley of death rode… Henry Dyson Naylor’ presented by WA Museum History Curator Stephen Anstey, is the first of two lectures to be presented in Kalgoorlie-Boulder this year, and will present one Western Australian’s chilling first-hand account of the Crimean War’s famous Charge of the Light Brigade, fought on the battle fields of eastern Europe in the 1850s.
“This extraordinary story of survival was discovered after a phone call from a local family investigating their family tree. They were keen to investigate rumours a sword used at the Charge by their relative Henry Dyson Naylor had been donated to the WA Museum,” Mr Anstey said.
“When the sword was donated in the early 1970s, documentation standards were not as good as they are today. The story of its owner and use were never properly recorded. It is quite possible the person who donated it didn’t know the entire story either.”
“Researching items in the State’s vast history collection often unearths surprising secrets, and this was certainly no exception,” Mr Anstey said.
The inquiry led Mr Anstey on a detective trail piecing together the remarkable story of its owner Henry Dyson Naylor and his horrific account of a battle he was lucky to survive.
The story is a rare Western Australian link to the famous British cavalry charge against overwhelming Russian forces which left over 270 men killed or wounded.
In the second In the Wild West lecture in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Dr Ian Godfrey will bring to life the lesser known aspects of Antarctic exploration, explaining the challenges of conserving history in the windiest place on earth. Dr Godfrey’s lecture ‘Exploration and Conservation: The Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-1914’ will be presented in November 2012.
Bookings are essential for both lectures and can be made by calling the WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder or online at http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/inthewildwest
The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West is proudly presented by the WA Museum in partnership with Chevron Australia. The series showcases the work of Museum scientists, curators and associates in the areas of natural and social sciences.
Lecture: Into the valley of death rode… Henry Dyson Naylor
When: 5.30pm, Wednesday 9 May, 2012
Where: Western Australia Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder, 17 Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie
Bookings Essential: www.museum.wa.gov.au/inthewildwest
Cost: By gold coin donation
