Societies

Hydrographic Society Russia

On 3 March 2009, the 16th AGM of the HSR was held in a conference hall of the Department of Navigation and Oceanography in Saint Petersburg. On this day, 264 people were registered as HSR members. Unfortunately, some of them, for example, inhabitants of remote cities in Russia, Ukraine, Estonia and Lithuania, could not attend the meeting.

At the start of the meeting, representatives of the Fund of Polar Research (Moscow), Dr Alexandr Alkhimenko and Dr Yury Velikanov, presented an award in the name of the famous Russian hydrographer Boris Vilkitsky to HSR member Irina Tikhomirova for her work on propagating Russian polar research. Irina Tikhomirova is a descendant of Vilkitsky’s family.

The chief of the Department of Navigation and Oceanography of the Navy rear admiral Sergey Kozlov gave an opening speech. He told the audience about the present-day situation in the Russian hydrographic service and the difficulties it now has in connection with reforming the Russian Army and Navy. The HSR members listened to his words with sad attention. The admiral again gave his appreciation for HSR activities and promised his help if required.

HSR president Nikolay Neronov reported on the activities of the Society during the past year. He recalled that HSR Information circulars continued to be issued, sessions of the Council were held on a regular basis and honorary diplomas were awarded to hydrography graduates. An act of the Revision Committee on checking financial activity has been unanimously approved, and voting for officials and members of the Council was carried out. All of them were re-elected. The meeting was concluded with the traditional buffet.

Hydrographic Society of South Africa

The planning for the first African HYDRO Conference to be held in Cape Town (South Africa) in mid-November is well on track, with all venues booked and exhibition space organised.

The Organising Committee has been planning this event for close to two years to ensure a high standard of conference as well as a great social programme. November in Cape Town is one of the nicest months to be on the southern-most tip of Africa and we encourage all delegates and exhibitors to use this opportunity to visit South Africa, do some business and stay on for a few days to experience our warm hospitality and the great African outdoors!
Exhibition space is already well over 50% booked, which is good take up given the conference is still over 5 months away (10–12 November 2009). We would encourage those who would like to take the opportunity of exhibiting at HYDRO9 to please complete the exhibition form on the website (website 1) as soon as possible.

A limited number of boats has been arranged in order for exhibitors to demonstrate their equipment capability. Boat bookings are strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. Details may be found on the website.

For those who are presenting formal papers (40 paper slots are available), please submit your abstracts as soon as possible so that they can be reviewed by the Organising Committee for inclusion in the programme.

We look forward to welcoming you to Cape Town in November – to what is going to be the greatest and most memorable HYDRO every held!

Australasian Hydrographic Society

New Zealand RegionThis year’s Seminar and AGM of the New Zealand Region of the AHS will be held at the Royal New Zealand Naval Base at Takapuna, Auckland. The date for the function is 22 June, World Hydrography Day 2009. The event will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a dinner at a local restaurant to follow.

Lieutenant commander Bill Spencer of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) is helping to organise the event, which we expect will attract 30 to 40 professionals from all over New Zealand. The theme for the event is ‘End-User Needs’, and there will be morning and afternoon sessions with presentations on divers themes such as port management, hydrographic contracting in New Zealand, marine environment, manufacturers and hydrographic support, and national charting. The day will include a visit to RNZN’s Geospatial Intelligence Office and the HMNZS Resolution (operations permitting). A full programme for the event, including location maps and registration information, is available on the New Zealand Region website (website 2).
East Australia RegionThe East Australia Region has finalised the programme for their World Hydrography Day Seminar and dinner to be held at the Royal Automobile Club of Australia in Sydney on 22 June 2009. The theme of the event is entitled ‘Taking Stock of the Hydrographic Industry in the Region’.

The Seminar will be opened by the patron of the AHS, vice admiral Chris Ritchie, Royal Australia Naval Reserve (RANR). There will be presentations by the Australian hydrographer, Geoscience Australia, LADS Corp., Australian Army and Papua New Guinea National Maritime Safety Authority. Full programme and registration details can be found on the AHS website (website 3).