MEDIA RELEASE: For Immediate Release
Hillary Lecture Celebrates African Adventure
George Cunningham will speak of his incredible 27-month walk across Africa in his talk Cape to Cario – Then and Now at
the 2008 Hillary Lecture at Auckland Museum.
The explorer-turned diplomat, who chronicled his continent-by-foot adventures in the book “Journey to Become a
Diplomat,” is giving the fifth annual Hillary Lecture on Thursday April 3rd at Auckland Museum.
The choice of speaker is particularly fitting, given that Cunningham was the European Union's delegate at Sir Edmond
Hillary's funeral.
Cunningham, newly appointed Chargé d'Affaires for the European Commission Delegation to New Zealand, trekked on foot all
the way from Alexandria in Egypt to Cape Town in South Africa between 1979 and 1981. ““This was to be my unique
initiation into the field of international relations, very much from the bottom up,” he says.
The 7,000-mile march across Africa by Cunningham mirrored a journey taken almost a century ago by Ewart Grogan in
between 1898 and 1900 – and Cunningham will talk of the differences and similarities between the two treks. While
colonial domination of the continent gave way to independence in the interim, what really has changed?
Prior to becoming our Chargé d'Affaires, British-born Cunningham was the European Commission's coordinator for bilateral
trade relations with the United States – he also was head of Press and Public Affairs for the European Commission at the
United Nations in New York between 2000 and 2003. In his earlier days he also served as an officer in the British Army.
Cunningham's lecture “Cape to Cario” was first given at the famous Explorer's Club in New York when – coincidentally -
Sir Edmond Hillary was also honorary chair.
The Hillary lecture is organised by the Museum Circle Foundation, and is named after the Foundation's late patron Sir
Edmund Hillary. All proceeds from the evening will go to the Foundation to fund acquisitions for the permanent
collections of Auckland Museum.
Lecture takes place 7:30pm, Thursday April 3rd in the Auditorium
Tickets $50 and require bookings. Please contact Rozelle Edwards at redwards[at]aucklandmuseum.com
For more information, visit www.aucklandmuseum.com
ENDS