Join them for the book launch of ‘Reflections on a Timeless Sea’ by Professor John Burgess at Maritime Museum Tasmania.

Maritime Museum Tasmania proudly presents an evening with Professor John Burgess, curator, editor and author, where he’ll talk about about the life of his father, Captain RJ (Dick) Burgess, and his insights into the history of Bass Strait seafaring and island life from the 19th to the mid-twentieth century.

John Burgess’s Reflections on a Timeless Sea brings together the history of generations of Burgess seafarers and their ships. Dick Burgess’s account of training as a Master Mariner, and his long career working Bass Strait and visiting island communities aboard the Julie Burgess, charts a distinctly Tasmanian saga. Paired with the diaries and artwork of his wife, artist Deda Burgess, these reflections weave a tapestry of memory and maritime tradition, capturing the lives of families shaped by weather, tide, and the shared experience of those who sailed and settled the strait and its islands in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The launch will include an address by Jo Cameron on behalf of Aunty Patsy Cameron. Dr Dan Norton will speak to the character of Captain Burgess, followed by reflections from Museum President Chris Tassell on Dick’s contribution to maritime history and the significance of the book.