A longtime Member, collaborator and friend of the Society, Meredith Hooper sadly passed away on 27 December 2025 at her home in London. Born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1939, Meredith was widely admired for her for writing and storytelling, particularly her work on Antarctic history and science.
Early years and education
Meredith’s love of the southern continent began early. As a child, she would walk along the beaches of Adelaide, sensing the presence of Antarctica across the waters of the Southern Ocean.
She went on to study history at the University of Adelaide, graduating with First Class Honours, before winning a postgraduate scholarship to the University of Oxford in 1961.
There, at Lady Margaret Hall and Nuffield College, she studied imperial history and became the first female graduate student at Nuffield. It was at Oxford that she met her husband, Richard Hooper. They married in 1964 and settled in London, raising three children: Rachel, Tom, and Ben.
Path into Antarctic storytelling
Meredith’s path into Antarctic storytelling was as remarkable as the work she produced.
She had the rare distinction of being selected as Writer in Residence by no fewer than three Antarctic research programmes, including those of the US National Science Foundation, the British Admiralty, and the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions, which took her South for three months in 1994.
This experience profoundly shaped her writing.
Major publications
Her first Antarctic book, A for Antarctica, appeared in 1991. She went on to publish 58 titles, many of them for children, translated into dozens of languages. Her work combined scientific insight with a rare ability to capture the emotional and human dimensions of exploration and environmental change.
Among her most influential works were The Longest Winter, which told the story of Captain Scott’s Northern Party, and The Ferocious Summer, written during her residency United States’ Palmer Station, and which focuses on researchers monitoring the effect of climate change on Adelie penguin populations.
On its release, The Australian praised the book for its for its intimate blending of human narrative and climate science.
Enduring Eye exhibition
In 2015, Meredith curated Enduring Eye at the Royal Geographical Society, a major exhibition celebrating the photographs of Frank Hurley from Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition.
The project reflected her lifelong commitment to bringing Antarctic history to new audiences and gave her the opportunity to honour one of her great Antarctic heroes and a fellow Australian.
Recognition and lasting impact
Meredith’s contributions were recognised internationally. She received the US Congress Antarctica Service Medal in 2000, along with numerous literary awards, and was named Australian of the Year in the UK in 2014.
She was a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College and the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, and served as a Trustee of both the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and the International Polar Foundation.
Meredith leaves behind a remarkable legacy. Through her books and public work, she inspired generations of readers to care about Antarctica - its history, its wildlife, and its fragile future.
Her voice, warmth, and imagination will be deeply missed.
