1996 – 2026

A message from our Chairperson Ria Robinson

In November TESSA will be celebrating another milestone. It will be the 30th anniversary of our founding. We will certainly celebrate.

In 2025 we very successfully reintroduced our annual day school, dedicated to the legacy of Alexander the Great. We are busy with the organizing of the next day school on Saturday 25 July 2026, 09:30-16.00. The topic will be Ancient Explorers.

Prof Sebastian van As will talk about Hanno the Navigator (c.310 BC), a Carthaginian explorer who sailed around West Africa, exploring the coast and established trade routes.

Prof Philip Bosman will introduce us to the Greek explorer Pytheas of Massalia (c. 310 BC) who sailed to Britain and explored the North Sea, discovering the Midnight Sun and the Arctic Circle.

Joseph Koetsier will travel with Eudoxus of Cyzicus (c. 120 BC), a Greek navigator who sailed from Egypt to India, discovering the monsoon winds and establishing a trade route between the Mediterranean and Asia.

The 2026 Day School is dedicated to the memory of Prof Anthony Humphreys who passed away on 20 March 2026. Prof Humphreys was our chairperson between 2007 and 2015 and presented inspiring lectures to the Society. He was a true explorer in Archeology and Social Anthropology.

Please find the details about how you can register in the downloadable poster.

Our founder Keith Grenville passed away in 2024 and left us a legacy of books videos and slides. This has swelled the contents of our library to such an extent that we are selling duplicate books to accommodate the additions.

We will also celebrate the opening of our new KEITH GRENVILLE Library later in the year.

Our Facebook pages and quarterly newsletter remain an important part of our society’s communication network.

We continue with our monthly meetings on the 4th Tuesday evening of months January to November at the St George’s Grammar School and welcome visitors and friends.