The power of connection

Abstract

As I write, it is two weeks since the Institute of Australian Geographers and New Zealand Geographical Society met online—thanks to the efforts of conference organiser, Phil McManus, the teams at University of Sydney and Encore, the two Society executives, their members, and friends of the discipline here and abroad. Recent and ongoing outbreaks of the Delta variant of COVID-19 meant that plans for a hybrid event were changed to a fully online experience, and some in attendance may have found that suboptimal. I loved every minute of it for a range of reasons, because in my mind there is no questioning the power of (re)connection, no matter the method. We came, gathered, celebrated, listened, learned, spoke, chatted, made notes, shared and challenged ideas and evidence, and speculated … And such connection is more than the mere act of getting in touch and reaching out, important though such gestures often are. Rather, we joined together, were bound—however briefly—in a community tied by a common passion for and commitment to geography and by questions that touch on what it is to be in the world. I can think of few more laudable ventures than that.