Learning & Teaching
  Senior School

John Dunn
"Journeys on the WildSide-Exploring Canada's Devon Island"

It is not every day that Dollar Academy pupils get the chance to meet an Arctic explorer, and so there was great excitement when John Dunn visited the school to give three lectures in a single day including one to a combined audience of Junior 2 and senior Strathdevon Primary School pupils on his most recent expedition to Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic, the largest uninhabited island in the world. In case the audience was reluctant to believe that the clean-shaven man standing before them was well acquainted with the wilderness, he began by showing them a photograph of what his unwashed beard looked like after 96 days! Originally from England, he spoke with a Canadian twang and showed his audiences breathtaking images of the Arctic landscape, as well as some hilarious outtakes of him and his expedition partner, Sandy Briggs. Mr Dunn told lively stories of polar bears, musk oxen, and archaeological sites he had encountered whilst skiing, kayaking and hiking around the island. He explained that, despite the dangers and deadly weather conditions, he continues to return to the Arctic because of his love of being “totally immersed in the wilderness”. After the talk words such as “inspiring” and “awesome” filled the room, and many pupils even said that they would now consider venturing to the Arctic later on in life.