Dr Timothy Heffernan, from the School of Archeology and Anthropology at ANU has been invited to deliver the 2026 Chief Minister’s Lecture, a significant recognition of his work examining how communities respond to and recover from disasters.

The lecture, titled "Memory, risk and resilience: Preparing communities for more frequent disasters" will draw on the December 2005 storm, one of the most destructive weather events in Canberra, and a precursor to the disaster impacts Canberra has experienced since. The lecture will coincide with the release of Territory records for the year of 2005, including records on the storm.

The lecture approaches the storm as a weather and a social event. Drawing on archival records and Dr Heffernan’s research on disaster recovery more generally, he will look at how Canberrans experienced and responded to the storm, what the city has remembered and forgotten since, and what that means for preparedness. Dr Heffernan’s argument, in short, is that how communities remember past disasters shapes how they prepare for the next one, and that as disasters become more frequent, this kind of memory deserves the same attention we give to infrastructure and planning.

The appointment is an exciting recognition for Dr Heffernan and highlights the growing importance of historical and social research in helping communities prepare for an increasingly uncertain future.

The lecture will be delivered at 6pm, on 24 November 2026 at the ACT Government building, 220 London Circuit, Canberra. A registration link will be added here soon.