Friday 27 November 2009

Now you know the centre's name, it might be a good time to find out who we are too...

Director Chrissy Sharp

In an article in today's Sydney Morning Herald, Peter Singer likens greenhouse gas emissions to dropping bombs.

"We are harming people in Bangladesh almost as surely as if we were dropping bombs on them,” says Australia's best-known philosopher, who is talking at the Wheeler Centre in February.

Tony and Maureen Wheeler, who sold the controlling stake in their Lonely Planet Publications to BBC Worldwide last year, made a substantial donation to the new Centre, which will specifically fund expanded programming.

The Wheelers started Lonely Planet Publications, a brand intrinsically linked to books, writing and ideas, on their kitchen table over 30 years ago.

It went on to become one of Australia's most successful publishing companies and one of the most recognisable in the world.