The Burke and Wills room at the Royal Society of Victoria was packed out for the Memorial Dinner on Thursday 30 June, marking 150 years since the deaths of Burke and Wills.

Guests in the overflow room across the passage had to leave their table to hear the speakers, who were introduced by Vice-President Dr Peter Thorne. The Hon. Bruce Atkinson, President of the Legislative Council, talked about the role of Parliament in the Expedition, pointing out that debates over the costs of projects seem not to have changed much over the years. Dr Gary Presland put the Expedition into the context of Melbourne in mid-Victorian times, and how it was driven by mankind's need to explore, and to order what they find in that exploration. Dave Phoenix talked about the preparations made by the Expedition, and how they might have perceived their risk of dying, finishing with an entertaining quiz on the causes of the deaths of the 24 explorers who died on expeditions in the 30 years prior to 1860. Finally, Coroner Jane Hendtlass gave attendees an idea of how she planned to conduct the mock coronial inquest later in July, taking into account the limitations of dealing with deaths that happened 150 years ago.