St Peter’s College is delighted to welcome Stephen McGown as part of the Rex J Lipman Fellows program. Stephen is an adventurer, author and motivational speaker who survived one of the longest-known Al-Qaeda hostage situations.

Please join us for this free public lecture.

Event Details
Date: Thursday 14 August
Venue: Memorial Hall, St Peter’s College
Time: Arrival from 6.30 pm, event commences at 7.00 pm.

St Peter's College students are expected to wear their full winter uniform.

About Stephen McGown
In 2011, while travelling through Mali on an overland motorbike expedition from London to Johannesburg, Stephen was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Held in captivity for nearly six years in harsh and isolated desert conditions, he endured physical, emotional and psychological challenges that most could not imagine. To improve his chances of survival, Stephen learned Arabic and French, converted to Islam and adapted to life in the most extreme of environments.

Since his release in 2017, Stephen has become a powerful voice for resilience and the human capacity to adapt in the face of unimaginable adversity. His best-selling memoir, Six Years a Hostage, offers an unfiltered account of survival, self-discovery and what it means to hold onto hope and identity under the most trying conditions. Despite immense personal loss - including the death of his mother just days before his release - Stephen continues to share his experiences with honesty, humility and a deep desire to help others navigate life’s hardships.

In this remarkable public lecture, Stephen will explore themes of mental strength, adaptability, cultural understanding and finding freedom even in captivity. Audiences will gain insight into how purpose and perspective can sustain us through the darkest of times. His story will leave you reflecting on your own resilience, challenging your perceptions of fear and control, and encouraging you to face the unknown with courage and compassion.

"5 years 8 months is a long time. I do believe that I'm a very normal person. We all have problems and we cant judge between each other, but I believe that it's our attitude that determines how we cope. Some people give up too easily. If I had given up, and I was on the brink of it many times, I probably would not be here today or I'd be here, but a shell of my former self."

About the Rex J Lipman Fellows Program
The Rex J Lipman Fellows program brings the world’s best thinkers and leaders to St Peter’s College. A free public lecture gives everyone in the community the opportunity to discuss, debate and engage with leaders and commentators from a diverse range of fields. St Peter’s College passionately believes in the value of education and public debate, and delights in bringing distinguished national and international speakers to the broader South Australian community.

The benefactor of the Fellows Program, the late Dr Rex J Lipman AO ED OLH ONM (1922 – 2015) attended St Peter’s College from 1933 to 1937. Rex was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 for his contribution to the banking and thoroughbred horse racing industries, and, in 2008 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to education, tourism and the hotel industries. In the 1990s, the French government acknowledged his services to France by making him a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and an Officier in the Ordre National du Mérite. In July 2014, in the Bastille Day Honour’s List, he was promoted to the rank of Officier de La Légion d’Honneur – an extremely rare honour for an Australian. Rex is missed by the St Peter’s College community but his legacy lives on through the Rex J Lipman Fellows Program.

Contact the host of Rex J Lipman Public Lecture featuring Stephen McGown