In the 1950s, the Montebello Islands off the Pilbara coast in Western Australia were the site of three British nuclear tests. The first, in 1952, detonated inside a warship anchored off Trimouille Island, followed in 1956 by two larger blasts as part of Operation Mosaic.

In July 2025, a group of artists, writers, researchers, and nuclear survivors travelled to the Montebello Islands to explore the lasting impacts of British nuclear testing there. They will come together in a conversational panel to reflect on what they witnessed and experienced, and discuss what they will carry forward from their time on the islands.

Featuring:

• Jesse Boylan - Artist and ICAN Media and Comms Adviser (Convener).

• Maxine Goodwin - ICAN Ambassador and nuclear veteran descendant.

• Dr Liz Tynan - Writer and Academic. Tynan is author of The Secret of Emu Field: Britain's Forgotten Atomic Tests in Australia & Atomic Thunder: The Maralinga Story. Her new book on the history of the Montebello Islands nuclear tests is due out in 2026.

• Merilyn Fairskye - Visual artist living in Sydney. Her work explores the relationships between technology, atomic landscapes and community and have taken her on location to the Polygon in Kazakhstan, Sellafield, Chernobyl, and other key nuclear sites.

• Paul Grace, Writer and nuclear veteran descendant. Author of Operation Hurricane: The story of Britain's first atomic test and the legacy that remains.

• Gary Blinco - Nuclear veteran descendant.

• Tobias Holden - Student.

This discussion is open to all.