Al Fastier Retires
After an incredible 18 years leading the Trust’s Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project to the highest heritage and environmental standards, Programme Manager Al Fastier has retired.
On 5 July, at an event at The Canterbury Club (Christchurch NZ), where Scott, Shackleton, and later Hillary, spent time, the Trust acknowledged Al’s significant contribution to protecting the incredible cultural heritage sites established by these early Antarctic explorers.
“We felt it fitting to have held this event at The Canterbury Club to honour Al, who has had such an impact on saving the explorers’ physical legacy,” said Executive Director Francesca Eathorne. “In many ways, leading remote teams in this wild and isolated place that is Antarctica, Al has experienced many of the things Scott and Shackleton experienced: incredible camaraderie, long days spent working in the cold, drawing on resilience and innovation to achieve ambitious objectives.”
The Trust celebrated Al’s achievements with his family, friends and members of the Antarctic community, including some he has mentored.
Al has hugely contributed to the success of the Trust’s heritage conservation programme in Antarctica. As Programme Manager, Al has held overall responsibility for planning and directing the programme of conservation work, developing the Implementation Plan for each site, working with the Building Conservation Design Team, overseeing a comprehensive monitoring and maintenance programme of work, and managing the multi-million dollar budget to ensure project delivery. He has spent over 2000 days On-Ice, over successive summers, to conserve the five explorer bases the Trust cares for.
Al exemplifies the Trust’s values of positive risk taking, curiosity and innovation, treasuring the spirit and legacy of exploration, and striving for excellence.
During his time with the Trust, Al has supported international teams of conservation experts. Colleagues credit Al with the ability to run the project through good planning and ideas, humour, and an unfailing work ethic, which inspires others to deliver their best. The team respect him for leading by example, often undertaking the most difficult and unwanted tasks.
“Conserving the huts has been my primary focus and passion for the past 18 years. This task has been frequently all consuming and challenging. It has also been an exciting and rewarding experience,” said Al. “The success of the project has always been a team effort. I’m passing the baton to a very capable conservation team who will continue to look after the explorer bases.”
Al’s commitment, over this length of service, has provided the Trust – and its complex Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project – with more certainty. His continuity of service ensures that the knowledge he has brought to the project is maintained, built upon and shared with others, including with our sister Trust UKAHT.
Al has welcomed VIPs, creatives and visiting dignitaries to Antarctica, introducing them to the Trust’s conservation work. He has also been at the heart of many great Trust stories. In 2010, he excavated three cases of Mackinlay’s Whisky from under Shackleton’s hut; in 2016 he drove a vintage TE-20 Ferguson tractor 2,000km across New Zealand (recreating the distance Hillary travelled to the South Pole) to raise funds for the conservation of Hillary’s TAE/IGY hut.
While we formally bid farewell to Al in his role as Programme Manager, in 2025, he will join us to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Inspiring Explorers™ programme as we partner with Heritage Expeditions to take a group of young people to visit the historic huts. Al will share his stories of the legacy he has helped to save, and will continue to inspire the next generation to conserve, share and encourage the spirit of exploration.
