I Must Visit This Place
Antarctic Heritage Trust Digital Collections Technician Mark Sanders explains the catalyst for his first (of many) ‘I must visit this place!’ moments while working to catalogue the Trust’s image assets in an online database.
My introduction to the work I would be undertaking to catalogue the Trust’s image assets in an online database came in the form of images from the Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ to the Antarctic Peninsula in 2019. Seeing these incredibly talented young people adventuring far outside their comfort zone, through the amazing images they captured, was a privilege that I gushed to my friends and family about from the outset. I remember a colleague of mine on the team commenting on how she would love her kids to partake in the programme one day, and it became clear to me pretty quickly that our project could be a platform to help inspire young people through sharing experiences of people like them.
Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ team members sharing a moment with a whale, Antarctic Peninsula 2019.
Credit: AHT/ Marco de Kretser
In 2015, our Executive Director Nigel Watson travelled to the Antarctic Peninsula to visit historic sites and build closer relationships with the UKAHT team. Images from that trip were my first exposure during the project to historic bases and structures in the Antarctic, and the catalyst for my first (of many) ‘I must visit this place!’ moments.
The contrast between the historic structures and their vast, untouched surroundings created an almost other-worldly atmosphere, and I was immediately inspired to learn more about their place in history. I spent my lunch-break that day looking up prices for a tourist visit to the Peninsula, and started to feel the enthusiasm for the Antarctic that is so obvious to see in the rest of the AHT team.
East Base, Stonington Island 2015. Credit: AHT/Nigel Watson
Approaching Scott’s Terra Nova hut, Cape Evans 2003. Credit: AHT/Michael Morrison
Most recently I’ve been working on images from the 2002-03 conservation season on Ross Island. Getting to see each team members perspective of their time at the huts gives you a real sense of the often-challenging journey they’re on, and huge appreciation for just how difficult it must have been for the Heroic Age explorers. The stories are nothing short of inspiring, and it has helped me gain a wider understanding of the role our project, and that of the Trust, can play in encouraging the spirit of adventure in future generations by sharing these stories.
