Alumni News April 2023
A round up of Alumni News from our April 2023 Explorer newsletter.
It has been an exciting time for Josefin Bergmark-Jiménez (Conservator 2016-17) as she began a new position as a book conservator at Uppsala University Library in Sweden in November 2022. While working for the Trust in 2017 Josefin, a specialist paper conservator, discovered Dr Edward Wilson’s watercolour painting ‘Tree Creeper 1899’ while cleaning a paper portfolio collected from a bunk in Borchgrevink’s hut at Cape Adare.
After reaching the South Pole in January 2023, Marthe Brendefur (Inspiring Explorer 2022) has been back in her skis and is preparing to depart for Svalbard in April. She is looking forward to some weeks of skiing in the Arctic and traversing glaciers, while keeping her eyes out for polar bears! Marthe says the learnings and experiences from her expedition to the South Pole are sure to come in handy.
Alexander Hillary (Inspiring Explorer 2019) recently made it down to Macquarie Island aboard the National Geographic Orion, working as a guide for Lindblad Expeditions.
Dr David Harrowfield NZAM (Trust Inaugural Executive Officer) has a major new paper published in Polar Record by Cambridge University Press, alongside co-author Dr Mark Mabin. The work spanned three years and is titled The Possession Islands Ross Sea Antarctica: a history of exploration and scientific endeavour at a Ross Sea archipelago since the first landing in 1841.
Lana Kiddie-Vai (Inspiring Explorer 2019) is in her final year of studying towards a degree in Anthropology at Auckland University, with plans to graduate in early 2024.
Ihlara McIndoe’s (Inspiring Explorer 2020) composition ‘On Satin Waters’ inspired by her time in Antarctica with the Trust, was recently selected for the le Vivier annual concert in Montreal, Canada which celebrates new music from universities in Montreal. The piece was a rearranged version for violin, cello and tape – the tape being audio recordings from her expedition to Antarctica. The performers were Silvia Buttiglione and Mattia Berrini.
Vivian Satui (Young Inspiring Explorer 2019) attends the Trust’s partner school, Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in South Auckland and has been appointed as a Leader for Advocacy and Participation.
Emily Stacey-Baxter (Young Inspiring Explorer 2022) is proud of her recent achievements having been awarded her school’s Emerging Leader Award and this year been named Deputy Head Girl, as well as a school councillor, cultural leader and librarian.
From October 2019 to June 2022, Annick Vuissoz (Conservator 2014-15) has been working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as a conservator, participating in the renovation of the Northwest Coast Hall. This work focused on conserving totem poles and monumental carving as well as wool blankets and textiles. Annick has also worked on conserving Native American pottery, Mayan archaeological objects and Maasai beaded jewellery in preparation for the opening of the museum’s new Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation.
