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.
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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.
During the upcoming summer conservation season the Trust will have teams working in three areas of Antarctica: at Cape Adare, on Ross Island, and on the Antarctic Peninsula, working with our sister trust, UKAHT.
The Trust’s digital image database, ‘Icy Heritage’, has made an impressive impact since its launch in October 2023. With over 5,000 unique visitors from 114 countries, it has become a global window into Antarctica’s rich heritage, our ongoing conservation efforts, and our mission to inspire the next generation of explorers.
In the first half of 2024, the Trust hosted two significant Inspiring Explorers™ programme events: our sixth Young Inspiring Explorers™ Summit, held in April, and our third Explorer Conference, held in June.
‘Polheim’, the documentary film following the Trust’s 2022 Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ to the South Pole, had its world premiere at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) on 26 February 2024. Directed by Simon Waterhouse and Liddy Whiteman of Resonate, and featuring stunning footage captured by Inspiring Explorer Mike Dawson, this captivating documentary takes viewers on an extraordinary journey from New Zealand and Norway, to Punta Arenas, Chile, and across the icy expanse of Antarctica.
Sharing their expedition with the world, our South Georgia Inspiring Explorers™ have so far written 19 blogs, undertaken public speaking engagements in their community, recorded podcast interviews, and shared their experience in media articles.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the Trust’s Inspiring Explorers™ programme we will be offering eight young people a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the early Antarctic explorers by stepping inside the historic explorer bases the Trust cares for in Antarctica.
The Trust’s conservation team had a successful season working collaboratively alongside our partner UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT), with significant strides made in conserving and maintaining two of their historic sites on the Antarctic Peninsula. Al Fastier, Trust Conservation Advisor, and Lizzie Meek, Trust Collections Conservation Manager, played pivotal roles in this endeavour, contributing their expertise to various projects aimed at safeguarding Antarctic heritage.
Pip Cheshire and Julian Bickersteth, members of the Trust’s Conservation Design Team, have both received high honours.
The Trust’s Inspiring Explorers™ Education team had another productive year in 2023, touring our education programme and fully immersive virtual reality (VR) experience of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Antarctic hut.
Antarctic Heritage Trust
7 Ron Guthrey Road, Christchurch 8053, New Zealand
Private Bag 4745, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Antarctic Heritage Trust
7 Ron Guthrey Road, Christchurch 8053, New Zealand
Private Bag 4745, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
© Copyright 2024, Antarctic Heritage Trust – Registered Charity: CC24071
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© Copyright 2024, Antarctic Heritage Trust
Registered Charity: CC24071
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