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Archive for category: Antarctic Blog

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

October 11, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Ciaran Lavelle

Do you remember Forrest Gump sitting there on his park bench sharing not only his box of chocolatey delights but also his southern philosophy about the randomness of life?

 

Antarctic Heritage Trust - Fry's chocolate boxAntarctic Heritage Trust

 

As a 90s kid, I remember all too well and can remember quoting that film often, as I do now. I sit at my lab bench and look at my own chocolate box, a wooden Fry’s Caracas Chocolate box that would have originally contained chocolate cakes. It has sat on a shelf for over 100 years at the Southern Cross Expedition hut at Cape Adare and I can safely say, that with the randomness of the contents, you don’t know what you’re going to get next.

 

Antarctic Heritage Trust

 

Antarctic Heritage Trust - FrysAntarctic Heritage Trust

Frys chocolate box

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The Name of the Game

August 17, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Josefin Jimenez

This week I have been working on half a piece of card, identified only as “Game: Card” in the collection database, with no further information on what kind of game, or how to play it.

'Who Knows?' board gameAntarctic Heritage Trust

‘Who Knows?’ board game

In his account of the British Antarctica Expedition 1898-1900 Borchgrevink talks about playing chess, cards and draughts to pass the time. He also mentions that the two Sámi members of the expedition, Persen Savio and Ole Must, played Sákhuu, a board game particular to Sámi culture.

So what kind of game does this particular board come from? After conservation treatment, two pieces of information were revealed: the title of the game, ‘Who Knows?’ and the name of the distributor, J Jaques & Sons.

John Jaques is a London firm, established 1756, which still exists today. They were the makers of such Victorian hits as Snap, Halma, and Ludo, not to mention the classics Tiddlywinks and Happy Families. “Who Knows?” is a lesser known game and could be considered an early version of Trivial Pursuit.

This vintage edition of the game, charmingly describes the rules as follows:

  1. Six Players and 1 Crier
  2. The Crier calls the questions, and the Players in turn must answer correctly; whoever does so gains the Ticket, which is placed on one of the divisions of the Card.
  3. The player who fills his card first wins.
  4. If no one can answer the questions, the Crier must read it aloud so that, when called again, the Players may have a chance at gaining it.
'Who Knows?' rulesAntarctic Heritage Trust

‘Who Knows?’ rules

A description of the game can be found in the V&A collections catalogue where we can learn more about the categories of the games tickets.

The subject of the cards are as follows:

47 geography
16 grammar
21 spelling
34 mental arithmetic
71 history
63 general knowledge

So far we haven’t seen any trace of either the other game boards or the tickets but as we are approximately half way through the Cape Adare objects I hope that the tickets will soon cross the treatment table.

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Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

August 12, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Ciaran Lavelle

Close your eyes and imagine what a typical explorer would look like. Now imagine your explorer traveling through an Arctic or Antarctic region.  What image have you drawn in your mind’s eye?

For me I always imagine a well-padded, shaggy-haired, bearded man. The first image shows Northern Party from Scott’s 1910-13 Terra Nova expedition before their arduous journey to Cape Evans from Inexpressible Island. The unruly hair and bushy beards tick all the boxes for an explorer, and I can only imagine that an extra layer of hair was a welcome insulation against the cold.

Scott Polar Research Institute

The Northern Party before their journey back to Cape Evans.

Although this image was not always the norm. The men of these early Antarctic expeditions to Cape Adare were learned men, and from the Naval tradition. Their appearance would have reflected their social stations; just look at the second photograph of the well-groomed, dapper men of Scott’s Northern Party sitting outside the hut at Cape Adare.    

Scott Polar Research Instiute

The Northern Party during their stay at Cape Adare.

We see evidence of these grooming routines in the artefacts from the hut, with the bone hair comb and a hair brush (it is possible this could also be a clothes brush) seen in these images. The hair brush was particularly interesting object to conserve as it still retained hair within its bristles and also required a great deal of reconstruction as the bristles were loose and falling out.

Bone hair comb after conservation.Antarctic Heritage Trust

Bone hair comb after conservation.

 

Hair or clothes brush after conservationAntarctic Heritage Trust

Hair or clothes brush after conservation

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Tea Towels: Hemmed and Ready for Use

August 10, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Stefanie White

20 unused tea towels from Cape Adare are currently undergoing conservation treatment. They are all of white linen material with a red border along the top and bottom with words reading ‘TEA CLOTH’ and a delicate leaf damask in white. Interestingly, the towel is has been stamped with bright blue ink reading ‘Hemmed and ready for use’. Traditionally, a tea towel was a luxury item that often the lady of the house would embroider, use to polish precious crockery or to cover food baskets with. These towels would came unhemmed and were typically hemstitched by servants or house maids. However, with the industrial revolution, tea towels became to be mass produced and even ‘hemmed and ready for use’. Among the collection of Tea towels found at Cape Adare, we see a nice example of this 19th/20th century new style of tea towel.

I wonder why they were not used…

Before treatment of tea towelAntarctic Heritage Trust

Before treatment of tea towel

After treatment of tea towel

Hemmed, ready for useAntarctic Heritage Trust

Hemmed, ready for use

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Why Did Levick Leave His Personal Items Behind?

August 5, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Stefanie White

George Murray Levick, surgeon and zoologist on Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition (1910-1913) was a member of the Northern Party who spent the summer of 1911 – 1912 at Cape Adare. Recently, Conservator, Stefanie White has completed the conservation of a collection of clothing from Cape Adare and several of these items have been labelled with Levick’s name. From his socks, we can summise that levick’s feet were at least 25cm in length; from his collar, his neck measurement was at least 46 cm; and from his belt, his waist was at least 66cm while at Cape Adare.

Why did Levick not take these personal items when he left Cape Adare? Did he suffer from forgetfulness or misplace his possessions? Perhaps, this explains why he also left his photography notebook at Cape Evans, or perhaps it is because Levick thought he would one day return to Cape Adare. In January 1912, Levick together with the Northern Party were collected by the Terra Nova and dropped off at Inexpressible Island to carry out scientific field work before being picked up again. However, the Terra Nova was unable to return to inexpressible island and collect Levick and his five colleagues. The Northern Party never returned to Cape Adare and Levick’s personal clothing never again claimed.

Some of the personal items that Levick left behindAntarctic Heritage Trust

Some of the personal items that Levick left behind

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Lime Juice Nodules

July 20, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Josefin Jimenez

In most cases the historic food that comes off the ice is interesting, rather than appetizing. Even if it had not been 100 years old and come from a tin covered in corrosion and penguin remains the names ‘Bloaters’ and ‘Lunch Tongue’ are not something that would make most people reach for their knife and fork. Not in this day and age, anyway!

There have been a few exceptions though, such as tablets of compressed coffee that still smelled like the fresh beans, mango chutney from the Indian Condiment Manufacturer and, in one notable case, lard so white and fresh it might as well have been a tub of ice cream.

And, of course, the Lime Juice Nodules. The nodules came in square tins wrapped in paper and string, and were found underneath a bunk in the Southern Cross hut (first British Antarctic Expedition, 1898 ̶ 1900), believed to be stashed there as part of an emergency cache.

 

A tin of Lime Juice Nodules, before treatment.Antarctic Heritage Trust

A tin of Lime Juice Nodules, before treatment.

During conservation it was discovered that one of the tins was leaking and it had to be opened as part of its treatment. The nodules, previously believed to be either dried fruit or sachets of powder, turned out to be in fact chocolate-coated. Each was a square of dark chocolate individually wrapped in parchment paper, around a delicious filling of lime sugar-syrup, much like a modern sweet treat. Their smell was rich and strong and still quite tempting.

After extensive lab discussions we believe that the consistency would be similar to one of the Strawberry flavoured Cadbury Roses. To us it was quite mystifying why the expeditions would have left so many of these tins uneaten.

 

Cross section of a sampled Lime Juice Nodule, retained for analysis.Antarctic Heritage Trust

Cross section of a sampled Lime Juice Nodule, retained for analysis.

The Lime Juice Nodules were supplied by the Bovril Food Company, of British Beef Tea fame, and would have been intended as a remedy for scurvy, an antiscorbutic, but it is doubtful whether they would have worked effectively as such.Previously the remedy for scurvy would have been casually referred to as ‘lime juice’ although actually made from lemons, but a shift in production of antiscorbutics around this time likely meant actual limes were used, in the belief that the higher acidity would be a more effective cure. Unfortunately lime juice contains a considerably smaller amount of Vitamin C and is actually less effective. And as it was all referred to as ‘lime juice’, whether made with limes or lemons, these particular ones could be either.

Scott, for instance, some years later, did not believe that lemon juice would prevent scurvy, instead relying on fresh meat.

 

Repacking the Lime Juice Nodules into the tin after treatment ̶ as the chocolate threatened to melt at room temperature, treatment had to be carried out in short bursts between periods of cold storage.Antarctic Heritage Trust

Repacking the Lime Juice Nodules into the tin after treatment ̶ as the chocolate threatened to melt at room temperature, treatment had to be carried out in short bursts between periods of cold storage.

And, as the Bovril Food Company also made Fluid Beef and Bovril enriched chocolate containing Albumen and Fibrine, maybe the taste was doubtful too.

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High Tea on the Icy Sea

July 12, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Ciarán Lavelle

They came from the North and they came prepared, well they came with everything they thought they needed, only stopping short of a kitchen sink. The men of the early exploration of the Antarctic continent were no doubt confident that they were going to have a cold time of it. And a good cup of tea and coffee was an essential to beat back the chill of the icy landscape. When it comes to tea the British know how to plan with a large collection of tea and coffee remaining in their original ration tins. The Cape Adare hut contains many fine examples of the hardwearing workman like iron-enamelled cups for everyday use from which the explorers imbibed this important heat infused nectar. These sturdy cups have suffered corrosion and enamel loss but still look much like they would have when their owners would have been huddled round drinking the steaming contents to the chorus penguin hoards nestled in the landscape around the small hut. The results of the removal of the iron corrosion and stabilisation of the cup before preparing for the cups return to the Antarctic climate can be seen in the pictures below.

The enamelled mug after conservation with the remains of the last cup of tea still visible in the mug.Antarctic Heritage Trust

The enamelled mug after conservation with the remains of the last cup of tea still visible in the mug.

Although drinking tea and coffee was no doubt a common place necessity this did not mean they couldn’t drink it in style. In the hut there can be found beautiful examples of fine bone china tea cups. Unfortunately the more fragile fine bone china mugs have not survived the trials and tribulations of the Antarctic environment as well as their metal cousins. This fine bone china mug came across our desk in multiple fragments leaving me with an inviting 3D jigsaw to reconstruct.

The bone china tea cup before conservation – an inviting 3D jigsaw and a challenge acceptedAntarctic Heritage Trust

The bone china tea cup before conservation – an inviting 3D jigsaw and a challenge accepted

The task of the conservation process is to reconstruct it so it can be reversed in the future if it is needed so great care is taken and deliberation is needed to decide on the best adhesive to use.

The bone china teacup after conservationAntarctic Heritage Trust

The bone china teacup after conservation

In the end we were able to bring back to life evidence of essential fine dining accompaniment. And as I look at the cup I can imagine a gruff beaded man in well-worn extreme weather clothing sitting in that small cramped candle lit hut sipping from the cup like a fine European gentle man, pinkie raised, enjoying a bit of high tea on his icy sea.

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Reinvigorating a City … and History

July 4, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Sue Bassett

Conserving artefacts from the early British Antarctic expedition huts whilst actually living in Antarctica is without doubt a unique, ultimately challenging and wonderful experience for any conservator. Truth be known, it’s life-changing.

The Trust’s current artefacts conservation team, working on the contents of the earliest and most remote British hut in Antarctica, is based in Christchurch. This is because it was logistically simpler to transport frozen artefacts from Antarctica’s Cape Adare to New Zealand for treatment, and then refreeze them and take them back. The Christchurch location offers the team a different set of opportunities, such as weekends to explore NZ’s spectacular South Island and a workplace in the centre of one of the biggest rebuilding projects in the Southern Hemisphere. Following the demolition of about 75 per cent of Christchurch’s CBD in the aftermath of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, the $40b rebuild of the city is now in full swing … on every street and on every corner, it seems.

As part of the inner city reinvigoration plan there is a Friday street-food market in Cathedral Square, alongside the tumbled ruins of the once majestic cathedral, so the team makes a point of going along for a coffee and a spot of lunch. We listen to the buskers and sometimes join the other clientele, mainly high-vis-clad construction workers and tradies, in reviving the community spirit with a leisurely round of quoits.

Quoits on a Friday in Christchurch’s Cathedral SquareAntarctic Heritage Trust

Quoits on a Friday in Christchurch’s Cathedral Square

And then it’s back to the lab to conserve … hang on … some century-old coffee, luncheon meat and quoits!  

Packets of historic coffee, 1899Antarctic Heritage Trust

Packets of historic coffee, 1899

 

Tin of historic preserved lunch tongues, before treatmentAntarctic Heritage Trust

Tin of historic preserved lunch tongues, before treatment

 

Handmade rope quoit, after treatmentAntarctic Heritage Trust

Handmade rope quoit, after treatment

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For Better or Worcestershire Sauce

June 27, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Josefin Jimenez

For the past weeks, as the paper conservator, I have been working on a collection of bottles of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce found in the loft of the Southern Cross expedition hut at Cape Adare in Antarctica. Some 30 bottles were found in the loft, in addition to others found in the dining area. Food for the expedition, even if in ample supply, was of little variety and Borchgrevink himself wrote: “Seal beef and roasted penguin flesh became a frequent repast as we grew frightfully tired of tinned food”.

Whether or not this went down well with a dash of Worcestershire sauce remains unsaid.

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce was established in 1839 so would have been a household name by the time Borchgrevink went to Antarctica. The bottles themselves are beautiful objects and it’s stunning to see them emerge from the debris.

Before treatment image of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire SauceAntarctic Heritage Trust

Before treatment image of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

When they arrive to the lab they are covered in grit and penguin feathers and often the sauce has spilled and dribbled from the bottle. Traditionally, the bottles were labelled with a decorative printed label and then wrapped in paper for transport. In some cases only traces of paper remain on the glass; at others, the spills have so impregnated the paper that it is no longer possible to distinguish the paper from the glass.

After treatment image of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire SauceAntarctic Heritage Trust

After treatment image of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

But for a few of them, where the wrapper has remained, lifting the wrapper reveals a label of startlingly vivid orange colour and delicate blue printing and borders.  Much of the printing is often lost but in good examples the following can be read:

‘Lea & Perrin’s Worcestershire Sauce Pronounced by Connoisseurs as The Only Good Sauce For enriching Gravies, and for use in Game, Steak, Cold Meats, Soup & Curries. It forms an agreeable addition to SALAD & CHEESE. As spurious imitations of this are offered to the public, ensure with each purchase that the name of LEA & PERRINS is on the Wrapper and Labels as well as on each Bottle and Patent Stopper. Manufactured solely by LEA & PERRINS, WORCESTERSHIRE, and sold by CROSSE AND BLACKWELL, and the Warehousemen, London: JOHN DUNCAN’S SONS, NEW YORK, and vendors of sauces generally throughout the world.’

Detail of lifting the wrapper to reveal the label underneath.Antarctic Heritage Trust

Detail of lifting the wrapper to reveal the label underneath.

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Fighting Fit at 30 Below

June 15, 2016 - Antarctic Blog

By Ciarán Lavelle

The men of Scott’s 1910 expedition would have been at the peak of their physical fitness on the eve of their expedition south. The harshness and physical demands of not just their sea journey but also their time in the icy south required a great deal of both mental and physical strength and stamina to face the trials and tribulations of such a harsh foreboding environment. In our modern fitness and gym-obsessed world it is interesting to think about these virile men and how they organised their own fitness regimes to keep their strength and stamina at the required level.

Antarctic Heritage Trust

The punching ball before conservation.

This highly degraded rubber object is a fascinating insight into one aspect of their potential fitness regime. Initially documented as being the bladder of a rugby ball it has captured the imagination of the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust team due to the nation’s obvious obsession with the sport. Unfortunately for those rugby enthusiasts among us our initial zeal was dashed as it was discovered that it is not in fact a rugby ball but a punching ball. Renewed excitement followed at the realisation that this may be the very punching ball described in Raymond E Priestley’s personal account of Scott’s Northern Party. Priestley recounts the importance of strenuous exercise for team mate Abbott who turned the old Southern Cross hut into his personal gym for Swedish exercises (our own resident Swedish teammate is still trying to figure out what exactly they are).

Priestley has this to tell us about the ball itself:

‘We had brought a punching-ball with us from the Terra Nova, and for some time this afforded us quite a lot of exercise, but so soon as the temperature fell the rubber of the ball became brittle and useless and a puncture soon followed. It was no use attempting to mend this, and so we did the next best thing. The ball was stuffed with seaweed and from the Gibson Quilting, and though it was very lifeless it was very lifeless it was still of some use.’

Antarctic Heritage Trust

Ciarán creating a protective mount for the punching ball.

The historical account of the damage the ball has suffered links up with the physical condition of the remaining fragments of the ball. Although the majority of the ball has been lost, what remains is a fragile and brittle jigsaw. The nature of the degraded rubber limits what we can do to the object and since the damage is historical it was decided that stabilisation and display of the object in a way that it can be identified as a punching ball was the best option. The fragments were sandwiched between two layers of a netting and each fragment was sewn into its own individual pocket so as to keep them contained and protected.

The punching ball after conservation.Antarctic Heritage Trust

The punching ball after conservation.

The end result is that we can display the ball in a way that it can be identified while being protected from further loss from fragmentation. Now when I look the ball I can picture fragments of seaweed and rubber falling to the floor as the members of Scott’s Northern Party took their turn to pummel it by candlelight in the gloom of the Southern Cross hut so as to keep fighting fit in the freezing Antarctic cold.

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#OnThisDay in 1904, Captain Robert Falcon Scott's #OnThisDay in 1904, Captain Robert Falcon Scott's first Antarctic expedition ship 'Discovery' arrived back in Lyttelton Harbour, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Scott's National Antarctic 'Discovery' Expedition 1901-04 was sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society, the British Government and a London businessman, Llewellyn Longstaff. There were also donations from officers of the Royal Society and other private individuals. Sir Clements Markham launched the appeal that eventually raised £90,000 for the expedition – sufficient to pay for a new ship, provisions, wages and other costs.

It was the second expedition to winter over on the Antarctic continent, following Carston Borchgrevink's 'Southern Cross' Expedition 1899-1900. The men carried out significant exploration of the continent, including a ‘furthest south’ record of 82º16’S, and comprehensive scientific observations in the fields of meteorology, geology, glaciology, botany, marine biology and cartography.

At the end of the expedition, Scott and his men worked to saw a channel in the ice, freeing 'Discovery' from her berth of two years. On 5 January 1904, the relief ships 'Morning' and 'Terra Nova' were sighted. Efforts were then made to free 'Discovery' with explosives, but this did not achieve the desired effect and Scott made plans to abandon the ship. Then, on 14 February, the sea-ice began to break up and with the aid of a final explosive charge and some assistance from the wind and currents, 'Discovery' was free. After stopping briefly in Robertson Bay at Cape Adare to replace the rudder, the 'Discovery' proceeded to Lyttelton.

You can read more about the history of Scott's first Antarctic expedition here: https://nzaht.org/conserve/explorer-bases/scotts-hut-hut-point/history-of-expedition/

📸 Discovery Hut, the expedition base located at Hut Point, with the ship 'Discovery' in the background. Canterbury Museum.

#OTD #inspire #explore #discover #conserve #Antarctica #Scott #RobertFalconScott #discovery
#OnThisDay in 1900, Borchgrevink's British Antarct #OnThisDay in 1900, Borchgrevink's British Antarctic 'Southern Cross' Expedition party returned to New Zealand from Antarctica after two years.

Borchgrevink’s party of 10 men was funded by magazine magnate Sir George Newnes. The aim of the expedition was to collect scientific data and study wildlife, be the first team to intentionally overwinter on the continent and explore the continent’s interior. Borchgrevink also wanted to investigate the commercial possibilities of the region, focusing on whaling, mineral prospecting and the mining of penguin guano for fertiliser.

Many of the expedition’s scientific records were lost but they did achieve some exceptional ‘firsts’, for example, they were the first to erect a building in Antarctica at Cape Adare. This hut still exists today as the only example left of humanity's first building on any continent. Antarctic Heritage Trust is proud to care Borchgrevink's legacy at Cape Adare on behalf of the international community.

They were also the first team to winter over, and use dogs, sledges and skis to travel over land and sea ice. Expedition members Bernacchi and Colbeck also produced a detailed map of the area that was used by later expeditions. Finally, under Bernacchi’s leadership, the first full year of weather readings was recorded. Their data set the baseline for Antarctic climate science.

📸 The Southern Cross expedition members pictured just before spending the first winter on the Antarctic continent, 1899. Canterbury Museum

#inspire #explore #discover #conserve #Antarctica #borchgrevink #capeadare
#OnThisDay in 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott ma #OnThisDay in 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott made his final diary entry as he, Edward Wilson and Henry Bowers, waited for the inevitable end, trapped in their tent with unseasonably cold temperatures and worsening health preventing them from making the 11-mile journey to their next food and fuel depot.

Scott's diary: "Since the 21st we have had a continuous gale from W.S.W. and S.W. We had fuel to make two cups of tea apiece and bare food for two days on the 20th. Every day we have been ready to start for our depot 11 miles away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of whirling drift. I do not think we can hope for any better things now. We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far.

It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more.

R. SCOTT.

For God’s sake look after our people."

Scott's Polar Party reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, 34 days after Amundsen and his Norwegian party. During the journey home Edgar Evans suffered a fatal concussion and passed away 17 February. Thereafter, in March, Scott’s diary records the heroic end of Captain Lawrence 'Titus' Oates who, stricken with frostbite, walked out from the camp to his death.

For Scott and his remaining men, a successful march home depended on the decisions made and the depots laid months prior to the expedition. However, the storm that raged and a lack of food and fuel prevented this, and the men died in their sleeping bags within their tent. The journal of Tryggve Gran, part of the 11-man search party, records that the bodies were found on 12 November 1912. He used his own skis to construct a cross above the cairn that he and the rest of the search party erected over the site and wrote of Scott's skis, "I am using the Owner's ski(s) - they must finish the journey - and they will."

📸 Snow Cairn erected over the final resting place of Scott, Wilson and Bowers, Antarctica New Zealand Pictorial Collection.

#OTD #inspire #explore #discover #conserve #Antarctica #RobertFalconScott #terranova #southpole
Antarctic Heritage Trust is honoured to be one of Antarctic Heritage Trust is honoured to be one of the ten charities that Matt Rose has chosen to support as part of Matt's Good Walk. Matt is walking the length of the South Island and has raised almost half of his ambitious $250,000 target, some of which will help fund one young person on the Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ - South Georgia 2023.

Check out the news story below to read more about how Matt is achieving this.
https://www.scene.co.nz/queenstown-news/local-life/matts-big-fundraising-strides/

To learn more:
https://www.mattsgoodwalk.nz/
https://inspiringexplorers.co.nz/

#mattsgoodwalk #inspiringexplorers2023 #inspire #explore #antarcticheritagetrust
#OnThisDay in 1870, Herbert George Ponting was bor #OnThisDay in 1870, Herbert George Ponting was born. Ponting was a professional photographer and is best known as the expedition photographer and cinematographer for Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s 'Terra Nova' expedition 1910-1913. During his time on the ice, Ponting captured some of the most enduring images of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Scott’s vision of taking Antarctica to the world was to be fulfilled beyond his wildest expectations. Through his skill, tenacity and adaptation to the Antarctic conditions, Ponting opened everyone’s eyes, providing lessons to members of the expedition so the standard of photographic work on their scientific field parties was second to none. Ponting returned from the 'Terra Nova' expedition after the first year with a catalogue of over 1700 negatives and ca. 25,000 feet worth of film. His work moved beyond the bounds of travelogues or scenic imagery, it became the very forefront of polar wildlife documentary film-making.

Ponting had his very own darkroom in the 'Terra Nova' hut at Cape Evans on Ross Island. To find out more about Ponting and this fascinating space, check out the Trust's podcast Frozen in Time (#3 on the interactive map) on our website https://nzaht.org/frozen-in-time/

📸 Photographer Herbert George Ponting (1870-1935) at work in the dark room of Scott's 'Terra Nova' hut, Antarctica, during the British Antarctic Expedition, 24 March 1911. Alexander Turnbull Library

#inspire #explore #discover #conserve #Antarctica #RobertFalconScott #Scott #Ponting #capeevans
#OnThisDay in 1889, Lionel Greenstreet, First Offi #OnThisDay in 1889, Lionel Greenstreet, First Officer of Shackleton's Imperial Trans Antarctic 'Endurance' Expedition (1914-17) was born. He grew up in East Barnet, Hertfordshire and at around 15 years old, became a cadet on the training ship 'Worcester' where he passed certificates in Navigation and Seamanship.

In August 1914, while on leave from duties with the New Zealand Shipping Company in Scotland, Greenstreet wrote to Frank Worsley, Captain of the 'Endurance' for a position on the expedition. As the First World War was starting, the original chief officer Douglas George Jeffrey, had left for active service. One day before Endurance sailed from Plymouth, Greenstreet received a short message from Worsley directing him to come meet him from whereby he was told to get his affairs in order and be ready to leave the next morning.

Greenstreet played an important role in the expedition team's survival after 'Endurance' was abandoned and crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea. Worsley later gave extensive praise to Greenstreet for his efforts on the journey to Elephant Island, relieving Worsley at the tiller of 'Dudley Docker' and serving as a key rower for the boat. After the expedition, Greenstreet served in both world wars, held numerous positions, married and eventually retired in Brixham, Devon. Greenstreet was the final surviving member of the 'Endurance' expedition, he died in 1979.

📸 Public Domain, Photographed by David Knights-Whittome

#inspire #explore #discover #conserve #Antarctica #Endurance #Shackleton
#OnThisDay in 1912, the remaining three members of #OnThisDay in 1912, the remaining three members of Scott's Polar Party, British Antarctic 'Terra Nova' Expedition 1910-1913, made their final camp on their return from the South Pole. Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Lieutenant Henry Bowers and Dr Edward Wilson were just 11 miles from the next depot of food and fuel which would have saved them.

Scott's diary entry on Monday 19 March, describes a dreadfully heavy sledge and -40-degree temperatures. Trapped by a blizzard, the men shared the little food they had left and waited.

"Every day we have been ready to start for our depot 11 miles away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of whirling drift..." - R. F. Scott, Thursday 29 March. Scott's Last Expedition © The Long Riders' Guild Press.

📸 Scott's Party on Reaching the South Pole 1912 © Antarctica New Zealand Pictorial Collection.

#OTD #inspire #explore #discover #Antarctica
#OnThisDay in 1912, Captain Lawrence Oates made th #OnThisDay in 1912, Captain Lawrence Oates made the ultimate sacrifice, stepping out of his tent into a blizzard never to be seen again. Oates was an integral part of Scott's Polar Party, during the British Antarctic 'Terra Nova' Expedition 1910-1913, and made a brave attempt to preserve enough supplies for Scott, Wilson and Bowers during their return from the South Pole.

Oates was severely frostbitten, weakened and suffering from scurvy. Believing he was slowing the other men down, Oates died so they could have a chance at living. As he left the tent, Oates's famous last words are recorded as "I'm just going outside and may be some time..."

Captain Scott recorded these words in his diary, and some uncertainty lies over whether it was on the 16th or 17th March, which is also the same day that Oates was born 32 years earlier in 1880. Scott also wrote of Oates in his diary, "...it was the act of a brave man and an English gentleman."

Lawrence Oates was born in Putney, Surrey and in 1898, Oates joined a militia regiment, the 3rd Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment. In 1900, he was given an attachment to the British Army's 6th Inniskilling Dragoons and fought during the Second Boer War in South Africa. During the war Oates suffered a bullet injury to his thigh, leaving him with a limp and one leg shorter than the other. This injury caused him further pain, when the chill of the Antarctic intensified the effect of his injuries.

Oates' body was never found, however near where it is presumed that he died the search party erected a cairn and cross with the inscription;

'Hereabouts died a very gallant gentleman, Captain L. E. G. Oates, of the Inniskilling Dragoons. In March 1912, returning from the Pole, he walked willingly to his death in a blizzard, to try and save his comrades, beset by hardships.'

📸 Lawrence Oates, Alexander Turnbull Library

#OTD #inspire #explore #discover #conserve #Antarctica
LAST CHANCE TO APPLY – applications close at mid LAST CHANCE TO APPLY – applications close at midnight NZDT Sunday 19 March 2023.

Are you ready to follow in Shackleton’s footsteps? Challenge yourself? Grow as a person? Connect with fellow explorers? Be inspired by epic tales of polar exploration? Are you willing to share your experience and inspire your community to embrace the spirit of exploration?

Reach into the unknown – apply now for the upcoming Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ South Georgia! Head to inspiringexplorers.co.nz.

Applications close at midnight NZDT Sunday 19 March 2023. Eligibility criteria apply.

���This incredible two-week ship-based expedition is presented by @antarctica_21 and supported by our Inspiring Explorers™ Programme Partners @metservicenz and @royalsocietynz. 

📸 Sir Ernest Shackleton, Public Domain

#inspire #explore #discover #conserve #SouthGeorgia #inspiringexplorers #polar #adventure #Shackleton
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