Explorer Journeys: Charlie Thomas

Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ South Georgia 2023

The look on Charlie Thomas’ face as he saw a snow petrel for the first time is one that many won’t forget.

He exuded joy as he jumped up and down, screaming incoherently with friend and Trust mentor, Georgie Archibald. “This was the first time either of us had ever seen this incredible bird, so we jumped and screamed and laughed and cried a little. It is a moment I will treasure forever,” reflected Charlie.

He had dreamt about seeing a snow petrel for years. He saw it in a book on Antarctica when he was younger. “As I grew up and fell in love with adventures, expeditions and wild remote places, I began to fear that my identity as a queer/trans person would limit my ability to experience the places and wildlife that I had grown to love so much. Seeing the snow petrel soaring alongside the turquoise glaciers and awash with the colours of the rainbow, I knew that my passion would take me anywhere I wanted to go, including to Drygalski Fjord at the bottom of South Georgia Island amongst some of the most incredible people I have ever met,” shared Charlie.

Charlie’s passion for birds became contagious on the expedition. He was selected to be on the visual arts outreach team and he generously donated an original painting, created during the expedition, to be auctioned onboard. It sold for an impressive NZD $2,000.

“People like me will continue to explore, and thrive, in these incredible and remote places, as long as we are given an opportunity to do so,” shared Charlie.

Post expedition he has been working on a series of paintings and lino carving prints to be shared in an exhibition at the New Zealand Maritime Museum in Auckland. The museum were so impressed by the visual arts team’s works that they agreed to host an exhibition for nine months as well as pay the explorers an artist’s fee. They’ve also indicated they would like to acquire some of their works for museum’s permanent collection.

Beyond the art exhibition, Charlie has shared his experience through speaking engagements with Rotary, Bird Rescue Volunteers, and media and podcast interviews. He continues to talk about his work with the Trust through his own work as an ecologist and nature guide.

A year later, Charlie reflects on the expedition being “one of the most special experiences of a life-time.” He is so grateful for the Trust and donors that enabled this expedition to happen. “This expedition, for me, was a shake-up. A gentle shove into the uncomfortable and the unknown. South Georgia surprised me by challenging my view on my own life. It pushed me to do things and think in ways I hadn’t before. That is what felt like true exploration to me,” he shared.

“South Georgia surprised me by challenging my view on my own life. It pushed me to do things and think in ways I hadn’t before. That is what felt like true exploration to me.”