The Explorer May 2020 Introduction

“Need to put footstep of courage into stirrup of patience.”

Sir Ernest Shackleton

We shared this quote recently with our Inspiring Explorers™ team returning from Antarctica when they became caught up in the global travel restrictions. Quarantined on a ship off the coast of South America, they did not know when, or if, they might be able to travel home.

Shackleton’s sentiment seems more poignant than ever as the world faces the COVID-19 global pandemic. This common and shared threat has caused the loss of so many lives globally. While isolating us all physically, it has united us with a shared purpose to care for each other and to keep people safe, particularly the elderly and vulnerable.

Our Antarctic Heritage Trust community of alumni, donors, members, supporters and consultants spans 32 countries globally. As nations collectively understand and respond to the Covid-19 pandemic it is impacting on all our lives. Regardless of where you live I know many of you will be facing challenges personally and professionally and hope, above all else, that you are keeping safe and well in this unprecedented difficult time.

Like many organisations the Antarctic Heritage Trust team has been working from home in lock-down. The Trust is following New Zealand government health advice and doing our best to reprioritise and plan for the future. With current travel restrictions we don’t know what the Antarctic 2020-21 season or our Inspiring Explorers™ programme will look like, however we continue to work closely with Antarctic agencies and our expedition partners to navigate through these difficult times.

Antarctic Heritage Trust’s values are to be open-minded and curious, to be innovative, to treasure the spirit and legacy of exploration, to encourage positive risk taking and to strive for excellence. As a foundation, these are strong values to lean on in these uncertain times as we refocus on the work we do.

As a team the Trust has been reflecting on the early polar explorers and their remarkable stories of extreme challenge and isolation and drawing inspiration from them. You may have seen reminders of some of these stories shared on our social media channels.

In recent years the Trust has committed to creating more content to share through digital channels and has been working hard on a number of emerging technology projects. Amidst the current chaos there is now an opportunity to engage a wider audience with these stories using this immersive technology. Although we had to postpone the launch of our unique new virtual reality project showcasing Sir Edmund Hillary’s (TAE/IGY) hut in Antarctica we will release that in due course for global audiences to explore.

I hope you enjoy this issue of The Explorer and I encourage you to visit the Trust’s website to explore more photos and video content for many of these stories.

Thank you to all our members, donors, alumni and partners who continue to help the Trust. We appreciate your ongoing support and we wish you all the best as the world faces this challenging time.

Best wishes and stay safe.

Nigel Watson

Executive Director