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Celebrating Frank Worsley Increase Our Efforts to Engage and Connect with All New Zealanders, Particularly Youth

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Celebrating Frank Worsley Increase Our Efforts to Engage and Connect with All New Zealanders, Particularly Youth ExplorerTHE DECEMBER 2020 Ministerial Changes Following the resounding election result in New Zealand in October, updated New Zealand Government Ministerial roles have been confirmed. We are honoured that the New Zealand Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, in her capacity as Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage has taken on Ministerial oversight of the New Zealand Government’s support for Antarctic Heritage Trust. We look forward to engaging with the Minister and Government in 2021. We acknowledge and thank Deputy Prime Minister Hon Grant Robertson, outgoing Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. Minister Robertson oversaw the additional funding for the Trust allocated during the May 2020 Budget. It provided a much-needed platform this year to Sasha Harwood climbs with confidence. ©AHT/Anna Clare allow the Trust to operate with confidence and invest in essential staff during such uncertain times. It has allowed us to Celebrating Frank Worsley increase our efforts to engage and connect with all New Zealanders, particularly youth. The Young Inspiring Explorers™ programme where he was born, and a Worsley exhibition presentation by William Pike. It was inspiring, encourages and empowers young, modern- at Akaroa Museum. and it proved to me that even if something day explorers to meet the challenges of goes wrong you can build up on the little The students also went on a bush walk life head-on by connecting them with the things that went right and step further out to the site of Worsley’s family home, inspiring feats of early Antarctic exploration. of your comfort zone. I think this is a really challenged themselves on a high ropes important thing to remember in life.” The Trust held the inaugural Young Inspiring course, learned about search and rescue Explorers™ Worsley Weekend in November and survival skills in the outdoors, tried out Emily Tipper said the high ropes course in Canterbury, New Zealand to celebrate a sextant, and developed map reading skills helped develop teamwork, “You’re relying Antarctic explorer and Kiwi hero, Frank though orienteering. on the people at the bottom holding you, Worsley. Worsley captained Shackleton’s and another girl, Erin, helped me get to the One very special part of the weekend was Endurance. He undertook ‘the greatest top because I wasn’t tall enough to achieve hearing from three of Antarctic Heritage small boat journey of all time’ and one of this on my own.” Trust’s Inspiring Explorers alumni. The the greatest ever feats of navigation aboard students were enthralled to learn about Having completed the Worsley Weekend, the James Caird from Elephant Island to Tom MacTavish’s crossing of South Georgia the students shared their experiences at an South Georgia Island to help save the crew Island as part of the Trust’s inaugural outreach event, where they were welcomed of Endurance. Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ in 2015 into the Trust’s Alumni Programme. Twenty students aged 11 to 13, from around to mark the centenary of Shackleton’s The Trust would like to thank Worsley Canterbury travelled to Worsley’s home famous expedition. William Pike and Anzac Weekend sponsors ChristchurchNZ town of Akaroa, in New Zealand’s South Gallate also talked about their Inspiring and Christchurch Antarctic Office, and Island. They were challenged to step out of Explorers Expeditions™ to Antarctica in 2017 supporters Akaroa Museum and William their comfort zones as they learned some of and 2020. Pike Challenge. the skills needed to be a legendary explorer Young Inspiring Explorer Nico Blundell said, like Worsley. Activities they took part in “If I had to pick just one highlight it was the Visit nzaht.org for video included visiting Worsley's bust, the house Newsletter of the Antarctic Heritage Trust (New Zealand) Copyright © 2020 Antarctic Heritage Trust. All rights reserved. Replacing the anchoring rigging on Shackleton’s Hut at Cape Royds. ©AHT/Lizzie Meek Snow removal at Scott’s Terra Nova Hut, Cape Evans. © Antarctica New Zealand/Katherine Vaughan snow and ice around Scott’s Terra Nova Hut. Key tasks at Cape Evans were to put Half the Team, Half the Time, an aluminium cap on top of a section of the polycarbonate deflection dam that prevents Double the Support water from flowing under the hut, as this was being damaged by foot traffic around the building. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, our season, and the team mounted a worldwide conservation team have successfully search to find a replacement with the same Inside, the team developed a solution for a completed a scaled back essential diameter, number of strands, and inner rusted flue section which drops large flakes monitoring and maintenance programme at core as the original marine towing cable. of rust onto the wardroom table. Thanks go the Ross Island historic huts in November With help from Trust heritage consultant to Antarctica New Zealand and the United and December 2020. Thanks go to Gordon Macdonald, the right product was States Antarctic Programme for arranging Antarctica New Zealand, in what has been located in Canada, and we are grateful to the manufacture of a replica flue cap. an extremely challenging year for their the manufacturer, Northwest Wire Rope At all sites, the team collected annual operations. Limited, for sponsoring the cost of the environmental data, part of a series which cable, and to shipping company Extreme This was a very different season right from has been unbroken since 1990. In particular, Global, for providing discounted freight the beginning, with our team of two, Al data is being collected to try and narrow services. To install each cable, the team had Fastier and Lizzie Meek, first going into down ongoing sources of moisture within to dig down through the scoria to reach two weeks of quarantine in Christchurch the buildings, especially in the subfloor the existing deadman (or anchors) they are alongside the cohort they would be area. New logging stations were installed at attached to. With the frozen ground like travelling to Antarctica with. This was Cape Evans, to determine dust sources and concrete, this took an average of half a day followed by a week of strict segregation quantities, and the specific components of each, with one deadman taking a whole day procedures at Scott Base before their the dust which are contributing to artefact to expose. cohort could mix with others or leave the damage. A particular area of focus is the base to begin their work at the historic Other important tasks at Cape Royds Cape Evans stables. bases. included replacing UV-damaged covering It is always exciting for the team to return fabric on fodder bales in the stables, and Due to the reduction in team size and artefacts to the iconic buildings we care clearing snow and ice build-up around programme this season, our team were for and this season as well as the Salter the hut. This was made more challenging supported by Scott Base Carpenter, Mike scales featured in this edition, we were for the team by the extreme cold with Southworth, and Field Support Officer able to return a number of items to Hillary’s temperatures averaging -25° celsius and Angela Buunk. The limited extent of sea ice (TAE/IGY) Hut. These included a pair of high winds they faced during their time at this season, meant access to Cape Evans windproof trousers, books, and manuals Cape Royds this season. The store cases and Cape Royds was by helicopter, with all belonging to Arnold Heine, and a wonderful stacked outside were conserved in 2006, the team’s equipment carried by under- New Zealand flag thought to have been but experience continual degradation due slung load. flown in Antarctica by TAE expeditioner to the environment, so the team selected George Lowe, a member of the first Angela’s specialist rigging skills were five ‘Venesta boxes’ to bring back to New party to cross the continent. The flag was invaluable this season as one of the main Zealand to enable testing of a new repair donated by Tony Lowe, a distant relative tasks at Cape Royds was to replace the method, that should extend their resilience of George, and conserved with a fabric anchoring rigging on Shackleton’s Hut, to the harsh Antarctic conditions. backing before being taken back to the Ice. which had rusted out over time. The rigging In addition to the support of Mike and is essential for securing the building against Angela, Antarctica New Zealand provided Antarctica’s extreme winds. A sample an extra four people to service the field of the historic 1907 cable was taken last Read more at nzaht.org camp at Cape Evans, and to help clear The Salter scales hanging in Scott’s Discovery Hut. ©AHT/Lizzie Meek Scott’s Scales Return to the Ice In November 2020 the Trust was Lizzie Meek says she was delighted to “I had the biggest smile on my face when fortunate to repatriate a set of Salter receive such a special parcel. I saw it. I know Dad would be excited that scales to Scott’s Discovery Hut. they’re back where they belong too – times “These scales are more than a hundred have changed.” The scales were souvenired by Captain years old but despite their age and travels James Douglas who was a distinguished are in pristine condition. Captain Douglas Lizzie has a simple message for any other engineer and Naval command officer in and Susanna had taken incredible care of families who are in possession of similar charge of the construction of eight United them,” says Lizzie. souvenirs. States bases in Antarctica in the late 1950s. “They’re an important artefact and were used “Get in touch.
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