Br.Ant.Territory : Saving Our Heritage in Antarctica
Submitted by (Juanita Brock) 12.10.2005 (Article Archived on 26.10.2005)

The BBC World Service interviewed the Hon. Alexandra Shackleton about the restorative effort.

SAVING OUR HERITAGE IN ANTARCTICA

A Report for BBC World Service “Calling the Falklands” by Deborah Vogle (DV) 12/10/05

A campaign has been launched to save the wooden huts in Antarctica used by the great polar explorers.  The teams lead by Captain Scott and Earnest Shackleton used them during their heroic attempts to conquer the Antarctic.  But after more than a century, they are now deteriorating and will cost millions of Pounds to restore.  Here’s BBC Science Correspondent, Christine McGurty (CM)

CM:  The race to conquer the frozen continent produced extraordinary tales of adventure and endurance.  The fateful expedition of Scott to the South Pole captured the public imagination.  And, the survival of Shackleton and his men after their ship became stuck in the ice is held up today as a triumph of inspirational leadership.  But freezing blizzards and scouring snow have been gradually destroying the simple wooden huts the explorers used.  The cramped cabins still contain explorers’ rations and important polar artefacts.  But the weather and visiting tourists have contributed to their deterioration.  Shackleton’s granddaughter, Alexandra (AS) says action is needed urgently.

AS:  They are monuments to the courage – the raw courage of those who achieved a great deal in the harshest climate of the world.  As I say, we are so lucky the huts still exist.  Some of them are just hanging on.  Conservation work is desperately needed.

CM:  Although many of the early expeditions were British, the huts lay in what is New Zealand’s Territory.  Six Million Pounds is needed in total for the conservation work and campaigners are calling on the British Government to help fund the work as a tribute to some of the nation’s best known explorers.

(Compilers Note:  I feel a fund-raising editorial coming on!  Hopefully the other media will catch the bug and lend a journalistic hand wherever needed.)