A WEDDING AND A BUST UP

The season is now well underway, with the shop fully stocked and Sarah, Charlotte and Dani up and running with Whaling Station and Shackleton tours and on-board fundraising presentations. Kerstin and I are also getting to grips with the range of South Georgia Island Crafts we make here at the museum – happily Jo and Danielle made a good stock at the end of last season which has kept us going until now in the shop.

On 26th November we welcomed back our Artist in Residence from the 2014/15 season, Anthony Smith. And he brought with him a very special delivery – a Bronze bust of Shackleton. Dale from the GSGSSI building team made a very smart plinth for it and as the weather just about held, we had an unveiling ceremony on the front steps of the museum with Anthony, Sarah and Charlotte all saying a few words. It is now in pride of place in the Fullerton Room and has been much admired by all.

Later in the month we were delighted to host a wedding in the church. Sarah presided as registrar for a lovely young couple from Australia to say their vows – only the 16th wedding in the modern register (in use for about 20 years). Dani rang the bells and Kerstin took photos. Some of the BAS team even donned their best shirts and made it over to wish the couple well, along with all the on-board guests and staff from Expedition.

Meanwhile ‘Team Rat’ have been out in the field, supported by vessels Pharos SG and Wanderer 3, putting out monitoring waxtags and chew sticks to see if there are any signs of rats left anywhere on the island. The weather so far has been great and all the signs good, but we look forward to welcoming three sniffer dogs and their handlers at the end of next month to provide a ‘belt and braces’ check of the baited areas and give us more assurance about the result of the survey. In the meantime, it’s hard to beat bivvying out above Penguin River and being awoken to a dawn chorus of belching elephant seals and twittering pipits – long may it last!