Background:

The Manager’s Villa at Stromness Whaling Station, on the British sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, is forever connected to the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance expedition. When the crew of Endurance found themselves stranded on Elephant Island after their ship was crushed in ice, their only chance of survival was to try to reach South Georgia and its whaling stations.

After a perilous 17-day voyage in a tiny lifeboat, Shackleton and five of his men reached South Georgia. With the help of the whalers there, Shackleton was able to save his remaining men on Elephant Island, in one of the greatest stories of the heroic age of polar exploration.

The Stromness Manager’s Villa, where help was found with the rescue of the crew of Endurance, still stands but is perilously close to collapse.

The South Georgia Heritage Trust, a UK charity, is now raising funds to save the Villa for future generations, as testament to the leadership of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the perseverance and determination of the men of Endurance.

Speaker:

Following an Honours degree in Philosophy and a postgraduate degree with distinction in Business Administration, Alison Neil MBE pursued a career in software project management in NCR Scotland for 14 years. Alison decided on a career change after meeting the late Brigadier David Nicholls RM who had set up SGHT in 2005. She was originally employed as a fundraiser for SGHT and was appointed Chief Executive of SGHT and Director of South Georgia Museum in September 2006. Alison was awarded an MBE in 2019 for services to the environment, following the success of SGHT’s landmark rodent eradication project which saved millions of native birds on South Georgia from predation and extinction, and was the largest project of its kind in the world.