Port Lockroy Team

Meet this year’s team who will be living and working at Port Lockroy until March 2019.

Heidi Ahvenainen
2018/19 Base Leader

Whilst studying for a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration at the University of Lapland, Heidi worked as a seasonal guide for a safari company in Finnish Lapland. This involved leading international customers on husky, reindeer and snowmobile safaris for three winter seasons. During her studies she did two semesters abroad, first in Indonesia studying a course in South-East Asian studies and then in Italy at the University Carla Cattaneo studying international project management. After graduating in 2011 she worked two summer seasons at a camper-van rental company in Finland, Sweden and Norway before returning to Finnish Lapland and working as a sales assistant and guide for the safari company during a five-month winter season. She moved to Scotland in 2013 to study for an MSc degree in international marketing and has worked for a Scottish and Irish tour operator for the last four years. This will be her first time in Antarctica.

Guillaume de Remacle

After graduating in 2010 from the ESCEM Business School with a masters degree in International Business Negotiations, Guillaume spent two and a half years in Paris at a communications agency as a Project Manager. Tired of life in France he left with his backpack to explore and discover the world. He spent a total of four years in Asia and Oceania working in many different places: Thailand, Australia, New-Zealand and Japan. Always looking for an adventure, Guillaume seeks out unusual experiences with customer service at the core. He came back to France after his travels and found a job in a high mountain hiking refuge in the French Alps where he has spent both the winter and summer seasons of 2018. Like Port Lockroy, the refuge is remote and his work is based around welcoming guests and taking care of them, especially in harsh weather conditions. So far, his only polar experience has been watching documentaries and reading literature, but being both remote and unusual, Port Lockroy has been on his checklist for a while.

 

Kirsty Dick

Kirsty graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2017 with a 1st in Classical and Middle East Studies MA Hons. She spent six years working during her vacations for Granta Moorings in Cambridge as a Tour Guide and General Manager. Alongside this, she has travelled extensively, including a solo trip around the world in 2013. In August 2016 Kirsty was the Research Assistant for a University of Edinburgh trip to Ladakh in the Himalayas to study the geology of the valley. Since graduating she has worked with Merlin Entertainments on a four-month project to create a new tourist attraction in Beijing and is currently working part-time for the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, helping to prepare for the Port Lockroy season 2018/19. This will be her first time in a Polar region.

Hannah Johns

Hannah left university in 1999 with a 2:1 BSc. Hons in Physical Education and Sports Science and a PGCE in Secondary Physical Education and Science, both from Loughborough University. Following a 6-week charity expedition in the Bornean jungle, she taught PE in the UK for 2 years before spending a further 2 years travelling and working around the world. Her trip included back-to-back winters in New Zealand and Canada and wild camping in Alaska.  She then moved to Japan where she taught English for 3 years. This lead to working as a volunteer teacher on a cruise ship, which was when she had her first taste of Antarctica. Her teaching career has also taken her from Guatemala to Greece as well as to various universities in the UK. As a keen volunteer and charity worker, she has worked in Nepal in remote acupuncture clinics, obtained curatorial skills at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, passed a charity search and rescue selection, as well as volunteering at local festivals and on conservation projects including an extreme beach clean. She loves the snow and ice most, however, and feels extremely fortunate to be able to return to Antarctica for a second consecutive season at Port Lockroy.

Sally Owen

Sally qualified as a Dental Surgeon in 1987, followed by 3 years training in Maxillofacial Surgery. A short service commission with the Royal Army Dental Corps allowed Sally to develop her passion for mountaineering and travel. Two years attached to the Royal Navy included an expedition to Nepal. This was followed by two years with British Antarctic Survey, based on RRS Bransfield. Sally visited all the British bases, including the historic. After 18 months climbing in Bhutan, Nepal and exploring India Sally began work as Dental Officer in the Falkland Islands in 2000. Enjoying the wildlife, Sally spends her leisure hours hill-walking, mountain biking and sea kayaking; she revels in the remote, self-sufficient lifestyle. Antarctica beckoned again and she was Postmistress at Port Lockroy for the 2007-08 season, living in the original Bransfield House. Since then Sally has acted as UKAHT agent in the Falkland Islands and helped support conservation teams to Stonington and Horseshoe bases, as well as support for Port Lockroy. She returned to Port Lockroy in 2017-18 season and is thrilled to return for the third time this year.     

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We are very keen to promote the important heritage work that we do, telling the story of life in Antarctica both past and present. If you are interested in running a story about us, using our images or films or want to discuss an interview or potential collaboration opportunity we would love to hear from you.  Please contact either Sarah or Lewis at Limewash to discuss your requirements sarah@limewash.co.uk or +44 (0)1223 813 557.