Port Lockroy blog 6: Three questions I’m always asked

26/12/2024

Port Lockroy postmaster George Clarke answers the three questions he’s regularly asked while working in the world’s southernmost post office.

1. What does a postie do in Antarctica? 

Well, every day is different. Typically, we welcome ships ashore to allow them to experience the island, look around the museum, purchase items from our shop and send a postcard or two home to friends and loved ones. 

If they can’t make it ashore, we offer to take our shop and post office onboard ships. This is a great opportunity to tell people about the history of the island, and particularly, the 80-year history of the post office.

George at work (UKAHT/George Clarke)

Whilst most people are looking to send postcards, some of the more avid philatelists are looking to take something home with them. Our British Antarctic Territory (BAT) stamps are extremely popular, as well as our First Day covers and sheetlets which act as special souvenirs from a very special post office.

The famous Port Lockroy stamp (UKAHT/George Clarke)

Of course, the one thing that everybody wants to see is the famous Port Lockroy franking stamp. This gets applied to every stamp and first-day cover that leaves the island, this stamp is our prized possession, the apple of our collective eye – our pride and our honour. I take great pleasure in adjusting the date every day, making sure the stamp is inked up and ready to frank. 

Needless to say, we get through our fair share of postcards, so much so that counting them would be far too time-consuming, so we weigh them instead. Every couple of weeks when we have built up a few big sacks full of mail, we weigh and label them and arrange for them to be taken to be taken aboard ships that are heading northwards towards the Falkland Islands. 

BAT-stamped mail ready to go (UKAHT)

2. How long does a letter take to arrive?

The next most common question I’m asked is, how long does a letter take to arrive? 

There’s no easy answer to this. I believe the record is only two weeks. However, when we first arrived on the island, just as Port Lockroy was waking up from its wintery snow-covered hibernation, we were greeted with a letterbox full of postcards that had been deposited over the winter months, when the island was shrouded in darkness and no workers were even present on the island. 

Mail sacks await collection (UKAHT/George Clarke)

Whilst this highlights how keen people are to send their mail from Port Lockroy, it also means that some of those letters had been sitting there for months before we processed them and sent them on their way. 

So, if I was going to offer any advice for a speedy delivery, wait until the post bags are looking particularly full, this means that soon they will be loaded onto ships and start their journey, more about that journey in my next blog.

3. What experience do you have?

Lots of people ask or assume I’ve had previous experience working in and running Post Offices, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. My background pretty much involved everything except post office work! From factories and retail to construction and the arts, I’ve tried out a few different career paths, but never once had I made it behind the counter at a post office, let alone the southernmost post office!

It’s a team effort, we all take part in the selling of stamps, the sorting of mail and most importantly the franking and cancelling of every item of mail. 

George swots up on his role (UKAHT/George Clarke)

The last thing to say is that every day is a school day. We were given training before our departure south and the support and advice from previous Port Lockroy Posties has been invaluable. But nothing can prepare you from being thrown in at the deep end and finding yourself behind the counter or presenting to a crowd, some of which seem to know far more about my job than I do. I find myself thinking on my feet, constantly discovering folders and boxes of various stickers, scales, stamps and shipping labels. 

All we can do is make sure there are postcards and stamps at the ready and as long as we’re fully inked up we’re ready to go!

– George Clarke, Postmaster, Port Lockroy