GOVERNOR PEARCE TALKS ABOUT HIS SOUTH GEORGIA TRIP
A Report for BBC World Service "Calling the Falklands" by Louise Swan 11/04/03
Part 2 (South Georgia Trip)
LS: And, you have recently been on a trip to Georgia, is that right?
HP: South Georgia. That is also part of my area of responsibility. It was a most fascinating experience. One can only, of course, get there by sea so I spent three days on HMS Leeds Castle on my way down there. I had a couple of nights at King Edward Point, which is where the very small population of South Georgia is concentrated. And, then I spent three days with HMS Endurance, making use of her helicopters to see as much of the Island as I could. And, I returned (to the Falklands) on HMS Endurance. It was a 10 or 11 day trip in all.
I was so pleased to have the opportunity to get down to South Georgia as soon as I could fairly early in my time in this job. And, we face quite a number of important challenges down there – most of them environmental challenges. There is the most extraordinary wildlife – some of the most remarkable wildlife sites in the world. For example, at St. Andrew’s Bay there is the largest King Penguin colony and rookery anywhere in the world. There are over a quarter of a million King Penguins and it’s one of the most remarkable sites I have ever seen.
There is a lot else besides that. Of course, we have a rather remarkable heritage of industrial archaeology. It’s to a large extent a Norwegian heritage because it was largely the Norwegians who established the whaling industry in South Georgia in the early 20th century and it lasted for some 60 years. But it has left some extraordinary industrial archaeology behind. This was an extensive heavy industry in one of the most remote parts of the world. And, whatever one thinks of whaling, as such, I think, an extraordinary example of human courage and ingenuity.
And, that has left us with some challenges. In specific, there are some problems because we have a problem at Grytviken, the whaling station and indeed the other whaling stations with substances, particularly asbestos, which had been left behind. And, they need to be cleaned up. Now, that’s going to be a major challenge over the next year at Grytviken because we have to make that place safe as that’s where our people live and work. That’s where many tourist vessels come in and visit. But we are determined to complete the task of cleaning up Grytviken over the next 12 months.
You would think that such a remote and distant island wouldn’t really provide us with all that much to do but it does and it means a lot of challenges for the South Georgia Government. But it is, both in terms of wildlife and in terms of scenery, one of the most beautiful and remarkable places that I have had the privilege to visit. And, I look forward to going back there.
(100X Transcription Service)
