North Pole Anniversary Event
'The North Pole and Beyond'
A Celebration of Polar Science and Endeavor in Memory of Sir Wally Herbert
and Dr. Fritz Koerner
Royal Geographical Society, London
Tuesday, 7 April 2009, 7pm
For further information, please contact:
Kari Herbert
Email: hello [at] polarworld.co.uk
A memorial evening in honor of Sir Wally Herbert, pioneering polar
explorer, and his travelling companion and leading glaciologist, Dr.
Fitzroy (Fritz) Koerner, will be held at the Royal Geographical Society
in London on Tuesday evening, 7 April 2009, to coincide with the 40th
anniversary of the British Trans-Arctic Expedition. The doors will open
at 6pm and admission is free.
On 6 April 1969, four men (Sir Wally Herbert, Dr. Fitzroy 'Fritz'
Koerner, Allan Gill and Dr. Ken Hedges) and some forty dogs reached the
North Pole whilst on an expedition that would be hailed as the 'last
great journey on Earth' - the first crossing of the Arctic Ocean along
its longest axis, and the first undisputed expedition to reach the North
Pole on foot.
The pioneering British Trans-Arctic Expedition (BTAE), conceived and led
by Sir Wally Herbert, involved a 16-month journey across 3,620 miles of
sea ice from Alaska to Spitsbergen via the Pole of Inaccessibility and
the North Pole. It was hailed by Prime Minister Harold Wilson as a
'feat of courage which ranks with any in polar history' and, in the
opinion of H.R.H. Prince Philip, a journey which stands 'among the
greatest triumphs of human skill and endurance.'
The scientific program, conducted by Dr. Fritz Koerner, was the first
surface survey of the frozen polar ocean. Koerner's findings now provide
benchmark data for today's scientific predictions about the status of
the melting polar ice cap and associated climate change issues.
In celebration of the fortieth anniversary, Polarworld is delighted to
present an evening celebration and a touring exhibition that will be
shown in London and Scotland. Of particular importance is the evening
dedicated to polar science and endeavor at the Royal Geographical
Society in memory of Sir Wally Herbert and Dr. Fritz Koerner, who died in
2007 and 2008 respectively. The celebrations will include film, story
telling, and reminiscences from the Herbert and Koerner families as well
as tributes from some of the world's leading lights in polar endeavor
and science.
A touring exhibition is also part of the anniversary celebrations:
The Art of Exploration - An Exhibition of Prints of Sir Wally
Herbert's Paintings
29 March - 24 May 2009 at the National Geographic Store, on Regent
Street in London; and 30 May - 30 August 2009, at Discovery Point, in
Dundee, Scotland.
The Polar World, Sir Wally's last book in hardback, is available at the
special price during the celebrations. The book can be ordered through
the Polarworld website at: http://www.polarworld.co.uk.
For further information about these events or the book, please contact:
Kari Herbert
Email: hello [at] polarworld.co.uk.
--
Alison York, Ph.D.
Project Manager
Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS)
3535 College Rd., Suite 101
Fairbanks, AK 99709-3710
Phone: 907/474-1600 Fax: 907/474-1604
york [at] arcus.org
Visit ARCUS on the Internet http://www.arcus.org for
current information, downloadable reports, directories, etc.