The Antarctic Legacy of South Africa is run by a small team: a (retired) Principal Investigator – myself and an Archivist – Ria Olivier. With over 500 members on the ALSA Facebook page, many of whom are willing and keen to submit their photographic slides for archiving, we are getting a little swamped. We still need to visit archives and museums around the country and beyond, read old newspapers on microfilm and undertake “road trips” within South Africa to scan photo albums and diaries held by SANAP team members from past years (or by their descendants). Then there is this website to write for, conferences to be attended and more.
With all this in mind, ALSA is pleased to announce its staff has increased this month with ex-Marion 70 Team Member Anche Louw joining us. She will be undertaking a number of diverse tasks, but will be especially helpful with her experience within SANAP in the critical task of capturing information (who, when, where, etc.) for each photograph to be archived. Anche introduces herself below.
“I grew up on a mixed game and cattle farm just outside Parys in the Free State. From a very young age I spent most of my time in the outdoors, developing a fond interest and passion for nature. My curiosity got the better of me and after graduating from Parys High School in 2007 I left the countryside to study a BSc in Botany and Zoology at the University of Johannesburg, from which I graduated in 2010. During this time I stayed in Benjimijn Ladies Residence, where my academic responsibilities were always my first priority. I am, however, a strong believer in leading a well-balanced lifestyle and during this time I enjoyed the social and sporting activities presented by the University. I was a peer for the first years in my second year where I learned a lot of the communication skills I have today. I played tennis, volleyball, netball and also took pleasure in swimming.
During my undergraduate studies I developed a deeper interest in the functioning of ecosystems and in 2011 I moved to Stellenbosch and completed my BSc Honours in Botany and Zoology. My Honours project was on Marion Island where I undertook data collection and fieldwork for a month.
After my Honours degree I envisaged a future in the corporate sector. I accepted a position at National Air Pollution Assessment Services cc in 2012. I started off as an Occupational Hygiene consultant (after training) and conducted inspections on the health of miners at Anglo Coal where I was contracted. My positive contribution to the company was recognised and after a few months I was promoted to laboratory coordinator. This went very well, however, at the age of 23 I hankered towards an outdoor life and applied for a field assistant position in botany back on Marion Island. My contributions towards natural science were acknowledged and I was appointed as Botanist on the 70th Marion Island overwintering team. This was a golden-egg opportunity to further my studies in natural sciences. From April 2013 to May 2014 I was stationed on Marion, together with 19 other fantastic people. I also met the love of my life, Hennie Louw. He was a sealer, undertaking data collection on Southern Elephant Seals as well as on Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Fur Seals for the University of Pretoria. In 2013 I registered for a Masters Degree in botany at Stellenbosch University. My Masters project focuses on the classification of Marion Island plants into functional types. I am in process of finalizing my thesis and will graduate in March this year.
Since 2015 I have been slowly engaging with the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa and it is such a pleasure to be more involved with the project as from this year.”
Feature photograph: Anche Louw in the polar desert of Marion’s interior on a good day; Prince Edward Island on the horizon
John Cooper, Principal Investigator, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, 05 February 2016
