West Yorkshire man is new Antarctic postie

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... -1-5011082" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Adventurous Ben Kaye is warming up for a new job in the world’s most southerly post office.

The 28-year-old is getting ready to work at Port Lockroy on Goudier Island, on the Western side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Goudier Island is about an acre in size and home to 4,000 penguins - and for the next four month will also be home to Ben.

Ben, an engineer who works for VdotCOM Ltd in Birstall, said: “A friend of mine worked in Antarctica last year and as soon as I found out about it I dreamed of doing it myself.

“I’ve never done anything like this before but I always had a feeling I would. So when I read my friend’s blog and realised that there were vacancies I jumped at the chance.”

Ben was one of 140 people to apply for the post working from the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, a charity which works to conserve historic buildings in Antarctica.

It takes at least three days by boat from the southern tip of Argentina to get to Goudier Island navigating the roughest stretch of water in the world.

There’s no central heating, mains electricity or running water and all the food is tinned and the work manning the ex-research station dating back to the 1950s is seven days a week.

One of Ben’s jobs will also be to hand-frank the postcards sold at the base’s gift shop, often as many as 70,000 in one short season.

Postcards are hand-franked at Port Lockroy and put on the next ship travelling to the Falkland Islands.

He said: “Working in the Antarctic is a privilege. To be there in 2012, the centenary year of Scott’s expedition to the South Pole, will make it even more special.”

[Lounge Lizard]

"There’s no central heating, mains electricity or running water and all the food is tinned"
No coincidence that he's from Yorkshire then. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[clashcityrocker]

One of Ben’s jobs will also be to hand-frank the postcards sold at the base’s gift shop, often as many as 70,000 in one short season.
70 000?
Surely that figure needs to be revised.
Mail is down 6% per annum.

[Lounge Lizard]

One of Ben’s jobs will also be to hand-frank the postcards sold at the base’s gift shop, often as many as 70,000 in one short season.
70 000?
Surely that figure needs to be revised.
Mail is down 6% per annum.

"Goudier Island is about an acre in size and home to 4,000 penguins" - so penguins have fifteen to twenty freinds each that they send postcards to ?

[clashcityrocker]

One of Ben’s jobs will also be to hand-frank the postcards sold at the base’s gift shop, often as many as 70,000 in one short season.
70 000?
Surely that figure needs to be revised.
Mail is down 6% per annum.

"Goudier Island is about an acre in size and home to 4,000 penguins" - so penguins have fifteen to twenty freinds each that they send postcards to ?

Penguins aren't on Facebook or any other social networking sites.
How, I wonder, do they find out what their old girlfriends are doing?

[fishtank]

Penguins aren't on Facebook or any other social networking sites.
How, I wonder, do they find out what their old girlfriends are doing?

The same way we do.
They get very drunk and at 3 in the morning make the often fatal mistake of texting them.
There should be a takeback function with a text.