POLAR POSTIE KEEPS UP FAMILY TRADITION

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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A YOUNG woman will follow a family tradition when she takes charge of the most southerly post office in the world.
Florence Barrow, 22, will have three other humans – plus 4,000 penguins – for company much of the time.

But the St Andrews University history graduate was brought up on tales of her explorer forebears, so she did not hesitate when she saw the vacancy for someone to run the post office at Port Lockroy in the British Antarctic Territory, 11,000 miles from the UK.

She beat 160 other applicants to bag the job.

Port Lockroy gets surprisingly busy at times. During the summer – when temperatures range from 5C to a balmy 15C – around 15,000 cruise ship passengers call in.

Florence, from Suffolk, will help the tourists send postcards and letters all over the world from the remote spot.

With a generation of graduates out of work, I am incredibly lucky to have secured any job
Florence Barrow
Exploring is in her family’s blood. Her great-great uncle was Hartley Ferrar, a geologist on Discovery, the ship used to explore the southern polar region between 1901 and 1904.

Discovery was purpose-built in Dundee, where she is now on display, for Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s first expedition to the Antarctic.

Florence’s great grandfather, John Gibson Anderson, from Aberdeen, was a deckhand with the Terra Nova expedition, which reached the South Pole in 1912. Tragically, the whole team died on the return journey.

Florence described getting the job with the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust as a dream come true.

She said: “My grandmother told me stories about Antarctica when I was a little girl and it’s always been a big part of my family history.

"When I graduated I saw an online job advert and couldn’t believe it. I was thrilled when I found out I had been selected. I feel very proud to be the next generation in my family to experience the Antarctic.”

She added: “We will man the base, run the post office, run the museum and gift shop, as well as monitoring the penguins – we have spent the summer preparing for all the roles.

“With a generation of graduates out of work, I am incredibly lucky to have secured any job, let alone a dream job.”