Antarctic scientists get early Christmas present – thanks to the King
Charles was ‘touched by the story of the team working in one of the most remote places on earth’
Scientists stationed at a remote British research outpost in the Antarctic have received a special Christmas delivery: a brand new Royal Mail post box, personally arranged by King Charles.
Kirsten Shaw, the station support assistant overseeing the British Antarctic Territory Post Office at Rothera Research Station, wrote to the King asking for a replacement for the base’s previous, hand-painted replica post box.
The Royal household was “touched by the story of the team working in one of the most remote places on earth” and subsequently partnered with Royal Mail.
The collaboration led to the gift of one of its distinctive red lamppost boxes, featuring the King’s cypher.
The post box arrived aboard the UK’s polar research vessel, RRS Sir David Attenborough, coinciding with the first significant resupply mission to the base following the continent’s extended, dark winter.
The present was like “having a piece of home with us”, Aurelia Reichardt, the Rothera station leader, said.
“It’s such an honour for the station to be gifted a real Royal Mail post box,” she said.
“It’s given the community here a real boost – and it’s a great reminder to take the time to reach out to loved ones, even when work gets hectic.”
Earlier this year, the King recorded a personal message for researchers in Antarctica, expressing the “greatest admiration for the critically important work you do”.
The message coincided with the 24 hours of darkness they experienced on June 21 – the southern hemisphere’s shortest day.
Ms Shaw, who is responsible for getting mail in and out of Rothera and also across to other British Antarctic Survey (BAS) stations and science field camps, said: “Being in Antarctica is incredible, but it’s full of extremes.
“So I think it’s a special thing to send post back home, to communicate your experiences. It’s a moment of your life that you put down on paper and give to someone else.”
Ms Shaw, who was awarded the Fuchs Medal in 2022 for outstanding devotion to the Antarctic community thanks to her postal work, sorts the staff’s letters, adds British Antarctic Territory stamps and packs the post into bags for international delivery.
The mail is then sent on the RRS Sir David Attenborough or via BAS aircraft to an office in Stanley on the Falkland Islands.
It is then transported on an “air bridge” route to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, ready to be picked up by Royal Mail.
David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said sending and receiving post at Rothera is “vital” to keeping those working there connected with family and friends at Christmas.
“Sending and receiving mail is a vital connection for staff working in one of the most remote places on Earth – especially at Christmas, when messages from loved ones mean so much,” he said.
“This new post box will help keep that tradition alive and ensure the magic of mail even reaches the Antarctic.”
Rothera is the largest British Antarctic facility. It is home to around 100 staff in the summer months and just 22 in the winter, from April to mid-October.
Adelie penguins are also found living there, and pictures released by the BAS show the birds strolling near the new post box.
Located 1,860km south of the Falkland Islands on Adelaide Island to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula, Rothera serves as a centre for biological research and a hub for supporting deep-field and air operations.
Lamppost boxes are the Royal Mail’s smallest and were originally designed to be fixed to lampposts.
The box will eventually be located in the Discovery Building, the station’s new 4,500m-squared modern scientific support and operations centre.
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