10/10/2018
Dear Sam,
My dear great, grand child, have the birds been singing today in your garden? Did you go with your mum down to the park to play?
In 2010 I had the chance to join a trip to the North Pole. I felt scared because I knew it would be so cold and very hard work. I nearly didn't do it because it was really hard work to organise the trip - but I knew the ice was melting and I thought that if I went maybe people would be interested in the trip, and maybe they would realise more about the melting ice. Maybe they would understand more about how real climate change is and how we have change how we live in order to stop things from being worse. Is there any ice left in the arctic now?
Some people did take notice. I think that over the two months it took me and the team to haul our sleds over the cold, rough ice that people who didn't already know much about what was happening took some notice because they looked at the website and they became more curious and found some information they hadn't seen before. Children in some of the schools followed the trip on the internet - and they talked to their parents about the melting ice and why it was happening. Even though the arctic is a long way from Bendigo it gave people motivation to change - little changes and big changes that in the end made a difference.
You have not met me but you might have seen some of my pictures and diaries. I hope that your Bendigo is as beautiful as mine - I have birds in my garden and parks with trees to walk through.
Linda
Friday, October 23, 2009
Dear Sam............... fundraising event
When: 3rd December, 2009
Where: South Bendigo Bowling Club, Palmerston St, Bendigo
How much: $30 (entry per person in 'Scratchie Christmas Tree' draw for bookings of 5 or more)
Bookings: contact Linda on 0409 940 184
Sam is an imaginary 6 year old child living in 2040. Sam is living in the world that has been highly influenced by the way we lead our lives in 2009. This event will prompt awareness of our legacy and through the example of Linda Beilharz’s next trek - to the North Pole - encourage us to take steps to commit to change. The event raises funds for the North Pole trip and engages the public in imagining Sam's world and increasing our investment in a safe future.
You will be contributing to National history - the first Australian woman to undertake such an arduous journey to the North Pole. (and first to South and North Poles - a super feat for Bendigo)
You will also be helping Bendigo get mobilised in moving to a Beyond Carbon future. Visioning is one of the first steps alongside auditing, development of new economies and altering our lifestyles in positive ways. These steps need people to be connected to the reason for change and ideas about what changes can happen. This event will help to changes hearts as well as minds.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Decision made - the north pole expedition is on!
It's been a few years in the making but Linda Beilharz has finally taken the big step of committing to a north pole expedition. Linda said " The expedition has been put off a couple of times so it's a great feeling to be able to focus on getting fully expedition fit and getting the gear sorted for what will be the hardest and most dangerous icecap expedition of all."
The expedition will start in the last week in February, 2010 after the team of three have done several weeks training together in northern Canada. We will be flown to the Northern tip of Canada as soon as the arctic winter lifts enough for a plane to land. Temperatures are expected to be between -30 and -50 degrees. We will then haul sleds for 60 days over about 800 kms of sea ice. Days will lengthen and temperatures will rise slowly but we need to get to the North Pole before the ice thins too much. It will be a race against time as we negotiate ice ridges, leads of water and challenging weather and snow conditions to reach the North Pole while helicopters can still land on the ice.
If successful Linda will become the first Australian woman to have skied from the edge of the land to the North Pole, and the first to have done the same trip to the north and south poles.
Before the trip gets started the biggest challenge is always financial - and in a time of financial downturn there is less available to fund trips like this. Because she is so passionate about going Linda is taking the step of raising the money herself. "It means I'll have to keep working till I'm 80 to pay off the loan - but it will be worth it" Linda said. "I will be inviting the Bendigo community to support my efforts, by holding a fundraising event in early December to take a bit of the pressure off."
The expedition will raise awareness of environmental issues and will encourage people to learn about climate change, resilience and team work. These themes have formed the basis of what Linda talks about in schools in relation to previous expeditions across the Antarctic, Greenland and Patagonia.
for further information: http://www.antonyjinman.com/news/the-science-behind-antony-s-north-pole-2010-expedition
The expedition will start in the last week in February, 2010 after the team of three have done several weeks training together in northern Canada. We will be flown to the Northern tip of Canada as soon as the arctic winter lifts enough for a plane to land. Temperatures are expected to be between -30 and -50 degrees. We will then haul sleds for 60 days over about 800 kms of sea ice. Days will lengthen and temperatures will rise slowly but we need to get to the North Pole before the ice thins too much. It will be a race against time as we negotiate ice ridges, leads of water and challenging weather and snow conditions to reach the North Pole while helicopters can still land on the ice.
If successful Linda will become the first Australian woman to have skied from the edge of the land to the North Pole, and the first to have done the same trip to the north and south poles.
Before the trip gets started the biggest challenge is always financial - and in a time of financial downturn there is less available to fund trips like this. Because she is so passionate about going Linda is taking the step of raising the money herself. "It means I'll have to keep working till I'm 80 to pay off the loan - but it will be worth it" Linda said. "I will be inviting the Bendigo community to support my efforts, by holding a fundraising event in early December to take a bit of the pressure off."
The expedition will raise awareness of environmental issues and will encourage people to learn about climate change, resilience and team work. These themes have formed the basis of what Linda talks about in schools in relation to previous expeditions across the Antarctic, Greenland and Patagonia.
for further information: http://www.antonyjinman.com/news/the-science-behind-antony-s-north-pole-2010-expedition
How dangerous is it?
Is it more dangerous to spend time on an expedition in a wild, remote and hostile place? Is it more likely that injury, illness, misfortune or death will occur? It probably is more dangerous. There are hazards like crevasses and avalanches, rocky, loose scree slopes, a slip on an icy slope, possible loss of gear from sleds if they tipover, the problem of clothing being wet and frozen, possible hypothermia and frostbite and the inevitable delays as clothing is dried. There are other hazards like falling and spraining a knee or bruising an elbow or breaking a ski. It is likely that some less serious injuries or breakages will occur. We may not find our route easily as we ascend the Jorge Montt glacier and we may have to deal with finding our way in white out conditions at times when the ground is not predictably safe. The consequence of a small accident is much greater than it would be at home because help is less readily available and it’s harder to get comfortable in order to wait for healing or repairs to occur. I don’t think however that it is more likely that we will suffer any misfortune. Each time I’ve been away on long expeditions I’ve come home to find out that there have been incidents at home while we’ve been away – a friend who broke ribs falling off a ladder, another friend had a car accident. Every month there is news about another person in the local community who is diagnosed with an illness or experiences some other difficulty in their lives. It seems that no matter where you are or how safely you try to live your life that illness and accidents happen or that relationships change or go through tough times. Going on an expedition doesn’t seem to make it more likely that something will happen. In fact the expedition has such a strong focus on thinking about the risks and making plans about what to do if something happens that it could possibly be safer.
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