On 13 February we were joined for lunch by Fred Topliffe, who spent two years in Antarctica as a meteorologist / weather observer.  

Fred’s background is in ecology, and as part of his Antactic adventure he had the opportunity not just to watch weather, but also to visit some of the last whaling stations in the South Atlantic.  At the time he was in the area, whaling stations were undergoing a period of change, with some already derelict and others in the process of changing hands from Norway to Japan.

In 1961 when Fred first went out, it was a lengthy journey to the Antarctic by boat, via Madeira, Montevideo, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.  It was in South Georgia that he first observed the whaling industry as carried out by the Norwegians, who mainly whaled for blubber.  This was at the end of an era when whole cities would be lit with whale oil (subsequently lighting was provided using petroleum products).  Whale oil is even now still used as a lubricant in some industries.

Fred told us about the settlement of Grytviken, which besides the whaling station also had its own Lutheran chapel (which is still kept up) and cinema (which sadly is not).  There were also half a dozen whaling graves, mostly from people who died en route to the settlement rather than people who died whilst there.  By the time Fred returned the same way in 1964, Grytviken was deserted – it had been abandoned alongside half a dozen other whaling stations on or near South Georgia.

Although Grytviken had been deserted, Fred did pass by another whaling station which was being run by the Japanese.  He told us that the Japanese adopted a completely different technique, perhaps because (unlike the Norwegians) in addition to the blubber, the Japanese were also interested in using the whale meat for food.

All in all it was interesting to hear about the demise of this industry, although I think most in the room were glad that it is now an industry on the decline.