Trekkers fly to London

Press, 17 January 1986, Page 5

Trekkers fly to London

The leaders of the In the Footsteps of Scott expedition, Messrs Robert Swan and Roger Mear, left Christchurch yesterday afternoon for London.

With them were Ms Rebecca Ward, a photographer on the expedition and Robert Swan’s girlfriend, and the (ship’s) manager of the Southern Quest, Mr Peter Malcolm. Ms Ward and Mr Malcolm were travelling without their passports, which went down with the Southern Quest.

A member of the expedition’s organising committee and its co-ordinator in Christchurch, Miss Amanda Lovejoy, said the four were flying direct to London. Arrangements were under way to replace the passports of other expedition members. The different embassies in New Zealand

had been most helpful, she said.

Several of the expedition members from countries other than Britain would head for other destinations. There was no need for everyone to return to the expedition headquarters, Miss Lovejoy said. Work on a documentary film of the trek would begin almost immediately Messrs Swan and Mear were back in London.

They would work on the film with Mr John Tolson, the film cameraman who was one of the five-man wintering-over party, and their producer, Ms Geraldine Easter. The two trekkers would also begin work on a book about their walk. Miss Loveejoy said she thought they would write it themselves.

The rights to the book had already been sold, she said.