A NEWPORT worker has returned from a life-changing expedition to Antarctica, one of the least hospitable places on earth.
Stuart McFarlane, 31, who is originally from Kent, was part of the '2041 expedition' that visited the southern continent between March 12 and 26.
A portfolio optimisation analyst for MPF Operations at Severn Power station, Mr McFarlane works at Severn Power Station and has always dreamt of visiting Antarctica by the age of 30.The organisation 2041 is named for the year 2041 – which is when the Antarctic Treaty is revisited and ratified by all signing nations.
Invited as part of a team of 80 people from 26 countries, including civil servants from India and senior executives from Dubai’s Electricity and Water Authority, Mr McFarlane worked up to 16 hours a day in temperatures as low as -20C.
Crossing the Drake Passage, one of the world’s most feared stretches of water, and surrounded by 250kg fur seals, Mr McFarlane split his time between exploring the Antarctic peninsula and participating in a programme on leadership under Robert Swan, one of Britain’s leading polar explorers.
He was one of only five people on the expedition to be awarded a commendation – the Ashley Gualter award – for being the expedition member who spent the most time on deck and exploring.
He said: “It was a life-changing trip for me. The landscapes were really like a computer’s desktop wallpaper. It just silences you and everyone on the trip had the same humbling experience.
“Antarctica grabs hold of you and leaves you captivated long after you have come home.
“It’s been a real struggle to re-adjust to life at home. Research is showing that the Antarctic ice is melting.
“This is endangering much of the rest of the planet and it’s only when you visit that you fully understand the scale of the issue which will affect all future generations if we don’t take action now.”

2041 hopes that world leaders will commit to a treaty that protects Antarctica beyond that date and well into the future.