Happy 25th Anniversary, King Edward Point!

April 28, 2026

In late March, GSGSSI and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) celebrated the 25^th anniversary of the current King Edward Point (KEP) research station by hosting a reunion event in Cambridge. The intention was to bring together as many of the people who have lived and worked at KEP over the years as possible, who have all contributed to the ongoing legacy of this unique place. We were delighted that over 80 people were able to join us at BAS HQ with a further ~70 participants listening online.

This special occasion included a series of light-hearted talks on all aspects of the history of the base and the work done there, along with updates on what’s happening now, and live links with both the current team on station at South Georgia and those at Government House in Stanley. The entertaining and informative presentations combined a wealth of history with recent updates from KEP and brought back many memories.

It was an honour and a joy to bring together such a diverse group of people all connected by their history with King Edward Point. The 25^th anniversary provided a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and reminisce with old friends, and share a slice of the most amazing cake. Afterwards, we adjourned to a local hostelry to continue conversations into the evening, and in some cases into the wee small hours!

Recordings of the talks are kindly being hosted on the South Georgia Association on their YouTube channel and can be accessed via the SGA website

Session One

Welcome
Before 1982 – pre-invasion history of KEP (Andy Clarke)
Before the handover, a BAS perspective (Frank Curry)
“Civilianisation” – the transfer of KEP from the military to GSGSSI (Pat Lurcock)
Development of the current KEP station (Mark Belchier)
Stories from the first winterers (Simon Morley & Judith Brown)

Session Two