In December 2016, Rob Small is leading an expedition to Antarctica, a survivor of a terrible house fire in 2010, over the last five years Rob has spent over 200 days in hospital, endured 30 operations, learned to walk again. In January 2017 he’ll lead a small team to Antarctica to pick up from where Shackleton was forced to retreat from in 1907 at 88 deg 23min. The team will ski, towing their sledges, from this point to the South Pole. If they succeed, Rob will become the first person with significant burns who has journeyed over a significant distance, unsupported, to the South Pole. His team includes a scientist and a doctor as part of the reason for the expedition is to conduct medical research.
I caught up with Rob and spent a fascinating and enlightening couple of hours discussing the expedition, the accident, how Shackleton and adventuring in general inspired Rob from a young age and the challenges of living day to day after experiencing a life changing situation. A softy spoken Scot, born in 1979, Rob grew up in the Scottish city of Aberdeen he was educated in the UK and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, some years ago, whilst on holiday he discovered a love of scuba diving and this led to a career change and a move to the Maldives. For 10 years, Rob lived and worked all over the world with four thousand dives and hundreds of pupils to his credit, he continued to pass his zest for life and love of the ocean to others.
In January 2010 Rob’s life changed forever. Whilst working in Zanzibar the house in which he was living caught fire, trapping him inside. Rob was badly burned and, with only a 27% chance of survival spent the next five years experiencing over 200 days in hospital and enduring 30 operations so far. His legs below the knees have been effectively rebuilt, his right hip replaced, Rob had to learn to walk again. Rob now runs a scuba diving business and is a regular speaker.
88 Degrees 23 minutes south...
left: Shackleton, despite the Edwardian collar and the hair cut, the power of the personality in the portait is striking
Right: Rob in 2010 after the fire.
Words: Richard Palmer
Pictures: From Fire to Ice Expedition
Top: Furthest south, Adams, Wild & Marshall at 88 23 min South. furthest south record that stood until 1912. Photographer- Shackleton, it's a measure of the man that he was the man who took the photo - he always put his men first.
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