Enid Borschman

This memoir will attempt to capture the honed skills of a teacher who sought nothing better than to help students realise their potential, and the strength of an adventurer who was to be the only female member of an Antarctic team stationed on Macquarie Island. Our conversations were a great chance to appreciate the complexity of a woman who is both gentle and strong. As one of ten children, she no doubt needed to know a few tricks and how to play her cards carefully. “Ironically, I had never planned to be a teacher and I certainly never dreamt that I would become a member of not one, but two Antarctic assignments.” It is at this point that Enid pays tribute to the individuals who encouraged her and helped open doors to her own potential. Clearly, Enid was taught well, and she learned well. “I remember being told early to be a first-class citizen of myself as opposed to a second-class citizen of someone else”. Predictably, that approach was to guide the way she would come to tackle all aspects of her diverse life.