It simply beggars belief to suggest that occupations by Scott's party;
Shackleton's Aurora party; or parties from the modern era are of minor
historic significance - even "in comparison" (Conservation Plan for
Cape Royds p65.1) to Shackleton's original occupation. For example,
Herbert Ponting was one of those who used the hut during the
occupations by Scott’s party and filmed at Cape Royds some of the most
famous scenes of Antarctic penguins ever shown in cinema. “Ninety
Degrees South” shaped a generation's view of the Antarctic and gave
birth to ‘Ponco’ the cuddly Adelie penguin, launching the concept
(often mistakenly attributed to Disney) of marketing cuddly toys with
films. Somehow, however, the Trust thinks that this is insignificant
and unimportant history.
More astonishingly, the Antarctic Heritage Trust seems to believe that
historical nuances such as these confuse the poor visitor,
(Conservation Plan for Cape Royds p65.6) and so it is easier to
simplify the layout of the site. This "dumbing down" of history should
have no place in the conservation of any historic site.