LISNASKEA’S Chris McCallen is the first man from Fermanagh to fly the green and white flag all the way from the Antarctic – and possibly the only local person to ever point out that Fermanagh weather is warm!
And while he clearly had to pack carefully before heading to the South Pole, Chris was careful not to leave behind his Fermanagh flag so he could nail his colours to the mast in the icey tundra.
The 32 year old is currently working for a construction company at the ‘British Antarctic Survey’ based in Rothera. Speaking to the Herald, his wife Emma McCallen said, “Chris is currently away at the minute on his second stint in the Antarctic, he left back in November and he won’t be back until May time, as the job lasts for six months.
“When he talks about what life is like over there, the experience as a whole just sounds unbelievable!”
The newly-weds got married back in September, but Emma admits that the long distance can often be tough, she said, “The time apart is hard, he gets great time off when he gets home, which makes it even harder when he leaves.
“He goes from November to May with no breaks in-between, but it is such a fantastic experience for him and I couldn’t be prouder of everything that he is doing.
“He is working at a job that he loves, although it takes like a week to get there at least and home again.
“The first time he went mostly by boat, which in itself sounded like an unreal experience, and this time he flew the whole way which he found extremely long.
“They went by the Falklands last year so he has now travelled across every continent in the world,” Emma added.
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