From a young age, Lizzy Crotty dreamed of visiting Antarctica. “Seeing the Aurora Australis docked in Hobart bound for the frozen continent always filled me with excitement,” Lizzy recalls. Now, she is on the brink of making that dream a reality. This journey isn’t just about adventure, however. It’s about equipping herself with skills to become a global leader for nature.

Lizzy, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, grew up in Dynnyrne, under the presence of kunanyi. Her childhood was marked by bike rides along the Pipeline Track, birthday parties at Waterworks Reserve, and sailing the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. Her love for the natural world led Lizzy to pursue a Bachelor of Environmental Science at the University of Queensland.

Today, Lizzy heads up development at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy UK in London, leading efforts to raise funds for conservation projects back home. She’s spoken at the Australian High Commission, lectured at the Royal Geographical Society, and represented her organisation at COP26 in Glasgow. She’s even had morning tea with her hero, Sir David Attenborough – not once, but twice. “I love my job. I get to talk about Australia’s native wildlife and inspire people to help protect it,” Lizzy says.

An opportunity presented itself to Lizzy when her friend undertook the Homeward Bound course in 2018, which included a life-changing expedition to Antarctica. Inspired, Lizzy applied in early 2023. “I was over the moon to be selected as one of 114 women globally.”

Homeward Bound seeks to elevate women in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine) to leadership roles, a crucial endeavour given women’s underrepresentation in those fields. The program includes a year-long course culminating in a three-week workshop in Antarctica. “It’s the frontline of the climate crisis,” Lizzy says. “The voyage equips women with skills to lead in a world that desperately needs change.”

However, the journey is costly, and par­ticipants must fund their way there. She couldn’t let this opportunity pass her by, so she conceived a fundraising challenge: a trek around the Isle of Man, an island between England and Ireland. Known for its rugged coastline, medieval castles, and mountainous terrain, it also holds personal significance. Lizzy’s grandfather had been sent there during World War II when he was a child.

Accompanying her on this journey was her Mum, Janine Crotty. Hobart locals may know Janine from her dental practice on Macquarie Street, Crotty Dental, which she started in 1980. Having recently retired after 44 years, Janine now lives in Cremorne. Her work ethic has always inspired Lizzy. “I saw how hard she worked, and appreciate how tough it must have been to get there,” Lizzy says. “There were only six women out of 65 students in her class when she started university.”

The mother-daughter team embarked on their walk at the end of July. Their chal­lenge was the Raad ny Foillan, a long-dis­tance coastal walk stretching 160 kilo­metres. The walk is split into 12 sections, but the duo wanted it to be a fundraising challenge worth getting behind, so they broke it up into six sections to complete over six days, averaging 27kms per day.

“I consider myself fairly fit, but it pushed me to my limits! Walking around the Isle of Man was similar to rural Tasmania. Small towns, very few people – we only met two other people doing the walk – and unpredictable weather,” Lizzy says.

It was a monumental undertaking that tested the mother-daughter team, but their bond is now stronger than ever. “Mum was incredible. She’d been training hard, so I was half expecting her to lap me around the island! Now the blisters have healed, I would love to do another chal­lenge like this with Mum again soon,” Lizzy says.

They raised nearly $6,000, reaching half of their goal and bringing Lizzy one step further on her leadership journey. The voyage departs on 28 January, 2025. Lizzy is excited, but realises there is potential for getting stuck in the ice on her way back home. “I will be getting married in South Africa 13 days later. I don’t want my fiancé to think I got ‘cold feet’ while I was in Antarctica.” For the record, Lizzy credits her Mum for that joke.

You can help get Lizzy to Antarctica at www.chuffed.org/project/lizzysleadershipjourney.