Udine Joubert, owner and manager of Sunset Books, introduces the speakers, Rory Heather-Clarke and Liezl Pretorius, to the audience

The Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project participated in a book promotion in Strand, an hour’s drive from Cape Town, last month.  As part of its regular literary events, Sunset Books invited the MFM Project to contribute to its promotion of a rather special book about one of Marion Island’s most respected scientists, Emeritus Professor Marthán Bester, of the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute.  “Pain forms the character” (a saying used by Marthán to encourage his field assistants and students to keep going in Marion’s often unforgiving weather) has been compiled and edited by two erstwhile PhD students of Marthán’s, and now marine mammalogists in their own right, Professor Nico de Bruyn and Dr Chris Oosthuizen.  Both Nico and Chris have spent years researching Marion Island’s elephant seals and fur seals, as well as the orcas, or killer whales, that visit the island’s coast.

“Pain forms the character” on display at the book promotion

The 464-page book, with the subtitle “Doc Bester, Cat Hunters and Sealers”, was published in 2017 by the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa.  It is a Festschrift of solicited accounts of varying lengths about ‘Doc’ Bester, Marion Island and the personal experiences of the writers’ island sojourns.  A large number of accounts by his colleagues, field assistants and students brings ‘Doc’ and the island to life for readers.  An Editors’ Note describes the book as a testament to the extraordinary and lasting influence of the “Island Experience” on those who have visited and worked on Marion.

Liezl has the mike while Rory looks on and waits his turn

The Strand book promotion took the format of a question-and-answer session, with the bookshop’s owner and manager, Udine Joubert, inviting two past Marion over-winterers to talk about their own island experiences and answer questions.  Rory Heather-Clarke spent two winters on Marion Island in the mid-1980s, first as a cat hunter and then two years later as a sealer monitoring elephant and fur seals. He then went on to be the Team Leader for a year over 1992/93 at SANAE, South Africa’s Antarctic base.  Rory’s memory of Marthán’s extra-large wine glass that held nearly a full bottle’s worth appears in the book.  Much more recently, Liezl Pretorius spent two separate years (2014/15 and 2018/19) on the island as a seal biologist.  She says she was privileged to spend time on the island with Marthán during the 2014 relief voyage to Marion.  In addition to her own island experiences, Liezl spoke about the MFM Project – for which she works as one of its two Research and Reporting Officers.

John Cooper, the MFM News Correspondent, adds his signature below one of his articles in “Pain forms the character” for the purchaser

The session was then opened for questions and comments from the audience, which concentrated on how Marion’s House Mice would be eradicated and what would be done to reduce non-target mortality of the island’s birdlife.  With a complimentary glass of wine (sponsored by BirdLife South Africa) in hand, the audience was then able to engage in one-on-one conversations with Liezl and Rory and purchase the book, which is lavishly illustrated with photographs and a smattering of amateur art.  It is a book that suits dipping into its individual accounts, rather than reading from cover to cover.  The writer, who wrote several articles for the book, and was one of its three reviewers, was asked to sign several copies, given the absence of the book’s editors.

Rory, Udine and Liezl smile for the camera after the event, photograph by Robyn Adams

Although a small audience, it was an engaged one, leaving with five copies of “Pain forms the character” under its collective arms.  Participating in a book promotion was a new experience for the MFM Project, but a pleasant one that’s worthy of repeat.  Our thanks go to Udine Joubert and her staff as welcoming hosts, the book’s editors for making copies available, and to BirdLife South Africa for providing the wine.  The majority of the photographs are from Sunset Books’ staff and appear with their permission.

Copies of “Pain forms the character” are still available for purchase at Sunset Books or directly from the MFM Project by emailing info@mousefreemarion.org.

Reference:

de Bruyn, P.J.J. & Oosthuizen, W.C. 2017.  Pain forms the character: Doc Bester, Cat hunters and Sealers.  Stellenbosch: Antarctic Legacy of South Africa.  464 pp.

John Cooper, News Correspondent, Mouse-Free Marion Project, 14 September 2026

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Losing its roof: a 1974 “rondavel-type” field hut near Cape Davis. Marion Island’s huts had to withstand fierce gales; quite a few did not survive for very long. “Pain forms the character” contains a 12-page article with an illustrated history of Marion Island’s field huts by John Cooper. Photograph by Ivan Dalgleish

The Mouse-Free Marion Project is a registered non-profit company (No. 2020/922433/08) in South Africa, established to eradicate the invasive albatross-killing mice on Marion Island in the Southern Ocean.  The project was initiated by BirdLife South Africa and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.  Upon successful completion, the project will restore the critical breeding habitat of over two million seabirds, many globally threatened, and improve the island’s resilience to a warming climate.  For more information or to support the project please visit mousefreemarion.org.