Baron of Andrus

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His Lordship
The Baron of Andrus
Baron of Andrus
Reign 2005 - Present
Minister of the Environment
In Office 2006 - 2010
Preceded by Office Established
Successor Duchess of Eights (As Minister of Conservation)
Born 1982

His Lordship, Eduard Versluijs, the Baron of Andrus is a peer of Westarctica and member of the Old Guard. From 2006 - 2010, he served as Minister of the Environment through the reign of three Grand Dukes.

Career in Westarctica

When he first became a member of the Baronage in 2005, Eduard was keenly interested in pursuing automated defense forces in the waters of the Southern Ocean. To this end, he was made Chief of the Robotics and Surveillance Branch of the Ministry of Defense.

After making some radical proposals for automated squid-like robots that would monitor the security of Westarctica from underwater, the baron saw the practical application for automated monitoring of the oceanic environment and requested that his project be moved from the Ministry of Defense to the Ministry of the Environment. As no such ministry existed at that time, Grand Duke Travis created it and placed Eduard at its head.

Under Grand Duke Philip

Shortly after Eduard was promoted to Minister in January 2006, Grand Duke Travis abdicated the throne and passed leadership to Grand Duke Philip. Philip recognized the Eduard's potential and encouraged him to pursue his research in undersea robotics, although no prototypes were ever tested.

The baron authored a full page article about Peter I Island in the second issue of Westarctica Quarterly.

Under Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence

After Westarctica's official site collapsed and disappeared in 2008, for a short time, the only online trace of Westarctica's existence was found on Eduard's website for the Ministry of the Environment.

His mission statement, posted during the period of limbo between Grand Duke Philip's withdraw from public life and Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence assuming the throne, read:

“At this point in time none of you probably have been present in our homeland. Our government is one in exile... A lot of work is being done behind the scenes. Very dedicated people are trying to realise the founding of a new country... But there is a big threat to that nice picture of our nation's surroundings and it's future. Although one of the harshest environments on the planet, Westarctica is also one of the most vulnerable, we must feel committed to protect for our next generation of Westarcticans.”

Title

The Baron of Andrus' noble title is named for Mount Andrus in the Ames Range.