The adventure begins...
About 8 years ago I worked with a guy who had spent two years in the Antarctic and described it as a unique and amazing experience, in a place where very few people get to go , especially for any length of time. I was intrigued and asked a lot of questions over months but didn't think too much more about it, going on with life as normal.
In 2022, with our two boys Ben and Josh off on the beginnings of their life adventures, Leanne and I decided to have a new adventure of our own and planned a trip to Europe for three months, with a departure date of late June 2023. At the beginning of 2023 Leanne came across ads for jobs in Antarctica. After some discussion between us I applied for a position as a Communications Technical Officer (CTO) with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). However, I failed to look at the closing date and sent in my application 2 weeks after the closing date. End result was thanks but no thanks as you are late. No problem, lets go to Europe! And we did.
Then, whilst we were in Italy I received a call from a recruitment agency saying that the AAD were having a mid year intake and I should apply again. This wasn't great timing as 1) we were in Europe soaking up the sights and atmosphere and 2) I didn't really have any of the details I thought I would need to apply with me in Europe.
Still, with Leanne's encouragement and between the two laptops we had in Europe we scrounged enough to re-apply. After a very drawn out process involving early morning video interviews via Zoom whilst in the Black Forest area in Germany, lots of emailing and repeated sending of what seemed to be the same information again and again, I was told via a phone call whilst in France, that I was provisionally accepted as CTO for Mawson Station in Antarctica for a 12 month(ish) period, leaving in February 2024 and returning in March(ish) 2025.
After the application process had been developing whilst we were in Europe it had became apparent that it was likely that I would be offered a position but getting "The Phone Call" all of a sudden was a bit of a reality check. When we got home from Europe in October 2023, I would have about 4 weeks before I would head off to Hobart in Tasmania for three months of training before getting on a ship and would not be home again for more than a year! I had a business I would need to sell, a part time job to resign from, many other things to organise ( as we were in the middle of a house renovation in Sale ) and not much of a clue about what I would need in Tasmania or Antarctica. What could possibly go wrong!
Since returning from Europe it has been very busy to say the least. But as I sit here now in Hobart in mid January 2024, most things are sorted out thankfully. My thoughts now are turning to the goodbyes I will be saying to my family and friends, knowing that it will be the last time I will see them for more than a year. More than that, if something were to happen to any of them, there is a period of time from probably April to October 2024 that I cannot leave Mawson Station even if I wanted to as sea ice and other weather conditions will make it virtually impossible to leave. So the departure date of 9th February is looming very large up ahead and has a real sense of finality about it. It will be the start of a great adventure but also the beginning of a real isolation. There is excitement but also some trepidation.
Whilst I cannot say that Leanne is excited about the prospect of me being away for so long, she is accepting that it is a unique opportunity and is willing to let me go. As she said, " If it was me with that opportunity, I would not be happy if you said no!"
I have now met all of the other expeditioners going to stay with me at Mawson Station ( there are 21 of us ) and so far they seem like a great group. The rubber will hit the road I guess after a couple of months of all living together in a remote place, and the reality of all the little annoying habits that we all have are annoying each other immensely. And also the realisation that this 21 people is it! ( We mercifully have internet and phone connections for video calls home etc... which is a large part of my job to keep working).
So for now we have the last few weeks of training. Over the last two months, apart from our technical training ( Radio Communications, Satellite Comms, Radar Systems, Locator beacons, Printers etc etc ) we have completed fire training, training in monitoring changes to the earths magnetic fields, training in monitoring the atmosphere for radiation as part of the International Treaty monitoring the use of Nuclear weapons, introductions to Antarctic weather and survival, medical briefings, had our teeth checked and any dentistry required completed and also sat around a fair bit waiting for the next thing to be announced or sorted out.
BELOW Fire Training conducted at the Tasmanian Fire Service Training Ground outside Hobart.
COVID , Hepatitis B, and Flu shots have been received and I am trying to also get a Shingles shot before I leave. Apparently the very cold weather and dark conditions over winter lowers our immune system response and cold sores and similar viruses ( including Shingles which is a reactivation of the Chicken Pox virus ) can make a come back in a big way even if you have not had any issues with these since you were a child!
Over the next week our Mawson Station team will be undertaking Search and Rescue Training and higher level First Aid Training outside of Hobart, all living together for about 5 days. So I guess we will start to find out how we get on as a group... though I expect we will all be on our best behaviour and the ragged edges wont show up until we are down South!
ABOVE: Hagglund tracked vehicle which will be our "car" anywhere we go in Antarctica. There are multiple versions of these including the Fire Truck Hagglund, Search and Rescue Hagglund etc etc. More photos of those once we get down to Station.
The roles of the 21 people heading to Mawson Station with me are as follows:
Station Leader (1), Station Chef (1), Station Supply Officer (1), Doctor (1), Field Training Officer (1), Trades Supervisor (1), Communication Technicians (2), Electricians (3), Plumbers (3), Carpenters (3), Mechanics (2), Bureau of Meteorology Staff (2).
That is it for the moment. I hope to post the next episode from the RSV Nuyina.. assuming I am not to seasick to do anything but crawl to the toilet to vomit :-)
So, as Winston Churchill famously said :
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
For Your Information:
ANARE is Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition
Mawson Station was established in 1954 and is the longest continuously operating station south of the Antarctic Circle. It is Australia's most westerly continental station ( the other two being Davis and Casey Stations ) and is situated about 5200km south west of Perth. Mawson Time is 5 hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time
For more information visit
https://www.antarctica.gov.au/antarctic-operations/stations/mawson/
The Mawson station staff have a weekly update that you can access from this page which details what has been happening over the last week. Staff take turns in writing these updates so you gain a variety of perspectives on Station life.
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