Goodbye Summer

Casey Original Modern Art (COMA)

We are very lucky at Casey to have a diverse group of people talented at many different things. Whilst a lot gets said about the work here and some of the social activity, far less obvious is the effort people put into their artistic pursuits.  Many expeditioners put the bulk of their free time into their art and craft, whether that be metalwork, photography, woodwork, drawing or painting.

Our Social Committee of Bri, Gavin and Annalise recently organised the Casey Original Modern Art exhibition (COMA) to coincide with the end of summer dinner.  The exhibition included displays in the wallow and a photographic competition which was judged and awarded on Saturday night.  The breadth of items on display was tremendous, from crafted swords and armour to water colour paintings, sketches, even metal and timber plaques as mementos of the season.

The photography competition was judged in five categories and the winners came from across the different work groups on station. Once again COMA reminded everyone of the depth and breadth of talent we have in our community and that the most exquisite art often comes from the most unlikely places.

 

Presenting the medical suite

Casey Station arguably has the best medical facilities on the continent – at least we think so! Although not set up to function as a hospital, the station is equipped with many features including an operating theatre, dental suite, a two-bed ward, a consulting room, an examination room and a laboratory. Our winter doctor, Sheri, arrived on station towards the end of summer and after a rapid handover from the outgoing summer doctor, Caroline,  she has been working tirelessly to get the surgery organised for the winter ahead. This has included training up our four lay surgical assistants (Rob the plumber, Bri the met forecaster, Dave the comms tech and Craig the met observer).

With the Wilkins aerodrome running, Casey has two doctors on station for the busiest two months of the summer and this, combined with the opportunities for medical evacuation by air or sea, makes for quite a different  context to the winter, where a single doctor is on station and for seven months there is no possibility of medical evacuation for even the direst emergency. So with incoming medical supplies and equipment, the disruption of having tradesmen updating the infrastructure for the last couple of months, the legacy of a large summer population and the desire to organise things to suit her own needs, Sheri was understandably proud and excited to invite all of us down to her surgery last Friday evening before dinner for a look around and a celebratory glass of champagne. We were all very impressed with the work that Sheri and her team of lay surgical assistants had done over the previous seven weeks, However, other than going in for our monthly medicals we all sincerely hoped that we wouldn’t be seeing much of the place during the rest of our stay (particularly that dental suite). But if any medical challenges do crop up over the coming months we are all confident that we couldn’t be provided with better facilities or be in safer hands. context to the winter, where a single doctor is on station and for seven months there is no possibility of medical evacuation for even the direst emergency. So with incoming medical supplies and equipment, the disruption of having tradesmen updating the infrastructure for the last couple of months, the legacy of a large summer population and the desire to organise things to suit her own needs, Sheri was understandably proud and excited to invite all of us down to her surgery last Friday evening before dinner for a look around and a celebratory glass of champagne. We were all very impressed with the work that Sheri and her team of lay surgical assistants had done over the previous seven weeks, However, other than going in for our monthly medicals we all sincerely hoped that we wouldn't be seeing much of the place during the rest of our stay (particularly that dental suite). But if any medical challenges do crop up over the coming months we are all confident that we couldn't be provided with better facilities or be in safer hands.

Preparing for the ship’s arrival

For the past couple of weeks the focus on station has really been on preparing for the ship – and for winter. The station itself needs to wind down for the winter months.  With only a skeleton crew remaining, much of the plant and equipment needs to be ‘winterised’ and put away. While we still have plenty of people here, containers and equipment need to be moved to places where they won’t form ‘blizz tails’ that bury everything and make it impossible to move around the station. Last minute repairs and maintenance needs to be done as well as plenty of cleaning. 

Of course preparations for the fly-off itself are also necessary. These include getting the helipads ready for use, gathering, packing and manifesting all of the cargo to be returned to Australia (including everyone’s personal belongings) and making space for the items that will come in. And naturally there is all of the last minute swapping of photos and trips to field huts and other special places that most of the departing expeditioners will never see again.

It is an extremely busy time on station, one full of excitement and tinged with trepidation.

Bring on that ship!

End of summer dinner

Casey has enjoyed plenty of social activity over the summer including a Cowboys and Aliens theme party, a Hawaiian beach party, Medieval Night, Casino Night, Christmas Eve and more.  Last Saturday evening we celebrated the end of our summer with a formal cocktail party and dinner. With the ship due to arrive during the week and still plenty to get done in preparation this was really our last chance to sit down together, reminisce, and celebrate our achievements and our friendships of the previous five months.

The evening started with Station Leader Mark reviving the cocktail barman skills of his youth in Splinters Bar ably assisted by Dieso Rhian. A range of cocktails to suit all tastes was available, carefully tasted and selected by Bri, Met Forecaster and Social Club President (a tough job but someone had to do it).  

We then proceeded (and none too soon as the cocktails were very popular) to the mess where the tablecloths had been laid, the candles lit and a selection of wines made available. Gavin, Lesley and Margo had worked tirelessly in the kitchen for days in preparation for this last feast and their efforts were not in vain.  At Casey we have become used to five star food over the summer but even we weren’t prepared for the variety and quality of dishes presented to us, let alone the sorbets between courses! The wintering expeditioners served the food to the outgoing summerers as a small way of saying goodbye and thankyou for their friendship and their hard work over the summer.

Between dessert and cheese and port the appropriate speeches were made (and some inappropriate ones), some awards and gifts presented and the season formally wrapped up.  Several of the experienced summerers made a point of saying what an excellent group of people had been at Casey for the summer and how highly they rated this season. 

Once the formalities were completed (and the mess cleaned up) everyone retreated back to the wallow and the bar for more cocktails, dancing, and conversation about the past season and future plans.

A great night was had by all. Certainly one to remember.

V5 fly-off — a slick operation

After a protracted resupply last December, when the weather conspired against us, there was a great deal of nervousness on station about the V5 fly-off last week. At this time of year the Aurora Australis comes by Casey to pick up the summer expeditioners and some cargo that needs to be returned to Australia (RTA), to drop off any last wintering personnel and a very few essential supplies needed by the station for winter. This year the AA had already called past Davis station to do the same thing and was now on its way home, with Casey being the last stop.

Unlike the Casey resupply in December which is done by inflatable rubber boat, barge and unifloat, the end of summer transfers from ship to shore are done by helicopter. This year we had two squirrel choppers operating and the ship was able to get right into Newcomb Bay, about a kilometre from the station itself.

Waking on Thursday morning to see the ship quietly slipping into the bay just after dawn was an amazing experience. For four months there had been just water and ice and all of a sudden there was a ship, and more than that, a way home or at least some contact with home. Operations started quickly with choppers bringing essential personnel ashore to assist with the helicopter operations down at the eastern end of station. The limited incoming cargo came ashore quickly, followed by the removal of RTA cargo and then about 300 empty drums that had contained aviation fuel. Finally, at about 4:00pm, 24 outgoing expeditioners donned their immersion suits and in groups of four made the short flight to the ship.

Day one had been a huge success and all that remained was to RTA another 300 drums, pack up and get the rest of the people to the ship. The whole thing only took about three hours and everyone sat down to lunch, on ship and on shore, with the fly off completed. Thirty two expeditioners had gone to the ship to travel home. One expeditioner had come ashore to join the wintering team. Nearly 700 empty aviation fuel drums had been RTA’d and more than 50 cage pallets of cargo have moved in each direction.

We were very lucky with the weather but the planning and execution of the whole activity was a credit to all involved, from the ship’s Master, officers and crew, the Voyage Leader and Deputy Voyage Leader, the AGSOs from Davis who controlled the helipads, Heli Resources pilots and engineers, our own AGSOs, beachmaster, cargo officer, stores officers, plant operators and everyone else who contributed.

Thanks to all and well done!

Saying goodbye to friends

On Friday last week we said goodbye to 32 people with whom we had shared our summer. Many had arrived here at the beginning of November and had shared our home for over five months. It is difficult to describe the feelings of saying goodbye. We effectively all live in one big house, sharing our lounge room and our dining room, our kitchen, laundry and bathrooms. We eat together, work together, play together and argue, much like an enormous family. And all of this happens a long way from anywhere and anyone else. The depth of friendships and sense of loss when people leave can feel more like the parting of a life long friend than someone who has been around for only a few months.

But tempered against these feelings was plenty of excitement. Most people who are on their way home have already made the mental shift to being back amongst family and friends. All the feelings of separation and loss which have been pushed into the background for the summer have now been allowed to come to the fore and the talk has moved from reminiscing about the summer that has passed to the anticipated reunions with loved ones and the prospect of seeing home again.

For the nineteen of us staying on at Casey, the loss of our friends was also softened by the knowledge that we now faced a new set of challenges and opportunities as we settle in for the winter. It was hard to watch the ship leave and with it our last chance of going home until December, but there was also relief at the prospect of a quieter time ahead, and the opportunities that only a winter in Antarctica can provide.

So from the 2012 wintering team, have a safe trip home guys. We will miss you.

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