Community social events throughout the season

Keeping it social at Macca with the 76th ANARE

If you ask anyone in the Australian Antarctic program what draws them to it, they will often say you go for the wildlife and remote landscape – but you stay for the people. Station communities are special and I have been very lucky to be a part of an amazing community here at Macca this season.

Each season is only as good as the community makes it, and this one has been a delight. A year (and more, we’re still counting) is a long time to spend in close confines with a group of people you have never met before, but sometimes you get lucky and you get the Macca 76th ANARE.

A part of building a strong community is the stuff you do when you're not at work or in the field. This stuff is my favourite part of being in the Antarctic program (which is saying something, because the wildlife and landscapes are exceptional). We've done a lot this past year – so many TV series and movies, puzzles and darts matches, sports watched and played, community cooking and baking, fun runs and gym sessions, barbeques and bonfires, spas and saunas, walks and swims, listening to music and playing it. In doing all this we've had a lot of laughs and made strong connections.

The social calendar is an important one, and we’ve kept it pretty full. Every couple of weeks throughout the season we have gathered together for an event. These have included the major dates like Midwinters, Christmas and New Year, but have also included other activities like mini golf, themed parties, formal dinners, an art show (it's not a competition), birthday celebrations, quiz nights and failed attempts at karaoke.

We have learned a lot about each other, had some good parties and fun celebrations, but most importantly we have looked out for each other. I love to take a moment to look around the mess and feel the atmosphere of twenty-plus people chatting, laughing, joking and helping each other out. It just makes me happy. I will miss everyone when we head home, it has been an absolute pleasure.

Rachel McInerney

Bureau of Meteorology Observer and Macca Deputy Station Leader 76th ANARE

A group of people stand around in a dining room looking at art on a table.
Up close photo of drawings art work.
A person in gumboots stands with a cricket bat while another person bowls at them.
A table in the foreground with food on it, people sitting in chairs in the background.
People dressed up like pirates and other characters smiling at the camera
A man and a woman cooking with frypans in the kitchen.
A photo montage showing people running on muddy tracks in misty conditions.
A cake in the shape of a house
One person films while another looks at the camera in a bunkroom.
A group of people stand in a row with blue sky and sea behind them.
People stand around behind two long formal dining tables, with lots of flags behind them.
People stand behind a gate with hills and blue sky behidn them.
People play minigolf in a warehouse.
Two women wearing wigs smile at the camera
A bunch of people in the spa
A group of people stand around a fire in a drum
A group of people stand with a red Santa sled, some wearing penguin suits.
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