Russell Rachinger was Station Leader at Casey in 1987. Whilst there he revised the safety procedures on the station, recommended operational procedures for travel on sea ice in the area and raised the environmental standards around the station.
Russell was acutely aware of the need to preserve the Antarctic environment. He organised the identification, packaging and return to Australia of over 40 tonnes of waste materials and surplus stores. Russell also participated in a variety of field operations including one glaciological traverse as a support member in the research team.