We've had the majority of our summer friends leave us over the past two weeks as we wrap up the summer season in preparation for the coming 69th ANARE winter. There is only a handful of operation people still here that are additional to the winter team of 27 expeditioners.
We had the handing over of the station key ceremony from the outgoing station leader (Pete) to the incoming station leader (Jason) on Wednesday night. This was followed by the second of two summer extraction flights on Friday which saw 25 expeditioners leave station heading for Hobart, to see family and friends, on the A319 plane.
It was a very quiet station on Saturday with only 28 expeditioners left to fill the building that has housed 80–100 expeditioners for the past three months. We now await the arrival of the Japanese ship Shirase which will drop of 66 expeditioners that are making their way home from Mawson. At this stage we are expecting the ship sometime over the weekend. Once here, we will then look to fly the expeditioners back to Hobart which will be the final piece of the puzzle to what has been an eventful end of summer season for all involved.
