I still remember the day two Antarctic Expeditioners came to my Primary school when I was 10 years old. In fact, it is that exact moment that ignited what would become a 2-decade long fascination with this never-ending white expanse. What followed their visit was the first school assignment I ever completed, and boy did I dive right into it. Little did I know at that time the relationship I would go on to have with school assignments, only a few years later.
I remember for the assignment researching everything possible about Antarctica, from all the common crazy facts like Antarctica is the driest place on earth; Antarctica is the coldest place on earth; Antarctica holds around 70% of the world's fresh water; all the way to the one thing that got me obsessed the most…. Penguins! Who doesn’t love penguins, they are the cutest, funniest, most interesting little fluff balls; and as I’ve discovered since being down here, the most inquisitive and cheeky little creatures I’ve ever come across.
I wish I could remember more about those two expeditioners today. I was only 10 years old and at the time had no idea the impact that one standard school day would have on the trajectory of my life, nor would I have even been able to comprehend the importance of it at that age. I wish I could picture their faces, remember which station they were at or even remember what they did down here. I like to think to myself that they’re both up on the wall here on station amongst the many, many years of expeditioners to come before us. I regularly find myself looking through all the photos on the wall, wondering if they’re up there. Anyway, to those two mystery men, whoever you may be, thank you. That day changed my life forever, it may have taken nearly 20 years, but I’ve finally, truly, achieved a lifetime and childhood goal.
The few years leading up to being here were tough. After a failed long-term relationship left me wandering aimlessly for a couple of years, trying all kinds of new and different paths just to find my place in this world again, everything felt empty and lonely, nothing felt quite right. I applied to come down here whilst at what felt like another hopeless junction in the road. Mum sent me the link, again, after years and years of telling her I would eventually apply when the time was right. Well, the time was finally right.
Those same wandering thoughts and questions that I like to think most people have when the mysterious Antarctica creeps into your mind, began to take over. Going down the rabbit hole oh so many of us know well, googling and YouTubing everything I could possibly find. Antarctica once again consumed me whilst I waited and slowly worked through the recruitment process. I tried to learn and re-learn anything I could about the world’s most mysterious continent. The fire had been ignited once again and only a couple of months into a 9-month recruitment process I decided to put all my eggs into one basket, dropping absolutely everything else from my life, giving that fire every opportunity to burn. Everything just felt right, this was the moment I had been waiting for, somehow, I just knew.
This Sunday marks 10 months since I, along with around half of my Casey family arrived at Wilkins Aerodrome, almost all being first timers with absolutely no idea what the next 12-months had in store for us. All of us put an enormous amount of faith into the complete strangers that we were about to live with for the next 12 months of our lives. That is the part that hundreds of hours of googling and YouTubing will never teach nor help prepare you. Yet that is the part that I will remember and cherish the most for the rest of my life. The people of Casey are like no other group of people you will experience in the same room ever again. People from so many different walks of life, every corner of the country, an age gap spanning over 4 decades and all incredibly high achievers in everything they do on station and back home.
It may have taken me six paragraphs to get here (who’s counting) but this is finally my point. The People of Casey are the most incredible bunch of people I have had the privilege to meet and be a part of. None of us get to choose our family, we basically get who we’re given at birth and will usually love them despite all their flaws. Antarctica is no different, none of us choose nor have any say in who the people we are about to spend every waking second of the next 12 months of our lives with are, however we are undoubtedly now part of each other’s second family. By this point in the season, you can pick almost anyone’s walk, whether they’re walking around outside in -30C with no skin showing or just quietly shuffling down the hallway in the middle of the night outside your room. You can tell just by the tone of someone’s voice or even a look if they aren’t quite right, whether it be a lack of sleep, something going on at home, work, anything. You can tell.
There is nothing more incredible than the bonds, camaraderie and friendship you get from a community like this, that absolutely pulls together through the toughest times and trust me it can get tough. We’re in Antarctica, nothing is simple, even getting dressed in the morning is harder than normal. However, at the same time somehow everyone knows exactly how to let their hair down, throw a mean party, forget the workload of the week to come, make the most of the never-ending white expanse, and currently, betting on what day we’re going to see the first tuxedo wearing fluff ball return to station after the long winter. During all of this we have managed to win almost every Antarctic competition we’ve been a part of. From the push-up challenge to station contributions to charity auctions, to the inter-station darts competition to winning the prestigious WIFFA film festival. This short list is a testament to the quality of people you find here on Casey this season.
Trust me, everything you have ever heard about how incredible this place is, is true. From the icebergs to the penguins, to the power of a blizzard, to the breathtaking landscapes and other wildlife. No camera can or will ever capture the breathtaking landscape and experience of Antarctica. For me however the thing that will stand above everything else is experiencing those things with the 30 other people I now consider my family. Hiking across the sea ice, seeing an iceberg roll over, having 2 penguins follow us for hours no matter how hard we tried to get away from them. All those things, as incredible as they are, are even more incredible because of the people I experienced them with. I can’t forget to mention the amazing summer crew who equally shared this experience with us, what almost feels like a lifetime ago, but are a hundred percent part of this same family.
Being here also allows for an incredible level of personal growth as an individual. There is no escape; there is no avoiding that awkward conversation or argument you had with someone yesterday, or may still need to have with someone tomorrow; there is no going home and trying to forget the dumb things you said or did the night before; there is no easy way to just take a break when you aren’t quite feeling it that day. You must overcome all difficulties and adversity here right in front of everyone else on station, and the smallest of achievements are praised and celebrated by everyone in the most wholesome of ways.
10-year-old me sat in front of two expeditioners whom I have no idea who they were, where they are now or what they’ve gone on to achieve in life. However, I praise and thank them for being part of the ANARE expeditioners who paved the way for someone like me to come down here a few decades later, and roughly a century after the likes of Mawson, Scott and Shackleton. 30-year-old me now sits here, looking out over the icebergs whilst the wind begins to pick up, whipping snow around the place, once again having left writing something as important as this to the last minute (some things don’t change). While what I’ve written down isn’t quite what I had set out in my head, it has been an almost emotionally overwhelming reflection on the most incredible 10 months of my life and the journey that led me here. There are only 2 months left and I don’t plan to waste a second of it.
Antarctica means something different to everyone, to me, it’s truly The People of Casey.
Ben Graham - Casey Plumber 23/24 Season
