I’d like to get a few reassurances out there early… we’re not cloning them, we’re not finding them stowed away, and we haven’t gotten into some crazy deed poll trend.
Yet here we are.
It should also be noted that for those applying for jobs in the upcoming season, despite the fact that 14 Daves would represent about 50% of a Winter Station crew at Casey, and possibly an entire Winter crew at Macca or Mawson, you will not be penalised if your name is “not Dave” (well you might be if it was actually that, but you know what I mean).
As with most things, the answer is relatively simple. Dave number 13 (Dave Bridie) was with us for a brief visit during resupply as one of two Arts Fellowship recipients that came to station. In his short time at Casey he was supported in getting out into the field for some sound recording. More information on this longstanding program at https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-us/antarctic-arts-fellowship/ but I digress!
It’s now fairly cold, and like the animals, most of the Daves are gone… there’s just Station Leader Dave #7, and Dave #14.
Dave #14 is near retirement, and in fact shouldn’t be here (well, maybe should be here, but in an RTA container). Dave #14 is Dave Kroll, the workshop waste oil heater, and will be replaced next year by a younger, better looking, brand spanking new Kroll. There were plans for the current Dave to retire this winter, but the ducks didn’t quite get in a row for that. As a result, Team Plumbing with support from Nick the Boilermaker-Welder has had to do some major surgery and improvisation to resurrect Dave #14 when he spat the dummy big time a couple of months ago.
That effort was worth it for our beloved Mechanical Workshop, where Dave #14 is a significant swing factor for productivity. We have 3 equipment bays in the Mechanical Workshop, and machines cycling through these constantly as Traverse completes their winter maintenance program ahead of next summer’s Traverse for the MYIC project, Wilkins completes their winter maintenance for all the Wilkins Aerodrome equipment (which then gets run hard during the summer season), and the Station Diesos service and repair all the Station Plant. When the equipment comes into the workshop, it needs to be melted free of ice so it can be worked on, and we need to get the temperature up to do that. Until the equipment is melted out that bay can’t be fully utilised, however 60,000 kg of plant can come in at minus 20 degrees Celcius, plus a few thousand kilograms of ice, and that’s where Dave #14 rocks. He also drinks waste oil/diesel for fuel, which would otherwise need to be RTA’ed, with the associated logistics tail.
So next time your glass is charged, lift a toast to Dave Kroll – one of the two most important Daves at Casey Station this Winter.
By Tim Grundy, ESS
Disclaimer – Before writing this, I had been informed by a Dieso (so it must be true) that a certain Dave Kroll had invented the Kroll heaters. Please don’t try to confirm that – a quick Google search suggests that might be a little difficult.
