Accomplishing Amazing Things, With Extraordinary People, In the Most Beautiful Part of the World
I have the absolute privilege being part of the 2025/2026 Casey Station Leadership Team, as we contribute to understanding Antarctica’s role in the global climate system.
Over the last few months preparing for our deployment to Antarctica and now the last few weeks of having our boots on the ground, it has been remarkable to watch a group of extraordinary strangers become a close-knit community. To clearly become greater than the sum of our parts.
Our team brings together extraordinary technical excellence from remarkably diverse backgrounds—doctors, engineers, scientists, carpenters, mechanics, plumbers, chefs and more! Each person was selected because they’re exceptional in their field. But technical skill alone doesn’t make an Antarctic expedition successful. What transforms a group of talented individuals into an effective Antarctic community is something we’ve been intentionally building since our time together in Kingston: connection, trust, and shared purpose.
Over the last week we’ve been deep into our face-to-face handovers with our counterparts from the 78th ANARE. Not only did we take the opportunity to learn the tactical ‘nuts & bolts’ of running the station we took the opportunity to learn how they looked after each other, how they cared for the community as a whole and how they partied when the opportunities presented. Parting wisdom from Lee Mason, the outgoing Deputy Station Leader, that stuck with me, “…build two things into your daily rhythm. Do something for someone else and do something for the community.”
Building an extraordinary team doesn’t happen overnight, but through daily rituals.
The 79th ANARE started our journey in Tasmania. We’ve focused our pre-deployment energy on understanding each other — not just our professional roles, but who we are as people. As a team we explored and developed our station values:
- Respect the Ice and Waddle Together – Teamwork and Community Mindedness
- Embrace the Place – Leave the place better than we found it
- Grow with the Ice – Be a better person when you leave, give more than you receive.
These aren’t just words on a poster. They’re the foundation we’re building our season on.
At Casey, we’re surrounded by some of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth. We’re supporting research that will shape humanity’s understanding of climate change for generations. We’re living and working in conditions that test resilience, adaptability, and resolve.
And we’re doing it together.
That’s the real privilege—not just being in Antarctica, but being here with this team. Accomplishing amazing things with extraordinary people in the most beautiful part of the world.
Saurabh Das is the 2025/26 Deputy Station Leader at Casey Station
