Plumber versus mother nature
For the plumbing team, no two days at Casey are ever quite the same. Every morning starts with what is arguably the day's biggest challenge: deciphering the weather ensemble! It's a bit like trying to catch the right train using a Japanese subway map; eventually it makes sense, but only after a fair amount of staring at coloured lines and hoping for the best.
Once we've worked out what Mother Nature has planned, it's onto the day's jobs. That can mean anything from preventative maintenance and fine-tuning heating systems, to the inevitable surprises that come with keeping a small town operating in one of the world's harshest environments. As if on cue, the heating systems have an uncanny knack of demanding attention on the coldest day of the week.
Much of our work happens behind the scenes, and that's exactly how we like it. If the showers stay hot, the buildings stay warm and the taps keep flowing, chances are we've had a successful day.
Casey has a way of setting its own agenda. You can start the morning with a well-planned job list, but before long Mother Nature has other ideas, priorities shift, or someone appears at the workshop door with a "quick question". More often than not, those unexpected moments end up being the highlight of the day.
Of course, life on station isn't all maintenance schedules and job lists. A recent station meeting proved that while Casey is home to plenty of hidden talents, stand-up comedy may still need a little more development.
Casey has taught me that the most memorable parts of the day are rarely on the morning job sheet. They're the unexpected conversations, the jobs that take you somewhere you've never been on station before, and the little wins that remind you why working down here is unlike anywhere else.
One of the things I've enjoyed most about Casey is that no two days ever seem to follow the same script. Just when you think you've got the day mapped out, Antarctica usually has other ideas. And that's probably what makes working at the bottom of the world so memorable.
(Sending 12 Hugs to Mum-Giulia xo)
Mick Wright
Plumber, Casey Station
