Over the past couple of weeks, the team here at Davis has taken advantage of some incredible weather with temperatures hovering around the minus 10° Celsius mark and the wind has pretty much been non-existent. There have been plenty of recreational trips out and around the Vestfold Hills, as well as a few opportune work trips, including the delivery of the new snow groomer to our remote airfield at Woop Woop.
One of the many recreational trips involved several people and a couple of Häggs. They made their way to Platcha Hut and Trajer Ridge melon where they embarked on a hike from one to the other, swapped Häggs and returned to station. By all accounts this was a memorable trip, thoroughly enjoyed by all. This also saw the closing of Ellis Narrows (one of the temperamental sea ice areas) due to poor sea ice conditions. This serves as a sobering reminder of the dwindling time remaining here on station for the 75th ANARE.
Not everyone was able to get out on recreational trips during these times though, as a few of us had to stay behind to make sure the lights stayed on and nothing went up in flames. The on-call trades and fire teams have been biding their time and are all looking forward to cashing in on this glorious weather. There is still plenty to see and do in the coming weeks.
Over this time, we also had the opportunity to watch both the AFL and NRL grand finals. We almost missed the AFL grand final due to some technical difficulties. However, our resident comms tech (Kirk) was able to save the day with the help of those back in Kingston. Both grand finals left more to be desired, however we all enjoyed what the days had to offer, with a few refreshments and plenty of laughs. For some of us, it's these small luxuries down here on station which bring us closer to those back home and for a Central Queensland born NRL fanatic like myself, this is about as close as it gets.
Everyone on station has also been busy with packing and processing their UPE (unaccompanied personal effects) for their return home. As our time here is ending, and our transport home is just around the corner, excitement has started to grow with anticipation of what is to come in the following weeks. Between the diesos, preparing to groom the ski-way by enjoying a few warm-up laps with the snow groomer on the sea ice, to other trades tying-off loose ends and ensuring everything continues to run smoothly, the wheels are in motion for a (hopefully) successful change over in a couple of weeks. Until then its business as usual.
All in all, it has been busy down here of late. Plenty going on as people attempt to tick off everything on their to-do lists, both recreational and work wise. Exciting times ahead.
Hayden Reid
Electrician, Tech SAR, on-call Fire, on-call sparky and self-confessed NRL fanatic
