We often hear the question, "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" Ten years ago, fresh out of high school, I would never have imagined myself in Antarctica, one of the most remote places on Earth. Occasionally, I would browse job ads on Seek and think it would be cool to work in Antarctica, but I never seriously considered that I could land a job in such a specialized environment.
The journey began in late 2022 when I applied for the job. Months went by without a response, but in March 2023, I received an email inviting me to an assessment center in Brisbane in April. I was ecstatic to have made it to the selection process. Arriving in Brisbane for the assessment center was surreal; none of us knew what to expect over the next few days.
A couple of weeks after the assessment center, I still hadn't heard anything back from the AAD. It was the end of the workday, and I was about to head home when I received a call. "Can we do a technical interview with you? How soon can you do it?" the person on the phone asked. I was shocked; this was the first time I'd heard from them in weeks. After completing the interview, the process accelerated quickly. In just a few weeks, I had to complete many tasks with little time in between.
By the end of June, I knew I had the job and was on my way to Antarctica, although there were still a few hurdles to overcome. August came around quickly, and I left Darwin, knowing I wouldn't see it again for at least 16 months—the longest I'd ever been away.
Arriving in Hobart marked the true beginning of the adventure. I spent six weeks there, meeting the people I would spend the next 16 months with, not realizing how close we would become and how important these bonds would be. After six weeks, the big day arrived: we boarded the ship, and it finally started to sink in that I was heading to Antarctica. The trip down was filled with challenges and adventures. The icebreaking trials were both amazing and grueling—five weeks on the ship with engines churning through ice, shaking the rooms, and keeping us awake at all hours. It all became a blur.
The wildlife was incredible: penguins, seals, whales, and birds. I tried to capture every moment but never quite managed to sit down and fully appreciate where I was. If I could give one piece of advice to a new expeditioner, it would be to take a step back and savor the moment instead of trying to capture everything.
The days leading up to our departure from the ship to Davis were busy with planning the unload, changing over crews, and moving into our new home. When we finally disembarked the Nuyina and set foot on the Antarctic ice, it hit me—I had made it. This was the adventure I had longed for, and it was just the beginning.
Raimon Hennessy
Communications Technical Officer, Davis Station
