Hi, I’m Adele, a stuffed penguin; not a real penguin that’s been stuffed, I’m mostly polyester. Mostly.
I’ve always wanted to be a real penguin (it would be in my DNA if I had any), and last year after reading Pinocchio, I thought I’d try my hand at a trip down to learn from the professionals. I didn’t think I’d have a chance really, so it was with a sense of shock and excitement when I was offered a position in the 78th ANARE summer projects team as a chippy. After a few months of training, we set sail for the icy tundra on V1, October 7th, 2024.
Through the first week, the sea was pretty calm sitting on the observation deck. if my beak wasn’t sewn shut, the ten metre swells the next week would have come close to losing some of my stuffing. Time moves strangely on the ship – somehow faster and slower at the same time. Which day it was quickly became irrelevant and as the nights distilled into endless day, time was measured in distance to Davis.
As we pulled into Davis, we were waved in by a cohort of the 77th on anchorage. I was given the job of icemaster, and while it sounded cool, Hayden (the eventual Mayor of Davis Station) pretty well did it. I was happy enough to watch and learn.
After a few weeks of hopping around station, I made my way out to a rookery to see if I would be accepted by the group. I was disappointed to see rock thieves everywhere. I noted that there was a complete lack of small rocks in the rookery, so this was clearly a supply-based problem; my attempts to refer the Adelie’s to some Scandinavian housing models was, however, met with frank hostility or indifference. I did see two chicks hatch the day before the ice shut however, which restored some faith in their sense of community. In any case, it was pretty smelly at all the rookeries.
We finished up the cladding on the new Reverse Osmosis plant over the next two weeks. It was excellent to be part of a highly professional, committed and collaborative team. We even ticked off a few additional little jobs around the station before they kicked us out onto the Nuyina.
As the last day back on board the Nuyina of my summer draws to an end, I’m proud of what I achieved in my time at Davis, and I’m even happier to have made it to Mawson. But I’m looking forward to coming home because there’s a little girl I’m booked for cuddles with.
Hamish Ostler - Projects Coordinator
