Hi, I’m Brendan. I’m important.
That’s an inside joke shared between myself and another expeditioner of how to start a letter when we don’t know what to write.
I’m the Senior Communications Technical Officer at Davis Station.
This is my second time on the ice which is quite the privilege - my first was at Casey Station.
Davis seems a little bit more homely and less hectic than Casey (by all accounts, the year I was there was pretty hectic).
I miss the old crew, but this new crew is every bit as competent and amusing and dependable.
I love the animals here at Davis. I saw emperor penguins for the first time, and the Weddell seals are much closer to station than at Casey. But of course it’s that time of year where the critters wander off to warmer places. There’s only one seal left and I’m sure he or she will leave any day now. We’ll miss them.
We do a lot more walking here as we have some walking tracks that are designated as Recreational Limits. That means we can do day trips easily instead of driving for hours in a Hagglund.
One other big difference between the stations is the weather. The weather has been amazing the whole time we’ve been here. We haven’t had one official blizzard yet, much to the disappointment of others.
Recently I sat in on a video call where a group of prospective expeditioners, in their final stages of the application process and on their very best behaviour, asked questions directly to people on station. I enjoyed their questions because it reminded me of what it was like before my first time down. I remembered how I felt when I was first applying for the role. The enthusiasm, motivation, sense of wonder and adventure about what it would be like to walk on the icy continent.
I often reflect on some of the awesome moments I’ve had getting to Antarctica. I call them Mythbusters moments, similar to the TV show when Adam Savage would look into the camera and say “I can’t believe I’m doing this!”. Moments like when we trained with Tas Fire in full turnout gear and breathing apparatus, or when we’re strapped to a radio tower with rope, or travelled on an RAAF C-17. This season I’ve travelled on board the RSV Nuyina, which is a beautiful ship. I also travelled to a foreign station in a Twin Otter aircraft. It was a great experience meeting international expeditioners because we share the Antarctic experience.
I think the greatest moments are when I am observing the animals, especially when the seals look at me with their big, wide shiny eyeballs. I can only guess what the seals are thinking when they see humans – "funny looking penguins, why are they dressed in bright yellow instead of their dinner suits?"
All moments that I’ll never forget and am very grateful for.
We’re about half way through the season now. Lots of fun left to have but I must admit that I’m looking forward to seeing trees and grass and dogs again.
Brendan Heaver - Senior Communications Technical Officer
