Midwinter Celebrations
Sunday, 21 June marked the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year and the moment the sun finally decides to head back south. Across Antarctica, Midwinter is our biggest celebration, with traditions stretching back to the Heroic Era. Expeditioners exchange greetings with stations from across the continent, sharing a reminder that, despite the vast distances, we're all part of the same Antarctic family.
This year's celebrations began on a particularly high note with the announcement that our Engineering Services Supervisor, Shaun "Duckie" Gillies, has been awarded the Australian Antarctic Medal for his outstanding service over many seasons. It was a fitting reminder that while we are currently here for just one chapter, we're part of a story nearly 80 seasons in the making.
Saturday morning brought one of Antarctica's more unuusal traditions—the polar plunge. In a brisk -20°C, and thankfully with very little wind, the brave (or perhaps slightly unhinged) took the plunge into -1.8°C seawater. Most lasted somewhere between a few seconds and a minute before making an impressively rapid dash back into several layers of warm clothing. Once we had warmed up we gathered in the lounge to watch heartfelt video messages from family and friends back home.
After a busy morning of preparations, Sunday's festivities officially began with the exchange of Midwinter gifts. True to Antarctic tradition, the room was filled with imaginative, handcrafted creations—many cleverly fashioned from surplus station materials—each reflecting the time, creativity and thought that went into making them.
The highlight of the weekend followed with an extraordinary eight-course Midwinter feast. Nine months after leaving Australia with our supplies, our chef produced a meal worthy of a five-star restaurant. It was a remarkable display of planning, ingenuity and culinary talent, and one we'll be talking about for quite some time.
Monday offered a well-earned chance to slow down. A pop-up day spa appeared complete with face masks, massages and the opportunity to simply relax, recover and reflect on a memorable Midwinter weekend.
While the sun won't peek above our horizon for another two weeks, each day now brings a little more twilight and gorgeous dusky skies. Until then, we'll continue making the most of our Antarctic winter—good company, great traditions and all.
Jenny Bonser
