It was the night before Christmas and we started celebrations with a special Christmas Eve barbeque followed by carols and dancing from the musical talents of the ‘The Regurgitaters'. Highlights included a solo dance performance by Lachie and a Macquarie-esk 12 days of Christmas.
Christmas morning saw the early-risers viewing the Ozone balloon release. Chef Jimmy outdid himself with a fabulous brunch that included eggs benedict, fresh croissants, friands, fresh fruit, oysters, cray and cucumber sandwiches, and Bloody Marys.
Midday Santa and ‘her’ guard elves arrived with Mrs Claus beside her and Lionel chauffeuring the sleigh with the new Polaris (all our friendly dieso wanted for Christmas…). The secret Santa presents were handed out under a blue, sunny sky with many a delighted expeditioner squashing Santa in their exuberance. Woodwork, photography, knitting, special brews, and upcycling of marine debris featured in many of the presents.
The sunny weather allowed many to lounge outside or go for a swim (in Garden Cove), while the mess was again transformed for the main Christmas meal with the massive table (8 m x 3.5 m) reset and decorated for the feast. Seating 41 people dressed in their best was a squeeze, but we managed. Jimmy provided a selection of seafood, fowl and vegetarian delights followed by scrumptious pavlova, Christmas cake, plum pudding and apple trifle. Rocking music and embarrassing dance moves featured late into the night.
Boxing Day offered a range of sporting options, with a tense Australia vs NZ cricket game (no mention will be made of the appalling defeat), volley ball in the square, or a boating trip to Sandy Bay viewing penguins, seals and orcas, run by tour guide Greg.
The next few days saw Jimmy deserting the station on a well-deserved walking holiday, leaving a stockpile of tasty leftovers and a variety of Slushies to surprise us with their cooking skills and talents. A friendly competition between the Albi girls (Jamie and Kate) and MIPEPers (Tom, Lachie, and Nancye) lead to some magnificent meals with live entertainment and a rendition of The Man from Macquarie Island celebrating the success of the whole-of-island census of Light Mantled Albatross’s, carried out last November. 2143 nesting pairs were counted in total with Nancye recording the most at 364.
After much debate and many suggestions, the theme of Heroes & Villains was chosen for our New Year’s Eve celebrations with a rush for the dress ups and much secret crafting ensuring.
For the evening meal Chris and Tom trussed up the lamb spit, Goldie and Dave H baked the bread rolls, and Laura, Vicki, Jess and Bianca assembled a selection of caramel, chocolate and blueberry cheesecake tarts. A variety of characters arrived for dinner, including some last minute heroes fresh from the field. A night of fun and frivolity ensured with a successful count down to the New Year and a recovery brunch the next day thanks to Jamie, Laura, Kate, Bianca and Jess.
