This week gives us an opportunity to look back on the winter of the 72nd ANARE at Macquarie Island.
As the good ship Aurora Australis makes its way back to Macquarie Island to bring in an eager summer team and to take four wintering expeditioners home, we have a short moment to pause and reflect on our winter at Macca.
Throughout the season, the seven men and seven women in our team have worked together to deliver a successful program of works for the Australian Antarctic Division, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (TasPWS) and the Bureau of Meteorology. We have also supported a program of remote science for Australian and international agencies.
We’ve come together from all over Australia, along with our one Kiwi, to form a caring community, full of support, collaboration and fun.
And we’ve all felt the privilege of living and working on this World Heritage Listed Tasmanian Nature Reserve.
Without a doubt the highlight for most of us this season has been to watch the life cycle of so many species of wildlife — it has been a winter of wonders.
A couple of other season highlights:
- We helped Lionel save the Hamshack! Now officially named the Ocean Research Centre for Aquatic Studies (ORCAS)
- We eradicated the last fluffy (pink) bunny in a tale of Fur-bidden Love for the 48 hour Antarctic film festival
Perhaps my one disappointment is that we haven’t scored 30/30 points in the Saturday brunch super-quiz. C’mon team, there are still a couple of Saturdays left…
Many thanks to Tim, Mark B, Pete, Andrea, Ashleigh, Stella, Mark G, Kate, Shane, Billy, Kez, Doug and Lionel for a great winter at Macca. It’s been a privilege to be part of this team.
Whenever that little red ship arrives on our shores, we look forward to welcoming the summer team and wishing them all the best for a fantastic summer at Macca.
Kat, Station Leader
