This week at Mawson: 8 July 2022

As Mawson’s resident carpenter, I have the pleasure of seeing and helping expeditioners in quenching their thirst for creativity. From doctors to scientists, the carpenter’s workshop (the hobby hut AKA Rosella ) is always open. On a Saturday or Sunday afternoon it is full. At one stage during Midwinter we had 6 people making their gifts in a mad rush to finish before the deadline. Now that Midwinter is over I am seeing some more long-term, personal projects; which is great.

Weekly I will go to the 'scrap' yard to find material for expeditioners to use in these projects. Being able to help expeditioners design and build their creative dreams is a great feeling. Especially teaching people how to use power tools (and how not to use power tools). Making mistakes is part of the journey we all walk together.

Being so isolated, with free time on our hands, we are able to let our minds run wild. When our time here is finished, I hope other expeditioners have taken as much out of Rosella as I.

As for future carpenters heading to Mawson, I hope that they open up the workshop doors to everyone to use and at anytime. It’s as much our workshop as it is theirs.

In the near future, I hope to see some bigger, more creative and extravagant projects. I hear they are sending a ship to pick us up and I’d love to see it filled with gifts and projects made in the Rosella workshop. Here at Mawson the sky’s the limit. There is no project too big or too small. From kitchen table, to a set of coasters. Let create it all…

Kade, resident chippy, artist assistant, woodwork tutor extraordinaire

A quiet week with blizzards keeping us indoors and still a little lull in the vibe around station as we regroup after an immense effort of making sure our Midwinter celebrations were the ‘best ever’.

So, I thought I would backtrack a little, and take the time to update you on the successful deep field trip to Taylor Glacier, which was undertaken just before Midwinter, in support of Project 4564 – Long-term monitoring of status and trends of emperor penguins and southern giant petrels: a comparative study, for Dr Barbara Wienecke.

The Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony is quite unique as it’s only one of 2 known colonies that breeds on land, rather than the sea-ice. So, it’s very important to visit each year and monitor the status of the penguins.

The small team of 6 people, 2 hagglunds, and infinite expectations, travelled the 85 km to the west of the station, across the sea-ice to Colbeck Hut, Taylor Glacier and Proclamation Point. Despite two very large detours to avoid uncrossable cracks in the ice, and some rough travel over multi-year sea-ice, the trip outbound was uneventful. After 7.5 hours the team arrived safe and sound at Colbeck Hut, ready to head to the Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony the next morning.

Up early and a quick 15 minute drive, and they were there on the edge of the Antarctic Specially Protected Area (entry via permit only) ready to get to work. Just 4 were able to enter, 2 to take the photos of the colony from above – to allow Dr Barb to do a count – and 2 to undertake the downloading and servicing of the automated cameras (positioned overlooking the colony and set to automatically take a photo a day… so watching the progress of the colony through the breeding season without having to actually be there).

Photos taken, cameras maintained, the team departed feeling the tinge of success and most pleased that they would be able to report back to Dr Barb that her "lil’ pumpkins" are in place, breeding, and huddling as expected.

Then a little time for some sightseeing – a drive round the end of Taylor Glacier to visit Proclamation Point. The piece of land Douglas Mawson and his men landed upon on 18^th February 1931 to claim this portion of Antarctica (“between meridian 138º and 60º East of Greenwich and South of Latitude 64º as far as the South Pole”). The cairn on the site holds a copy of Mawson’s proclamation, a log book to record visits, and of course is a great site for the all-important photograph to record a visit stepping in the footsteps of legendary heroes of expeditions past.

Back to Colbeck Hut to regroup and discuss the successes of the day, then a drive back to station on the third and final day of the trip. Prepared to regale the rest of the team with tales of penguins, sea-ice, hut humour, and photography in extreme conditions.

From all reports a great trip and a beautiful spot to visit; checking in on a small, persistent emperor penguin colony doing their thing in a picturesque valley, overlooked by the magnificent Taylor Glacier.

We have two more trips scheduled to track the progress of their breeding season. So, another couple of chances for others in the Mawson team to travel out across the sea-ice and undertake that all important work in support of Antarctic science (and do a little sightseeing in the process).

Bec J