It’s been a flurry of activity here at Mawson Station as our 18-person team prepares for the incoming expeditioners next week. In this last week we said goodbye to our salad and vegetable plants in hydroponics so we could do a full clean and sterilise. All hands were on deck for the kitchen and mess cleaning, where everything was pulled out and scrubbed to gleaming. The chippies were busy with the wet-vac on the carpets, and cleaning and polishing the mess floor which looks good enough to eat off and everyone has cleaned and prepared the spare bedrooms with fresh linen, towels and even chocolates on the pillows for the expeditioners of the Mawson 75th ANARE. We all feel it’s important to hand over a station in the best condition it can be, from our individual work areas to the communal spaces.
I love getting into the mountains, and as the Senior Field Training Officer (SFTO) I have run a few climbing trips to some of the classic peaks of the Framnes Mountains, including Mt Henderson, Fang Peak and Rumdoodle Peak, as well as some scrambles up other peaks. The final climbing trip was early this week with Timmy and Mark G, to Rumdoodle in the North Masson Range. It involved a long approach on scree, then 80 m of nice climbing on solid rock. After absorbing the view from the top, two abseils got us back on the ground. It was a very memorable and satisfying finish to an awesome season.
Gemma Woldendorp, SFTO
