This week one of our plumbers, Jess, describes the feeling knowing that 'others' will soon be joining our Mawson community, and our Search and Rescue Team have been busy training.

Others are on their way!

Wow!!!

Look at how quickly the time has been going down here!

Feels like we have been here for years, but at the same time, it feels like we only just got here!

This Mawson station is incredible!

Every day that passes is another day of awe, magic, and incredible experiences.

The food is absolutely wonderful, the auroras are breathtaking, and the penguins are chirpy. The family we have down here, everyone and everything, really makes this humble abode feel like a home.

The auroras are no more – now that we have lost the starry starry night – being replaced by a very warm, toasty sun; bringing with it melting snow, birds and Adelie penguins.

The word on the grapevine is that a bunch of aliens have jumped on a large, red, floating piece of metal and are now travelling/floating across the cold windy ocean to a little village on the coast of Antarctica where I have heard that palm trees grow. Then they are apparently getting on another type of floating orange piece of metal, but this time it will float in the air. Floating its way down to us here at Mawson.

These creatures that are coming; they bring gifts! They bring cameras, watches, games – even ugg boots! So I suppose we better welcome them!

As wonderful as this is, and how wonderful our group we have here already, it will be nice welcoming other people to our 76th winter, Mawsonites!

I leave you with some photographs of the lovely auroras given to us by the Antarctic gods – the Skypeople – to whom we thank.

Jess (Mawson Plumber)

An emperor penguin is photographed in mid-air as it jumps from the water through a hole in the ice
A bright green, yellow, and purple aurora is visible in the night sky above station buildings
A bright green aurora is visible against the clouds in the night sky. In the foreground is a frozen lake reflecting the colours of the aurora and there are dark, rocky mountains to the left and right of frame.
A very bright green aurora is covering the night sky above the frozen ice. There are a very large number of penguins gathered together in the distance near large icebergs frozen into the ice.
An emperor penguin chick is looking up and backwards at an adult penguin which is behind it. They are standing on sea ice.
A close up photograph of an empror penguin's head. Another penguiin can be seen reflected in its eye
An emperor penguin chick is on its parent's feet and looking out towards the camera.
An emperor penguin chick is trying to run away from a group of three adult penguins
A close up photograph of an emperor penguin with its beak open
Two men aree standing on a frozen lake that is lit by light from within. A pale aurora is visible in the night sky above them.

Our Search and Rescue Team stretches their legs

The bright summer sun has most definitely returned here at Mawson. Such simple things like needing to swap the lenses in our snow goggles just to keep from going snow blind, and the reminders to start plastering sunscreen on our faces when heading out into the field remind us that the winter is well and truly behind us now.

With only a few weeks before the first flights arrive on the ice of Kista Strait, our Senior Field Training Officer, Dave, takes the opportunity of long days to get the station’s Search and Rescue (SAR) team out for some additional training. This week saw the third iteration of training for the team.

A couple of weeks ago, the first activity saw the team called in to search for an ‘expeditioner’ (in reality, our friendly orange-clad mannequin, Gary) who had last been seen heading out to West Arm but had not radioed in. Kitting up, the team formed an extended line and carefully made their way over the rocky hillside across the harbour. With sharp eyes, Scott saw Gary lying unconscious between some rocks and called the rest of the team over to render first aid. This activity was followed not long after by another search out on one of the local islands to let the team practice travelling across the ice and also bringing an immobilised patient safely all the way back to the medical facilities on station.

But what if someone has fallen or been injured somewhere not easily reached by driving or walking? With this in mind, Dave took the team onto the ice plateau to our south to the beautiful Ice Wave near Mt Henderson. Here, they could begin practising technical rescue skills with ropes and a litter on the sloped ice of the wave. ‘Gary’ had great fun being hauled up the ice and graciously allowed himself to remain strapped into the litter for a team photo afterwards!

Cat (Mawson Station Leader)

Brightly coloured buildings of a station are on a rocky, ice and snow covered landscape in the distance. In the foregound is an iced over harbour
Four men are walking across a rocky, ice and snow covered, hillside.
Five men are in an extended line searching a rocky hillside.
Six men are gathered around a mannequin that is laying in a crack on a rocky hillside.
Six men are providing simulated first aid to a mannequin that is laying on a rocky hillside.
A wave of ice is on the right of frame on an ice plateau. In the distance is a rocky mountain rising from the ice.
Seven men are posing in line for a photograph on an ice plateau. At their feet is a mannequin strapped securely to a lifting stretcher.
Six men are sitting next to a sign that says "It's Home It's Mawson" . IIn the distance is a group of brightly coloured buildings on an ice covered rocky landscape.

The Aurora Australis during twilight

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