My team and I are responsible for keeping the infrastructure on station running - power, water and heating - all important details for keeping people warm and functioning in the daily 40 knot Antarctic katabatic winds.
After two months, here are the top five things I’ve learnt.
1. Our tradies will find a way every time
Ratchet straps, zip ties, duct tape and swearing. That’ll do it. I’ve never seen a group more determined to make something work with what they’ve got. Limited tools, limited parts, and no chance of a Bunnings run - we improvise. And it works!
Some of the installations are a bit odd down here, and it makes you wonder what was going on at the time the work was done, what parts they were really hoping to have used but didn’t have, and what thoughts were going through their heads as they did what needed to be done to keep power on or water running.
Honestly, half the time I’m just stand there thinking, "Will this work?" And it does! This team are capable of fixing anything they put their mind to.
2. Bad weather is a part of the job
Norwegians say; “ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær” (not bad weather, only bad clothing).
I have learnt quickly that I am bad at wearing gloves, and that when I have cold hands, I get cranky. I’m learning what gloves and combinations of gloves work for me to have dexterity and warm hands. It’s a juggle. Everyone’s needs are a bit different. Touch metal without gloves and you’re instantly reminded of how skin shouldn’t feel. You learn quick.
Once you accept the cold as a daily companion and learn how to layer your clothing to a fine art (not too many layers to sweat, but enough to keep you warm), you start to embrace the cold. Not the wind though. The wind is another entirely different beast. The wind just sucks heat from your core. The only thing I’ve learnt about wind is not to be in it.
3. Supervising is a little different here
Supervising the team here is not just always about the jobs - it’s people's headspace. People are working far from home, in close quarters, fluctuating daylight hours, constantly changing weather and no escapes. Small things hit differently. A run of the mill job can feel like the end of the world.
Our team is made up of highly skilled, very competent tradies from all walks of life. Some days this is awesome - we all get along and combine our skills to solve problems. Others, it is a chaos of misunderstandings, miscommunications resulting in impatience and people’s nerve being tested. It is never anyone’s intention – it just happens. And is often laughed about after the event once we’ve got past it.
Unless it’s safety critical, we keep it light. Last week some of the team shared the daily weather forecast as an interpretive dance. We do our best not to take ourselves too seriously here.
It’s all about balance and compromise. And keeping people talking to each other. There is nothing to be achieved by giving people the silent treatment, especially in a community of just 21 people.
So yeah, supervising here means being part foreperson, part scheduler, part psychologist, part facilitator, and part snack provider. Never underestimate the morale-boosting power of a surprise chocolate delivery.
4. Here, there is no excuse to ever be bored
There is always something to do, and never an excuse to be bored.
If you’re bored, you need to go for a walk to find inspiration. Or talk to a tradie or the chef. There is always something to do.
Every morning the plumbers go up the hill to check the level of the melted water in our glacier and transfer some to our tank. The sparkies are everywhere around station checking and testing, or up the wind turbine keeping it spinning. The boiley is always up for a chat or being handed more work, currently deep in fabricating parts for our major project that didn’t make it on the ship back in December (shiny parts shown to us by head office through a Teams meeting – no good to us there!). The chippies will be (honestly? everywhere) starting about four jobs and constantly dropping whatever they’re doing to help everyone else at a moments notice.
Jump in with any tradie and your day will be an adventure of looking for parts and navigating unexpected challenges, with a good bit of banter and laughs along the way.
5. A positive mindset goes a long way
Always have something to look forward to. Stop and take in the surroundings. They’re unique and we’re deep within it.
Even when it’s cold and nothing’s going right, there’s a moment every day when you look around and go, “I can’t believe I get to be here.”
Maybe it’s the sun glinting off the glacier, illuminating different shades of blue and white in the ice cliffs. Maybe it’s the teamwork when everyone pulls together when things need to get done. Or maybe it’s just the feeling of being part of something rare and real, at the edge of the world.
Seals are very cute. So are penguins. They’ve all left station for now as our sea ice grows, but now we have colourful auroras at night. Always something amazing here if you look for it.
Final Thought:
Down here, every little success feels big. Every challenge is a puzzle. Every sunrise (when we get one) feels like magic. And the best part? We get to say, “Yeah, we kept the station running and everyone alive. In Antarctica.”
There is nowhere else I’d rather be than here with this team.
And we’re just getting started.
By Jac Madsen, Engineering Services Supervisor, Mawson research station
