My name is Mark Hunt. I've come down from Queensland
and I'm heading to Casey station this year.
My background is in plant physiology and forest ecology, so I've had a
range of things to do over the years. I've had a chance to travel, and
I've worked on aid projects across the South Pacific and in industrial
forestry in the United States, and on a whole range of things
in Queensland and in Tasmania in fact. My role over the next 12
months will be in two distinct parts. The first part will be over the
summer, and we have an extraordinarily busy program.
We have a lot of people there who know what they're doing, and my role
is to is to bring that together and ensure that we get everything done
in a safe way and enjoy ourselves. We have a big aviation program
with the the Wilkins Aerodrome, as well as the skiway operating
out near Casey itself. We have a big maintenance program
for all of our plant and equipment. We have infrastructure projects
moving ahead, including an additional wing on
the east of the living quarters, and of course, our science projects
such as the ice cap program. We have biological work on penguins
and medical research. Over winter I think things will settle down
a little bit. It won't be quite as busy,
and then we have a have to dig-in and work through the program.
There are a lot of challenges in being in Antarctica,
and I think one of the difficult things for me heading south is that
I'll be leaving my family behind. My wife Kim, I'll miss an enormous
amount. My my children, Kate and Joe. There's the climate itself.
There's the darkness. So there are plenty of things.
And I think anyone who goes south will experience those to a
greater or lesser extent. But I'm sure we'll we'll work through
those and have a good time doing it. There are plenty of things to do.
I hope to get my snow skiing, my cross-country skiing organised,
and other than that, it'll be the normal sorts of things from reading.
I like my books, I like my music, and I'm sure being surrounded by
diverse group of people, there'll be new things that that I hadn't thought of.
Wanting to go to Antarctica is something that's been with me
since I was a child. And and to actually have the
opportunity to realise that ambition is fantastic.
I think I'm one of the luckiest people in the world,
and I think I'm heading south to probably the best job in the world.