 | Watching and photographing a Fur Seal giving
birth to twins at Schlieper Bay.
Bob Bell, South Georgia, 1979 |
|
| Replacing the Union flag with the Saltire on
Saint Andrew's day and feeding the base haggis neeps and tatties
(Sunday cook) on Burns night. Not too impressed! We also had a
Scottish night on board the Brannie. The classic fids tartan shirts
were made into kilts. You can imagine the different sporrans that
were on show!
Dave Burke, Faraday 1981-1984 |
|
| Walking away from the base on a clear morning,
towards Mt. Erebus. Took 2 cans of sprite, a couple of candy
bars and a camera. Took a great self portrait with Erebus in the
background, about 3 miles from the base. No sound. No civilization
to be seen for miles. Still, quiet. A certain "zen" feeling was
attached to that moment.
Rodney "TJ" Petrin Jr. 1981 - 1986 McMurdo
Station |
|
| Midwinter 1970. Wordie hut holiday from main
base. After clearing snow from inside door, having a brew and thinking
back to all the other guys years before who were probably doing the
same! wonderful experience.
Mike Hinchliffe, Argentine Islands / Signy |
|
| Winter 1972, doing a 3-day trip around Signy -
arriving at Cummings, via Foca and Jebsen late in the afternoon, in
the mank. The hut then was no more than a dry-stone wall with a
metal roof. The door was only a board, and everything inside was buried
in snow. We dug out the sleeping bags and primus and had a brew of nutty-bar,
dried onions and peas and then tried to sleep. It was -29F and we lay
there in the snow, in the dark, with the hoods of the green Everest
sleeping bags drawn so tight that only one nostril was exposed for air.
I've never felt so bloody cold as that night in a snow drift with the
wind blowing through the dry-stone wall. Getting out for a pee and looking
at the amphitheatre of black cliffs and snow all around, lit up by the
moon, the masses of bergs out in the bay, the utter lifeless winter
silence, and feeling that terrific sense of good 'ents', knowing that
this is one of those memories that will last for ever.
- Tim Hooker, Signy |
|
| Lowering the Union Flag on the point next to the
tide gauge, watching the Ukrainians raise their yellow and blue flag
then taking the Tepco across to Wordie and raising the Union Flag.
Flying out in a Lynx to Endurance with Base F/Argentine Islands/Faraday
- disappearing into the clouds - all very moving. |
Then a year later
proposing to Lorna at Patriot Hills.
- Duncan Haigh, 1994-95, Faraday
|
| Walking into the Chiefs office in homeport 1993
to find out I was the last Seabee assigned to the last full crew going
to The Ice. Was a disappointment for all Seabees after all those
years of service on that rock.
- Roger Stevens, 1981-85 & 1993 McMurdo Station |
|
| 'Summer Jolly' on Barff Peninsula - a weeks freedom
from the radio comms! During the night (At the old Barff Hut) you
could hear the rumble of house-sized pieces of ice breaking off the
snout of the Nordenskjold Glacier at the head of East Cumberland Bay!
Several minutes later - the wave generated by the ice washed up on the
beach. So many other wonderful memories of South G - I miss it
so much!
- Jon Barker, 1972-74 South G (Base M) |
|
| New Years Eve 1987/88 with Dr Ker Boyce at 30,000
feet in an LC-130 flying over the the Polar Plateau, listening to
Light My Fire (the long version by the Doors) patched through the aircraft's
intercom system, on our way back to Willy Field from the South Pole.
- Ed Holton |
|
| 1974/77. As an EDH on the Bransfield, I still
look back with humble pride and such a glow in my heart with all the
memories of the time we had, and friends I made among the crew and the
FIDS. Such as the day we where along side Haley bay, or near by.
It was early morning when the Ice shelf gave way and slammed into the
side of the ship buckling the port side. We spend about 2 days clearing
away the Ice from the deck. We steamed out with 20-30 degree list to
port There is more to this story. Very close call!!
- David Lawson Crew, EDH (Bransfield) |
|
| 1973. Driving the doo through winter Christmas
cakes at Mirounga at midnight to sample the poddies in Lake 2. Sitting
in the tent over the hole cut in the ice, pumping up water and listening
to the hiss of the Tilley lamp - alone at midnight in the middle of
nowhere, somewhere in the Antarctic, on a frozen lake, under the black
silhouette of Robin, and the stars gently illuminating Coronation Island.
And all was completely silent, frozen in time, and so bloody cold, and
so utterly utterly wonderful. Thanks for letting me do that sample,
Chris.
- Tim Hooker |
|
| 4th. Dec 1967 Deception Island. Violent tremors
suddenly cease. Outside seeing column of ash rise above Chilean
Base PAC. Sulphur in the air.
- Robin Chambers |
|
| Of being in a place that was so new to people,
together with knowing that there was "NO BACKDOOR" Life was real and
wonderful.
- John Sutherland |
|
| Taking the Jesters sledging on smooth sea ice
out to Neptune's Bellows on Deception Island on a rare brilliant white
sunny day, and peaking out onto the ice-strewn Bransfield Strait, August,
1964.
- Michael Warr |
|
| Standing on the monkey island of the Bransfield
at midnight, the ship was pushing through the ice, and in the distance
the ice shelf, vast and ancient, I've never seen anything before or
since that made me feel so humble, a place to be protected and nurtured,
not exploited.
- Danny Muldoon |
|
| The roaring silence, deafening, a dark WINFLY
evening, at Hut Point watching the southern lights dance over the
Royal Society Mountain Range. My own breathing seemed like violation
of the pure silence of that astonishing, wonder filled place.
- Deena Petersen |
|
| Christmas day 1977 at South Georgia. I scored
an Hat-trick as we (Bransfield) beat the base 3-2 ! They hadn't lost
in 18 matches!! those were the days
- Tony Wegner |
|
| The first iceberg I saw and the last iceberg I
saw. Like going through some kind of doorway that you know exists,
but you don't know where it is until you're there on the way down and
until long after you've passed through on the way back.
- Paul Ward |
|
|
The rumble of avalanches, the whales
blowing in Penola straights, the grinding of the ice. That was Faraday,
what memories.
- Dick Hide.
|
|
| The sound of 130+ sledge dogs all howling at the
same time on their spans on the North East Glacier behind Stonington
Island base.
- Drummy Small |
|
| Standing atop Mt. Liotard, Adelaide
Island. 2nd June 1970, Sun just visible as a pillar, pastel shades
all around, and CRAMPS in both legs at the same time!
- Robin Chambers |
|
| Christmas 1984, doing night watch at Signy base
and watching a young female elephant seal playing in the shallow water
between the end of the jetty and an old iron tank left in the shallows,
a relic of the old whaling station. Peaceful and quiet, everyone else
in bed, a rare clear and calm night, the whole scene lit by the pinkish
light from the sun, drifting just above the horizon, at 2am in the morning.
- Ian Johnson |
|
|
