Antarctic Mid-winter celebrations!

June 21 is officially the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere, generally considered mid-winter (ignoring the fact that winter has really just begun). Normally at home the only significance this day presents to me is the fact that the daylight hours now start extending, meaning soon I'll be able to get out fishing and diving after work again, and my spring deer stalking trip is not far away.

Not so in Antarctica. Here it is a time for a great celebration. Traditionally it was the celebration of reaching the halfway mark of an expedition, but to me it was a celebration of all who have been before us, and the friendship shared with my fellow expeditioners here at Mawson. Expeditions these days are scheduled to suit each station and the access made possible by climatic influences. Our's is the last of the three continental Australian stations to be resupplied due to the fact that we have to greatest amount of sea ice that only breaks out at the end of summer to allow ship access, if it breaks out at all. Therefore, we are still a long way from being halfway through our expedition. We have nearly another nine months until we arrive back in Hobart. Our colleagues at our two other continental stations will be home by the end of the year.

So it was then that the week leading up to June 21 saw a flurry of activity in preparation for the biggest day of the Antarctic calendar. As the plumbers it was our job to get the outdoor spa up and running (officially known as the "emergency snow melter", due to the fact that "officially" it doesn't exist). This is a big steel tank that has been cut in half  lengthways, with a package burner bolted on and a circulation pump plumbed in. It sounds easy, but in fact it took us three days to get it running and installed outside the Red Shed. It was worth the effort though judging by the enjoyment it provided to the few that used it. Our efforts seemed minor compared to the mammoth task that our chef Kim had in preparing a nine course meal. Several other members of our crew put a lot of effort in to the preparations as well, some a lot more than others but generally everyone chipped in (but as always it was the usual suspects putting the biggest effort in....). Kate, our Doc, took charge of decorating the dining room for the main function as she always does.

Again Kate transformed the room into something really remarkable. Sunday morning a brunch was planned to be held in one of the historic huts but blizz conditions put paid to this. Instead last minute decorations were made upstairs in the wallow (by the usual suspects, again).

The days programme started with brunch at 10am. This was a vast menu of pastries, brioche, smoked salmon, bacon, eggs, sausages, the list goes on.

Following this we all pitched in and cleaned up the wallow, then the kitchen and a few of us spent a bit of time in the kitchen doing what we could to help out the chef. At 1pm Kate opened the "cocktail bar" and like moths to a flame some of us found ourselves drawn in that direction. It was my week rostered as ERT leader so I had to limit my drinking, which these days doesn't bother me so much as it once would have.

At some stage during the afternoon official group photo's were taken, and eventually 4pm arrived and the main celebratory meal commenced. This seemed to go on forever, with no end to the food. I think we eventually finished eating at about 8pm, after having a break for speeches, and toasts to various countries and important people before dessert. My job was to toast New Zealand, which prompted me to research my own country's Antarctic history.

Once the eating was concluded, and the kitchen and dining room cleaned up, we all headed upstairs for the evening entertainment. This consisted of the traditional mid winter rendition of Cinderella (starring yours truly as Cinders),
plus a number of original performances by individuals. The nights formalities were capped off with the unveiling of our plaque marking the 68th Mawson ANARE. This is something that is produced every year to hang on the wall marking our time and effort here.

As would be expected on such an occasion most of the crew spent a few more hours propping up the bar, which is always a good way to spend a few hours here. A few laughs were had, and a few glasses of liquor were consumed, but by 1am the festivities were complete for another year. Despite my initial lack of enthusiasm in the lead-up to the event I ended up having a really great time. The whole day had a really good feel about it, and we all contributed to making it a success. The next big celebration will be Christmas and New Year, by which time we will have another nine expeditioners who will have joined us for the summer. I eagerly look forward to that, as I'm sure it will be another memorable time, soon after which will be our departure for home.