Leaving Macquarie Island and the 1979 expeditioners was a mixed bag of emotions. I witnessed the grieving of some of the expeditioners from losing one of their mates, a biologist. I felt for them and wondered what wintering on the Island was going to be like for them.
Casey Station, 1981 was a unique year for all the expeditioners who served there for the 12 months in such an inhospitable, isolated, frozen, and barren environment found only in Antarctica. A special bond was formed within this year between the expeditioners, and every 5 years since return to the Australian mainland, there is a reunion in one of the Australian capital cities. A midwinter’s dinner and the following day, relaxing and chatting late into the night about our adventurous times at Casey.
Unique also is the fact that four of our expeditioners from Casey 1981 received the Australian Antarctic Medal and one received the distinguished Phillip Law Medal, for their bravery and services to Australia.
I have produced this book to record some of our real-life stories, for the courageous and dependable expeditioners I wintered with, for their families and their future generations, and for those interested in the contributions of our Australian Antarctic Expeditioners. It is also intended as a reference book for this era of Antarctic life at the four Australian Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Research Stations (Macquarie Island, Casey, Mawson, and Davis), as this era is now recorded for future generations.
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