A BUNCH OF HAPPY WORKERS

My fantastic crew of fire preventers.

I took this photo - encase you were looking for me for over 5 minutes!

ODEN ICEBREAKER – friday 11 january

There is a sweedish icebreaker ship called "the oden" currently breaking its way into McMurdo. It is hired each year to bash a channel through the ice for the various ships we get into town. I might add at a cost much greater than the small change in your pocket. (A little over 12 mill!) I volunteered to be a line handler too, so that'll be another new experience.

30 PENGUINS & A SNOW STORM - thursday 10 january

It's a chilly day today and the penguins agree. At midnight 30 Adelie penguins waddled into McMurdo to hunker down for the night. Being at work, we started convincing our Captain that it was a good idea to go and see them, "crowd control maybe?" 10 minutes later five of us piled into the ambo and headed through the snow drifts down to the pier.

I wanted to give them my duvet.

DODGEBALL - wednesday 9 january

Dodgeball finals tonight. Unfortunately because of my back I couldn't play in our team. But they sure did everyone proud.
3 tough hours, 3 tough games all ended in victory. Well done "dave's team". The dodgeball champions.

MEDIVAC - tuesday 8 january

I spent 9 hours on the ice today. Six of our crew had driven out to Pegasus runway to hardstand for a c-17 flight arriving from Christchurch. Whilst in transition, a snow mobile accident occurred out at Minnow Bluff. The c-17 was asked to standby encase he needed to be flown to NZ. We watched as the helicopter flew overhead on route to evacuate the patient. 3 hours later we were transferring him by stretcher from the helicopter onto the plane. He had a head laceration and broken ankle.

Kiakaha and get well soon.

KIWI RADIO DJ – monday 7 January

That’s right, McMurdo has a radio station, and today I got to play radio disk jockey. My friend Sean was entertaining Antarctic’s residents and I got to sit in. It was an absolute blast. 91zm my résumé is in the mail.

3.45AM HIKE - friday 4 January 2008

Can’t sleep? Take a hike. Problem solved.

24 hours of daylight definitely has its advantages, I thought as I tied the lace of my tramping boot. The weather was chilly and a layer of fog was settling in. I ducked into the firehouse, picked up a vhf radio, zipped my down jacket and pulled my beanie down further over my ears. The wind made its presence noted as I hiked my way up Observation Hill. I reached the summit in one piece, and was shocked to find there wasn’t a breath of wind. Was I in the eye of a storm?

The view replicated a National Geographic magazine shot; one where the mountaineer looks out into a landscape of low cloud with mountain peaks breaking through. I felt the solitude.

I snapped a few photos and then with a smile on my dial hiked back down into my bed. No need for counting sheep this time. I was out like a light. 5am.

BABY SKEWER – Thursday 3 january

This morning I hiked the hut ridge track and stumbled across a very puffed up looking skewer. I took a closer look and heard a tiny squeak. Out from under the feathers popped “junior” a little white fluff ball. Mum and Dad hardly blinked an eyelid at me, so out came the camera.