Casey News

(17-Feb-1998)
A birthday surprise for Jeroen#2

Hi people here we go after another tremendous week at Casey.

The Search & Rescue training continued with the foolhardy ASP scientist Todd with the easily led astray station leader heading off on quads loaded with alcohol and failing to return to station. The SAR team quickly swung into action with Adrian "searchmaster" Porter coordinating the search from the Ops Centres ably supported by Shane on Comms. After finding the abandoned quads deep in the hills of Mitchell Peninsula the determined SAR Chief Keith "Toecutter" Brierley initiated a ground search with pack horse Meredith carting the recovery pack up hill and down dale and bloodhounds Neil M, Eric, John B, Sprunky, Andrew and Rob T methodically covering the harsh terrain. The wayward pair were finally found miles from the quads surrounded with empties in a semi-conscious state, so the search team quickly turned into a Ist Aid - rescue team with a long stretcher haul out to the waiting Hagglunds. Well done to John B for organising a very challenging and rewarding SAR training program.

Saturday duties has had an outdoor focus and a variety of jobs have been carried out by an enthusiastic band of expeditioners including rubbish clean ups at various places around the station, blizz and cane line repairs, sorting of recyclable materials and fire equipment checks.

The 30 knot breeze had no effect on the senior citizens outing to Wilkes with Bob R, Jibba, Brian, Rob (Darwin) and Beechy after another magnificent Saturday night feast heading off in the Hagg with 2 quads scouting the trail out front. The Saturday night discussion in the colonial ambience of the Wilkes Hilton solved most of the worlds problems before ear plugs were issued all round to ensure a good nights sleep. Sunday saw the well rested crew undertake the heritage stroll around Wilkes with Rob and Bob burning up the Kodak in every conceivable spot while Jibba took in the charm of the Wilkes tip and Brian and Beechy contemplated Man's (persons) inhumanity to the last unknown continent. Later in the afternoon the average age of the group was further enhanced by the arrival of Chompers and Sprunky on quads to partake in the Wilkes experience.

Saturday night also saw the Casey youth group made up of Leighton, Toecutter, Smithy and Jonny head off to Robbos for a weekend of prayer and contemplation. Their weekend obviously had many divine moments including waking to the sounds of frolicking minke and killer whales in Sparkes Bay.

The Casey gymnasium has had a facelift with the addition of the new multi exercise machine and a second exercise bike. The gym is being very well fraternised with a number of gents seemingly in training for the Casey hunk of the year competition.

On the work front there is frenzied action all over the place with Toecutter and Sprunky seen sneaking away from the many workshop demands to beaver away at the ice build up in the upper fuel farm, the quarry crew of King Crusher Brian, Brendan, Smithy and Jibba are pumping out crushed rock for the new gas stand while Bob senior and Rob junior are running pipes all around the new kitchen gas stand and Rob P and Leighton push on with the VESDA system in the green store. Chompers, Michael and Shane are still making hay while the sun shines at the conical monopole.

Neil A, John B, Rachel, Wally, Meredith, Anthony, and Neil M all went out to Petersen Island on Sunday to check on seal numbers. On the way they picked up Jeroen #2 for a birthday surprise, while on the return leg to Ardery the lucky group was treated to a rare spectacle of between 20 and 30 Emperor penguins perched on an ice floe. Definitely the icing on the cake so to speak. Returned safely to Ardery, Jeroen's day was completed with a special dinner cooked by Jeroen #1 and a cake baked by Meredith decorated in the Dutch colours.

The Ardery Island work experience program is in full swing with Adrian, John B, Rachel and Debbie heading out to assist the intrepid Ardery birdo's with the banding of fulmarine petrels. John has actually headed out to assist Jeroen with repairs to the power and data cables running from the cliff top to the artificial nests. On this run to Ardery Cutter, Deb, Eric, Rachel, John B, and Neil M. were alarmed and excited by a close encounter with a pod of Killer Whales. Around 8 of these awesome creatures surfaced near the boats but did not stay still long enough for Deb to actually press the shutter on her camera. Eric might have the whale photo of the year on an as yet undeveloped roll of film in his camera. Time will tell.

The Met. observer team of Ron, Adrian and Christine are enjoying the luxury of mild surface winds to release their balloons and wondering how long it will last. An on-going job at the moment involves demolishing a large amount of snow/ice outside the windows so that the first big winter dump of snow does not obscure the view for recording surface weather details. Adrian has been out at Ardery banding birds while Ron and Chris have been working enthusiastically on the hydroponics.

Another week bites the ice, cheers from the Caseyites

(20-Feb-1998)
Many boats enroute to Ardery island

Yibbedy, Yibbeda, eatchya heart out, hello to all stations and Kingston. Yes, the fishing's good at Kacee Town, we kiss our fish and sometimes put them back in the Southern Ocean.

There's life on the Ocean, IRB's everywhere this last week. With most boats enroute to Ardery island, where activities have been hectic to say the least, with counting, weighing, banding of anything with wings and the general scientific work which these birds attract.

The big, bird event, of the week, goes to our friendly Quantas Flight which appeared around 11.45 am Sunday, just in time for lunch. At least four of our expeditioners were seen with their suitcases, hopefully waiting on the red shed steps! Sorry guys and gals. Conditions for the Quantas Flight around Casey were near perfect, and no doubt the passengers had their money's worth, they would have seen Antarctica in all her glory. Come back again someday, we would love to see you.

Not only, but also, on this beautiful Sunday, out of the blue appears a balloon, a big balloon, which by chance coincided with our Quantas visit. So, it was all eyes to the sky, looking here, looking there, looking everywhere. "We are all in the gutter, but at Casey we are looking at the stars" (Oscar Wilde - 1876). Look out Doc, you may need some neck braces, the way things have been happening of late.

Valentines Day passed without a hitch, and a superb Dinner put on by our Chef supreme, good on ya Meredith. Thanks to all you folk out there who sent Valentine messages to us guys and girls, we did appreciate them, and by the way, we know who they were sent by.

On the work front! Yes, that word has to be mentioned somewhere along the way. The rock movers have been drilling, blasting, carting, crushing, compacting, all hours, you name it, the machinery has been on the move. The boys who keep the machinery well oiled, and in top order deserve a big pat on the back, as like the operators they're flat strap. Hagglunds driver training was enjoyed to the fullest, with tuition provided by the Haggmasters Sprunky and Cutter, some of us now understand the tricks of driving these machine's safely, and with an eye to the mechanical side of things.

Jeroen #2 was in town for a couple of days to catch up with whatever techno-birdo's catch up on, it was good to see him enjoying the luxury of Casey station. The hair cut looks real good too. Young Dr Todd (NASA) has been seen with a paint scraper and some sand paper. Keep an eye on him. Good to see ya helping out mate.

The Comms guys are all up in the air at the moment with the new aerial taking shape fast. It has all been happening, and we may have Friday drinks with them at the commissioning, food for thought.

Jonny and Susan are into the sampling again, and were seen at the wharf with a long pole measuring the water depth, and surveying the landing in company with Brian. Hey, let us into the secret.

The weekend saw a hearty party off to the Peterson hut, exploring and adoring the delights of Antarctica at its best, and more to come this weekend we hope. Lots of happy sunburnt faces at the end of that trip. On that glorious Sunday apart from those deprived soles manning the mess and the fire/SAR team there was a stampede of people, quads and haggs over to Wilkes. Rumour had it that Quantas had landed and were throwing a Valentine's Day party.

The OH&S people had their meeting this week, and many and varied items were put forward for attention. You will be seeing people looking around your work place in the near future, with an eye to improving the safety of your working conditions.

The Wino club had its first meeting on Tuesday, and you lucky Casey boys and girls can expect a couple of extra bottles on a Saturday night. Birthday Boy Sprunky, slipped into the Shnapps and port at the Wino club to celebrate, and lo and behold a beautiful cake appeared on the scene, you guessed it, yellow icing on top, and in the shape of a KEY. Happy Birthday Buddy. Deep and meaningful question from Sprunky: Which is better? Getting there or being there? Over to you Uncle.

Rock and Roll from Casey and Goodhunting.

(13-Mar-1998)
Mixed feelings

This time I will get it right.

The temperatures are dropping at Casey, and the sea ice has started to reform in Newcomb bay. This hasn't, however, slowed down the human inhabitants at work or at play, with all programs going ahead in leaps and bounds this week.

The AAMP group have put the finishing touches on the Gas bottle platform, and after a brief pause for the mandatory group photos, the structure was officially declared open and the first bottles were rolled into position. Great job AAMP crew.

Meanwhile Jibba continues the work on the excavator, shifting rock, ice, or anything else that gets in the way. A recent job has been the removal of part of the blizz tail near the Ops building to allow Eric and Neil access to the site services. A couple more rumbles in the quarry also more rubble to be shifted.

Michael and Chompers as usual are at the thick of the action and this week they have taken to quad transport to the Bailey Peninsula aerial farm where they are diligently beginning the big receiver hut move.

The friendly Casey Diesos and Sparkies have been spending time on the Southern Comfort with the engine now overhauled and necessary parts ordered. The encroaching ice and recent windy conditions have seen boating operations restricted over recent weeks. However a crew consisting of Wally, Rob T, Tricky and Todd finally got out to Ardery Island, after having to wait for a bit of wind to move the pack ice a bit further off shore and to break up the newly formed ice in the bay. The trip was quite a success with a new stove and heater being installed in one of the Ardery apple huts and Belinda being retrieved for a bit of R & R at Casey.

On the science front, Jonny is a bit more mobile now that his cast has been removed and has been constructing and installing a major Human Impacts experiment which will sit on the sea floor until it is retrieved next summer.

The birdlife around the Casey area is on the move, with all of the Reeves hill Snow Petrel chicks (21 in total) having fledged successfully and taken to the skies. Many of the Ardery Island chicks have also successfully made it to adulthood under the watchful eyes of the two Jeroens and Belinda who must be having mixed feelings seeing their feathered charges leaving the nests.

The ASP crew continues to watch the sky waiting for that big aurora, keeping a check on the ionosphere, and of course, maintaining the balance of the universe.

It's not all work at Casey though, with Wilkes receiving a visit from Jibba, Brian and Rob Pile over the weekend. Jack's is still recovering from the onslaught of the Casey Youth Group (Cutter, Scotty, Jonny, Plato and Smithy) who arrived complete with stereo, video, TV, and a RMIT van (the rest of the gang weren't going to let Smithy sleep inside the hut) for the weekend.

Early this week Adrian, Neil A, John B and Rachel loaded up a Hagg and headed for the hills (the hill anyway, Adrian having to undertake some repairs on the Haupt Nunatak AWS). John B's recaning program is in full swing with the Robbo's cane line now complete and work commenced on the Browning route.

On station, Erwin has taken some time out for a short cruise in Newcomb Bay, courtesy of Tricky, for a spot of fishing and close encounter whale watching.

The 16 mm movie nights on Wednesdays and Sundays are a big weekly highlight with Casey projectionist's Christine and Neil doing a tremendous job. Christine has been known to supply mint leaves to encourage large crowd while small crowds are provided with sour lemons. It is hoped that the chewing and sucking will hide the noise of crashing reels. Chris and Jason seem to be the number 1 ticket holders with Jason's choice of "Worth Winning" on Wednesday night bringing ooohs, aaahs and sighs from the audience and much laughter from Chris.

The last week has also seen the emergence of all the budding (and budded) Eddie Charlton's with the great Casey pool competition. The turnout has been good, the action intense, the crowds on the edge of their seats (indoor grandstand courtesy of Jibba and Todd) and shots like something out of Pot Black. No one is sure which is the better prize though, the bottle of Bundy for the winner, or the bucket of chocolate for backing the winner in the pool sweep.

We'll tell you the winners next week. Until then, cheers from Casey, the Jewel in the Crown.

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