Painter / Decorators for December / January 2009 / 2010
Meet the two Volunteers who have been working at Scott Base this summer.
Nic Jackson, Wellington
"Having visited Scott Base once before as part of the Graduate Certificate of Antarctic Studies programme run by Gateway Antarctica at Canterbury University, I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to return to Ross Island. This time the experience will be different as I will be part of 'ground crew' at Scott Base, rather than a visitor passing through. Living on base and forming part of the team at such a remote location will be a one-of-a-kind type of experience.
I'm particularly looking forward to sitting in the dining room on Base gazing out at Black Island and White Island, across the ice shelf beyond the pressure ridges. It is a strangely familiar view for me as I have a painting of this view hanging in my lounge by Margaret Elliot, a past fellow of the Artists in Residence programme. The view from this window has got to one of the best in the world, and I'll get to paint the window sill!
What has changed at Scott Base and McMurdo? What new buildings have appeared and what alterations have occurred since my time there? So many questions! I can't wait!"
Mike Wing, Auckland
"My first trips in the early 70's, which included two winters and three summers, were a great adventure. One does not often get the chance to visit a remote place on
earth, to tread in the footsteps of great explorers like Amundsen, Scott, Shackleton, Wilson, Cherry-Garrard, Hillary, Mulgrew, Claydon and others. To be able to revel in the unsurpassed beauty of the landscape, to experience the ever changing moods of nature through the weather, and to enjoy the camaraderie of life at Scott Base was an amazing experience. I also had the privilege of being a Dog Handler.
Those opportunities have all had a huge influence on my life and I consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to visit such places as the South Pole, Dry Valleys, Historic Huts.
This trip, working as a volunteer, is an opportunity to re-live those experiences. And it is also an opportunity to repay a debt of gratitude to AntarcticaNZ for previous opportunities provided to me.
I'm excited about returning to the Antarctic, not just Scott Base, to revive old memories and to create new ones. I'm indebted to Antarctica NZ and the NZ Antarctic Society for the opportunity to once again work in the Antarctic, this time as a volunteer.
Unfortunately there are no Huskies now, so I won't be able to take a team out for a run!
