12 January 2012
This day a hundred years ago, the expeditioners of the AAE spent their first night sleeping ashore. I find that moment as moving and meaningful as the first landing a few days earlier.
‘Night’ doesn’t have much meaning down here in high summer. The sun, if you can see it, gently bounces on the horizon. But sleeping on the continent itself signals a commitment. One makes oneself vulnerable, becomes a resident, begins to inhabit the place and starts to become (if one ever can here) a local. Lying down on the scarce available rock and submitting to sleep in such an alien and threatening place is to begin the transformation.
From the 8th of January, between the blizzards, the men of the AAE were sleeping on the ship and working on shore around the clock in shifts. Unloading was impossible due to a blizzard on the 9th and 10th. On the 11th, the wind dropped, all boats were lowered and unloading proceeded. But as a storm brewed again on the evening of the 12th of January, Mawson and Frank Wild went ashore to join the five men working there and to sleep on the continent itself.
After finishing unloading timber, Charles Harrisson recorded that we went up to Dr Mawson’s tent. He had the Nansen cooker going preparing a meal. Meanwhile, we pitched a couple of the little sledging tents … unscrewed boxes and got out the Reindeer sleeping bags. Then a mug of hot soup was served round, most delicious! Followed by a mug of hot cocoa. And we turned in about 2 am. Great amusement over Hannam getting into his sleeping bag! … I snuggled into mine, fastened up all the toggles, and tired and cold, slept well. We did not wake until past noon – the day bright but blowing fresh.
Thus the Australian occupation of Antarctica began.
A hundred years later, we are edging our way around iceberg B9B towards Commonwealth Bay. Commemorative cups of soup and cocoa are called for across the wide brown land to our north.