Yesterday, Sydney Kirkby was honoured with an Order of Australia medal In 1955, Syd was selected as party surveyor of the 1956 ANARE research in Antarctica. He was twenty-two years old. At that time 85% of the continent had never been seen. Most of the 42% of the vast...
We have been lying here gazing back at the men of old. They stand like beacons to show us the way, to give us inspiration and patience and hope. I find myself wondering if I am worthy to carry the frayed banner they have passed to us. Theirs is the past, ours is the...
In early November, Phil’s approval for the Southern Journey finally came through, and the process of dropping fuel depots increased the pilots’ workload. RAAF squadron leader Douglas Leckie faced one of the greatest challenges of his career. Having flown Bill and...
Throughout October the team at Mawson Base celebrated the return of the sun with higher spirits and more exploratory forays with the dogs and the weasels out onto the plateau. Still, for Syd, it was a time of waiting, for Phil had still not approved the Southern...
Okay, so things get a bit wobbly in Antarctica in September, but that no reason for the folks at home to lose their nerve, is it? Is it... Well, back at home the cold war broke out again ... It might be a good idea to remind you why so many nations had set up bases in...
September can be a bit of a loony season in things Antarctican. The teams at base are waiting for longer days even as the gentle rays become to peak over the horizon: On Thursday 13th September, Syd was night watchman, which was typically a time to relax, have a bath,...
Syd and the Mawson winterers looked eagerly at the crepuscular rays which were beaming weakly from below the horizon, a little higher each morning, staying a little longer each day. Back in Australia Phil Law was assembling and training the teams for Macquarie Island...
Fixing Antarctica is now available in a selection of bookshops. A special thanks to the following bookshops who have already taken stock. More bookshops will be stocking the book in the future but for now, you can walk into the following bookshops and buy a copy (or...