Just Tell Them I Survived!: Women in Antarctica

249 Pages·2008·0.73 MB·English

by  Dr Robin Burns

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‘JUST TELL THEM
I SURVIVED!’
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ROBIN BURNS
‘JUST TELL THEM
I SURVIVED!’
W o m e n i n A n t a r c t i c a
This projecthas been assistedby the CommonwealthGovernmentthrough
the AustraliaCouncil,its arts funding and advisorybody.
The poem ‘The MusicMakers’ on page 176 is reprintedcourtesyof CarolineCaddy.
It was first publishedin Antarctica,FremantleArts Centre Press, SouthFremantle,
1996.
First publishedin 2001
Copyright(cid:1) RobinBurns 2001
All rightsreserved. No part of this bookmay be reproducedor transmittedin
any form or by any means,electronicor mechanical,includingphotocopying,
recordingor by any informationstorageand retrieval system,withoutprior
permissionin writingfrom the publisher.The AustralianCopyrightAct 1968
(the Act)allowsa maximumof one chapter or 10% of this book,whichever
is the greater,to be photocopiedby any educationalinstitutionfor its
educationalpurposesprovidedthat the educationalinstitution(or body that
administersit) has given a remunerationnoticeto CopyrightAgencyLimited
(CAL) under the Act.
Allen & Unwin
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NationalLibraryof Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publicationentry:
Burns, Robin.
Just tell them I survived:women in Antarctica.
ISBN 1 86508382 8.
1. Women—Antarctica.2. Women—Employment—Antarctica.
3. Women explorers—Antarctica.4. Women scientists—
Antarctica.I. Title.
305.409989
Set in 11/14pt Baskervilleby MidlandTypesetters,Maryborough,Victoria
Printed by Griffin Press,South Australia
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to my mother, Laura Burns,
who sadly did not live to see its completion;
to Anja Kate Bremmers,
who arrived just before it was completed;
and to those who hear the challenge of wild places,
who respond to their call,
and who work to preserve them for humanity.
Foreword
The story of Antarctica is overwhelmingly history, and this book
attempts to redress the balance by adding chapters from the
stories of many women who have lived and worked on the con-
tinent and sub-Antarctic islands, most of them with ANARE
(Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions). Indeed,
parts of my own Antarctic story are recorded here, derived from
the sixteen months I spent down South in 1990–92, as station
leader at Mawson in 1991 and as field leader of the 1991–92
summer Prince Charles MountainExpedition.LikemanyAntarc-
ticans of both genders, my original inspiration for seeking to
experience the physical and personal challenge of the extreme
environment of the last continent came from the great stories of
the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, especially the saga of
Shackleton’s expeditions and the qualities of leadership and
comradeship they displayed.
The actors in the saga of the heroic age were exclusivelymale,
and this was the norm until the 1950s. The first women went
South with ANARE in 1959, and over 400 have followed them
since. As this book describes, women as well as men now share
the awesome beauty of a midwinter aurora, the perils of glacier
travel, the discomforts of a blizzard-bound tent, the exhilaration
of boundless icescapes, the joy in companionship of special
friends on a ‘jolly’, the trust and interdependence generated by
a longer field expedition, the satisfaction of a successfulresupply
operation, the depression and loneliness of isolation from
friends and family, the wonder of the wildlife—in fact, the whole
vi
FOREWORD
kaleidoscope of experiences which create for almost everyone
who has been there the most intensely lived period of their lives.
But this experience has come at a price and this book also
records the battles against indifference, discrimination and
harassment—the familiar occupational and psychological ob-
stacles to women entering a traditionally male domain—as well
as those against the unique physical obstacles of the Antarctic
and sub-Antarctic environment.
For my own part, the vividness, the heightened sense of being,
has taken me back to Antarctica almost every summer as a guide
on tourist ships to many parts of the continent, and finally back
to ANARE for another season as station leader, this time on sub-
Antarctic Macquarie Island in 2000.
What struck me on returning to ANARE after nearly ten years
is how much had changed, both for myself personally and as a
woman. Rereading my Mawson diaries, I appreciate my greater
self-assurance and reduced anxietyabouthowto domyjob,born
ofmoreexperienceandmaturity—whichinturnmakesmemore
relaxed,andhelpsmedoitbetter.ButIalsofindmyjobiseasier,
because of the change in culture. There is fargreateracceptance
of me as a woman station leader—even though there have still
only been seven in over 50 years of ANARE—and there are far
more women amongst the expeditioners: 25 per cent of boththe
summer and winter groups. The men are far less ‘blokey’, exclu-
sive or antagonistic, but what draws my greatest admiration and
respect is the competence and confidence of the women.
Many are young scientists, some ontheirfirstAntarcticseason,
but their ability to learn the ropes, their dedication to their pro-
jectsandtheirinfectiousenthusiasmfortheirworksetastandard
for the whole station. Their professional credibility draws willing
responses to requests for help from other expeditioners, both
men and women, which they in turn reciprocate. The critical
mass of between ten and fifteen women on station creates a
joyous sisterhood that defines the social ambience of the com-
munity and embraces all members equally. The spirit of the
station manifested such energy, conviviality and caring that the
vii
‘JUSTTELLTHEMISURVIVED!’
end of summer brought real sadness with the departure of so
many dear friends. However, the same spirit prevailed into the
winter, again with the large proportion of women on station
playing a defining role.
Tome,MacquarieIsland2000representsthefutureofANARE
andofwomenasfullparticipants,andIbelievethisgoalisshared
by many of the new generation of managers as well as ex-
peditioners. This book describes the struggles that many women
have faced in striving towards that goal. For the early pioneers,
times were difficult although their expectations were often
modest. Harder perhaps was the period of the 1970s–90s when
women were seeking and achieving access and success in increas-
ing numbers in so many fields of ‘normal’ life, yet Antarctica
seemed caught in a time warp contingent on its ‘special’ status.
But now the icy barriers are falling in ANARE. The focus of Aus-
tralia’s Antarctic program has shifted from station-building to
science, which is the field in which most women work in Antarc-
tica. This will give them both greater opportunities and greater
status.Itwillalsotendtoreducethepowerofthedominantmale
‘trades’ culture, while opening more of those jobs to women as
well.
The beginning of these trends is apparent in the stories told
here. So this book gives us the opportunity to honour those
women who first breached the geographical and social bound-
aries of the last continent, to acclaim those who struggled with
both inner and outer weather to consolidate their foothold in
hostile climes, and to celebrate with those now claiming with
competence and confidence their right to share equally in the
unique experience of living and working in Antarctica.
Louise Crossley
Macquarie Island
Midwinter Day 2000
viii
Contents
Foreword by Louise Crossley vi
Preface and acknowledgments xii
INTRODUCTION: ‘I WANT TO GO TOO!’ 1
●
A story within the story
●
Gathering the stories
●
Telling and retelling the stories
1 ‘FINALLY WE WERE ON OUR WAY!’ WOMEN BECOME
ANTARCTIC EXPEDITIONERS 11
●
The barrier of the ice
●
Breaking the ice: women enter the Antarctic arena
●
Getting a foot in the door
●
Resisting the female ‘fatal impact’
●
Continuity and change for women in ANARE
●
Locating change in a wider perspective
2 ‘I HAD THIS DREAM . . .’ 31
●
Responding to the call of Antarctica
●
‘Would they select me to go?’ From longings to reality
●
Embracing adventure and challenge
●
The call of the wild, remote places
●
The significance of others
ix