EXPEDITION 2010-11

The main features of the work to be achieved next summer will be posted here as soon as the works plan is approved.

2010-11 Expedition members

Previous Expeditions

After Sir Douglas Mawson’s last visit to the huts in 1931, sporadic and opportunistic visits were made by French, American, New Zealand and Australian expeditions.  Many visitors commented on the need to do something about the deteriorating condition of the huts and the artefacts inside and outside the huts.

The first conservation work was conducted in 1977 by an Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE) team with repairs to the sky lights, repatriation of some artefacts and repairs to the memorial cross.

ANARE

PROJECT BLIZZARD

In the summers of 1985 and 1986 a private expedition, ‘Project Blizzard’ conducted extensive documentation of the huts and made critical repairs to the supporting timbers inside the main hut.  They installed the Apple Hut for accommodation.  Their efforts raised public awareness of the importance of the historic site and the need for a comprehensive conservation plan to save the huts from the ravages of the extreme weather of Cape Denison.

The next visit to the huts by ANARE was in 1986 when the Sorensen Hut was established to accommodate future planned Mawson’s Huts work parties.  Dr Michael Pearson of the Australian Heritage Commission visited on this occasion and on return to Australia prepared the first Conservation Management Plan for the historic site.

MAWSON’S HUTS FOUNDATION

The Mawson’s Huts Foundation was formed in 1996 by David Jensen, at the time, an Executive of Australian Associated Press (AAP).  Sir Peter Derham who had made dedicated efforts through the Mawson’s Huts Conservation Committee to carry out a conservation program joined the Foundation as its Deputy Chairman.  The aim of the Foundation was to raise funds to send expeditions to carry out the conservation works at the historic site.  Working closely with the Australian Government through the AAD and Heritage Division, the Foundation has conducted six conservation expeditions.

Foundation Expeditions

1996-97 Built heritage architect Geoff Ashley and architect/artist Alasdair McGregor visited the Historic Site for 24 hours on the tourist vessel Akademik Shokalskiy with Heritage Expeditions returning with an assessment of the condition of the huts and recommendations about their conservation.

1997-98 The Foundation chartered the Akademik Shokalskiy and Heritage Expeditions to deliver the thirteen member conservation team to the site to make vital internal structural repairs, re-clad the workshop roof and record artefacts at the site.  A film crew of two made a documentary film of the expedition called ‘The Home of the Blizzard’ and Alasdair McGregor produced several paintings to raise funds for future works programs.

Expedition members:

Alan Grant           Field Leader

Geoff Ashley        Conservation Team Leader

Dr Estelle Lazer    Archaeologist

Ted Bugg              Carpenter

David Gillett       Carpenter

Paul Delaney        Carpenter

Alasdair McGregor Artist/photographer

David Killick          Journalist/Photographer/Communications

Joan Russell           Cook/Base camp manager

Dr Rod Givney        Medical Officer

Alan Rooke             Radio/Satellite Communications

Malcolm Ludgate    Film crew

Mike Piper               Film crew

2000-01 An eight person conservation team funded by the Foundation and supported by the Antarctic Division continued the repairs to the huts and the artefacts recording and cleared the site of rubbish left by previous visits since Mawson was last at the site in 1931.  Environmental monitoring equipment installed inside the huts during a visit by the McIntyre’s yacht in 1998 was serviced and data retrieved.

Expeditioner members:

Rob Easther                Field Leader

Dr Ian Godfrey            Materials conservator

Dr Estelle Lazer          Archaeologist

Julia Searle                 Heritage Officer

Ted Bugg                    Carpenter

David Killick              Cook/Journalist/Photographer/Communications

Alasdair McGregor     Artist/Photographer

Dr David Little           Medical Officer

2001-02 A joint Foundation and Antarctic Division team supported by the French Antarctic Program and delivered by their re-supply vessel L’Astrolabe carried out further internal structural repairs, cleared the workshop section of ice and snow, mapped artefacts and upgraded the huts’ environmental monitoring equipment so it is now monitored by satellite.  With a built heritage architect a member of the team, an assessment of the hut foundations prior to planning future work was conducted.

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Expedition members:

Diana Paterson           Field Leader

Adrian Welke              Heritage Architect

Dr Estelle Lazer          Archaeologist

Linda Clarke               Materials conservator

Mike Staples               Carpenter/ Environmental monitoring technician

Martin Pasingham       Carpenter

David Killick               Cook/Journalist/Communications

Dr Geoff Couser          Medical Officer

2005-06 The Foundation dispatched a four person team on the Aurora Expeditions vessel Marina Svetaeva for a brief visit to inspect the work of the previous expedition and to assess the feasibility of the plan to re-clad the main hut roof.

Expedition members:

Ted Bugg                     Field Leader/Carpenter

Martin Passingham      Carpenter

Mike Staples                Carpenter/Environmental monitoring technician

David Killick                Cook/Journalist/Photographer/Communications

2006-07 A six person team funded by a Government grant to the Foundation, and supported by the Antarctic Division departed Hobart on L’Astrolabe in late October 2006 to re-clad the roof of the main hut thereby completing the stabilization of the huts.  Successful completion of this major work will allow the conservation program to move on to the next phase concentrating on the artefacts.  The team was returned to Hobart on the Sarsen, a tourist vessel on a trial voyage for future visits to Antarctica.

Expedition members:

Dr Ian Godfrey           Field Leader

Ted Bugg                   Deputy Field Leader/Carpenter

Martin Passingham    Carpenter

Christian Gallagher    Carpenter/Medic

Simon Mossman        Cook/Journalist/Photographer

Angus McDonald       Artist/Photographer (brief stay-returned on delivery voyage)

2007-08 With the roof sealed, the selection of this MHF team marked the transition in the works program to a focus on the conservation of the numerous artefacts inside and outside the historic huts.  Their major tasks were to construct a laboratory for the ongoing conservation work and to expand the Sorensen Hut to provide secure accommodation facilities for future expeditions. All this was achieved in the five weeks the team was ashore as well as a comprehensive survey of the artefacts throughout the Historic Site to enable the conservation works for the next few years to be planned.

Expedition members:

Peter McCabe             Field Leader/Carpenter

Jon Tucker                 Deputy Field Leader/Carpenter

Dr Anne McConnell   Archaeologist

Michelle Berry            Conservator

Steve Beaton              Electrician

Dr Peter Morse           Computer Visualization Specialist

Dr Tony Stewart         Medical Officer

Brett Jarrett                Artist/Official photographer

2008-09 Expedition members

Mawson’s Huts/Historic Site

• Extraction and treatment of artefacts inside and outside the historic huts
• Search for the air tractor (see the News section of this web site)
• Repairs to the north wall of the Workshop to prevent ingress of snow and ice
• Repairs to the SW corner of the Main Hut external wall
• Remove satellite equipment from the roof of the Main Hut

Sorensen Hut (Base for current expeditions)

• Fit-out and commission the conservation laboratory and accommodation
• Install storage facilities for tools and equipment and transfer from the Granholm Hut
• Install a web cam to monitor the historic site year round (images will be published on this site)
• Continue the clean up of all post BANZARE materials

Other Programs

• Documentary film
• Journalism and Photography
• Tide gauge for the AAD and French Antarctic program

Following several sporadic attempts in the 1970s and 1980s to stabilise the deteriorating fabric, over the past 12 years the Foundation has achieved some outstanding results, including:

• over-cladding the roof of the main hut and workshop section
• repairs to ridge-capping and skylights on the Main Living Hut to reduce snow and ice ingress
• re-installation of the arm of the Memorial Cross
• artefact recording and research
• installation of electronic equipment which has produced over eight years of temperature and humidity data essential to the Huts’ long term conservation
• full sponsorship of four expeditions and involvement in two further expeditions in partnership with the Australian Antarctic Division
• removal of all waste materials from visits since Mawson’s last visit to the site in 1931

The Foundation commissioned the Conservation Management Plan 2001 for the Mawson’s Huts Historic Site, which has been adopted by the Australian Government and revised in 2008.

2009-10 Expedition members