Australians in Antarctica: ANARE, AAP

/in /by

ANARE Club 75th Anniversary Display – Australian Antarctic Festival

 

The 2026 Australian Antarctic Festival is done! And the ANARE Club booth was a huge success with visitors.

As part of our 75th Anniversary events, the ANARE Club stand at this year’s Australian Antarctic Festival featured a display on the theme of ‘Australians in Antarctica: ANARE / AAD’, covering the ANARE / AAD period of Antarctic expedition and scientific endeavour from the late 1940s onwards.

The display communicated the history of Australians working with the Australian Antarctic Program since its beginning through personal clothing and equipment, and the stories behind them.

We were very lucky to be loaned historic clothing belonging to a number of past expeditioners, including:

 

  • Max Downes (Heard Island 1951) – thanks to his daughter Liz Downes

 

  • Chris Gorman (Wilkes 1962) – courtesy of his wife, Pam Gorman

  • Bob Tomkins (Mawson 1969-79 and Macquarie Island (1975)

  • Denise Allen (Macquarie Island 1985, Mawson 1986 & 2005, Davis 1988 & 2007, Casey 1992)

  • and a suit of current expeditioner work clothing, kindly lent for the Festival by the AAD.

Various posters provided detailed information with historic photos of expeditioners ‘down south’.

We also featured the aircraft trunk which travelled on VH-PGL: further information about the aircraft VH-PGL can be found at www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austmz/VH-PGL.html  and also on DHC Beaver tails website item  1430

 

This webpage will be updated in coming weeks, including a walk-through video, so come back for more!