Rex Burchell

OIC Mawson 1979

Rex Burchell passed away in early 2023, less than 4 years after our 40th reunion in Hahndorf. The first and best reunion had taken place in 1999 in Melbourne organised and hosted by Rex and Eve; the 30th in Canberra in 2009.

Of course Rex had no responsibility at all to his crew after returning to Australia. Family reasons compelled him to return to Melbourne on the first relief ship of the summer of 1979/80, but he was there on the wharf to greet the last of us in mid-march 1980. A measure of the success of our year was the unobtrusive but ongoing place that Rex held in our lives from our return right up to the time of his final journey south, and the fact that we continued to look up to him as the Officer in Charge. As a personal memory, my wife and I had a short, busy stay in Melbourne in 2016 – Rex went out of his way to come into the city to enable us to catch up after a gap of some years.

Serving in Antarctica is a privilege. We were doubly fortunate to have an OIC such as Rex. The Mawson 79 crew was a young and relatively inexperienced one. Average age was less than 30 years with a couple of expeditioners in their early 20s. Early on this relative inexperience concerned Rex, but he was a great leader, we came together well as a team and it was a happy year. Many of us benefited from his wise counsel. Everyone’s contribution was valued and all were treated equally. (The author will confess that in Dovers it just did not do to overestimate the allotted minute for the weekly shower !)

Arrival in Horseshoe Harbour at Mawson is a magical but also sobering experience. The graveyard for the ages sits atop West Arm, where the crosses catch the morning light from the east and the dying sun in the west. Safety and welfare was always going to be a big priority for Rex; events at other bases early in the year certainly focussed all our minds, and we were lucky. Mawson Base’s 25th anniversary was celebrated not long after our arrival with many of the 78ers.

The highlight of Rex’s year was probably leading the long and arduous tractor train to Mount King camp in Enderby Land which had not been used the previous summer (it might in fact have been two summers). On day 1 a crevasse tried to derail the tractor train. Progress was slowed by blizzards and the absence of some of the snow canes which had previously marked the route. On arrival the campsite had to be dug out. Despite these problems which would be difficult for anyone without Antarctic experience to imagine, the camp was made ready for a successful summer of scientific work and many bags of rock samples RTA’d at its completion.

Under Rex’s guidance Mawson 79ers commenced construction of the first two storey building on an Australian base, variously known as the red shed or “hell on the hill”. An early and novel challenge was to wrap up and warm the foundation area so that cement would set. It was a source of some pride that the red shed reached “lock-up” stage by the end of the year.

May saw us entertaining the Russians from Molodezhnaya far to the west. They arrived in a huge but somewhat rattly helicopter, delivering scientist Nick Voloshinov who spent the remainder of the year with us and was a very popular member of the group. The large quantities of pepper vodka Nick brought with him could however pose a challenge on Saturday nights.

There were of course many routine activities which will be familiar to all, and Rex encouraged us to go on as many field trips as operationally possible. Strangely he seemed less enthralled than most by the extraordinary Antarctic environment: getting the job done safely was the thing.

Together with most of us Rex enjoyed a drink but he never fell victim to it once in the whole year. A favourite memory of him is one which shows his great self-control. It had been a hard week for our renowned chef Dave Hardy, sometime after midwinter, and he baked a large and well-iced cake on Saturday afternoon. When most of us were seated for the evening meal, Dave announced to the assembled throng that the next person to come in through the door was going to wear his cake. With horror, the realisation dawned that Rex had not yet arrived. A couple of seconds later and completely unaware of impending disaster he entered the mess hut. Dave made good on his promise – Rex was now adorned with a copious quantity of cake and icing but he took it all in his stride, with barely a second glance at our chef. There were no repercussions !

Unlike some Club subscriptions, memories of The South do not lapse. 1979 was, thanks to Rex, a seminal year in many young lives.
Rex is remembered very fondly indeed as is the year he oversaw. His loved ones know this already.

Andrew Lark , Mawson 1979