Gundagai polar expeditioner Andrew Brock will be live from Mawson Station on 29 August at Cootamundra and Gundagai libraries. Photo: Supplied.
The Riverina’s polar explorer, Andrew Brock, will appear live from Antarctica for two Q&A sessions about life in the subzero zone.
Riverina residents will learn about living and working in the coldest, windiest, and driest continent on Earth as Andrew appears live on the big screen at the Cootamundra and Gundagai libraries.
The Gundagai resident is a carpenter with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) at Mawson Station. It is one of the three stations on the Antarctic mainland presently occupied by Australian personnel.
Andrew has been working with the AAD since October 2023 and will return to Australia in March 2025 after spending a summer and winter in Antarctica.
The carpenter is one of the 20 staff on base over the winter season, with duties including counting penguins to search and rescue, drilling ice, fixing broken cabinets, concreting, washing dishes and firefighting.
Even the most basic tasks can become challenging with the temperatures dipping below -70 degrees Celsius.
There are months of almost complete darkness, blizzards strong enough to blow an aircraft away, and a very basic internet connection (with no streaming allowed).
While there are no trips home or visits from family, the explorers get mail twice a year.
The polar explorer shared that the challenges of living in temperatures below 60 degrees Celsuius at the South Pole were made worthwhile thanks to the Mawson team’s camaraderie, the Antarctic wilderness’s unique beauty and the opportunity to test his trade skills in a demanding environment.
The coldest continent on Earth is shrouded in a blanket of ice more than two kilometres thick, and winds rip across its barren plains at over 320 km/h.
Join the Q&A with Andrew live from Mawson Station at Cootamundra Library on Thursday 29 August at 2 pm or Gundagai Library on Thursday 5 September at 2 pm.
These events are free, and all are welcome. To book, phone Cootamundra Library on 69 402 200 or Gundagai Library on 69 440 270.
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