A News Bulletin New Zealand Antarctic Society
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A N E W S B U L L E T I N published b y t h e NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY VANDA STATION. Vol. 5, No. 6 54th ISSUE JUNE, 1969 / E I W W AUSTRALIA WELLINGTON NEW ZEALAND TASMANIA \^SMPENDENc,^ i f Voitock,, / (USSR)* / (USSR)* ANTARCTICA, Pliteju (US)-A< Alferei Sobril (Art)* \ \ / 0 A / A , \ C / " 4 d,o^*xL.*V r/Vop,. ,X AlmlrI"W«"10 ' IUSSR./CT* lVv U/?WAY) * XA T«n,«"«* / V > ^ ' , . l > v > I B o r j M l M i f X . / j . / . \ > ^ ~ _ \ « ^ ^ / ^ \^ &$> DRAWN BY DEPARTMENT OF LANDS * SURVEY WELLINGTON. NEW ZEALAND. AUG 1969 3rd EDITION (Successor to "Antarctic News Bulletin") Vol. 5, No. 6 54th ISSUE JUNE, 1969 Editor: A. S. Helm, M.B.E., M.A., 37 Worcester Street, Wellington, 5. New Zealand. Assistant Editor: Mrs R. H. Wheeler. Business Communications, Subscriptions, etc., to: Secretary, New Zealand Antarctic Society, P.O. Box 2I10, Wellington, N.Z. CONTENTS N e w Z e a l a n d A n t a r c t i c N e w s 2 5 4 New Zealand Antarctic Programme for 1969/70 256 Victoria Scientists Make Key Fossil Discoveries in Antarctic 258 A u s t r a l i a n A n t a r c t i c N e w s 2 6 0 A m e r i c a n A n t a r c t i c N e w s 2 6 3 B r i t i s h A n t a r c t i c S u r v e y N e w s 2 7 0 N e w s f r o m S o u t h A f r i c a 2 7 1 Belgian Antarctic Expedition 272 Glaciological Work at Vanda: By A. J. Heine 276 N e w s o f t h e S u b - A n t a r c t i c I s l a n d s 2 7 8 Lake Vanda Meteorological Programme: By Don Thompson 280 University of Canterbury Antipodes Island Expedition: By John W a r h a m ' 2 8 2 A Preliminary Report on the Snares Island Expedition 1968/69: B y J o h n W a r h a m 2 8 3 Russian Antarctic Whalers: By Isoif Pikarevich 286 SCAR Working Group on Geology: By R. W. Willett 288 The Reader Writes Society News Antarctic Bookshelf ANTARCTIC June, 1969 NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC NEWS Mrs. Young will leave for Scott New Leader at Scott Base Base early in November and within a few days will be flown to Cape The new leader at Scott Base for th*. 1969-70 season is to be Robert Bird where she will join her hus band, Dr. E. C. Young, leadr- ' ' ! Willis of Roxburgh, Central University of Canterbury i~~.~.~~ ;o. Aged 40, Mr. Willis is mar- unit, and three students from th . with four children. He was university. educated at Southbridge District The unit will work on zoological High School, Christchurch Boys' studies, primarily the behaviour of High School and Christchurch Antarctic birds. Teachers' College. An arts graduate, Mrs. Young, A school teacher, Mr. Willis has whose husband is a senior lecturer taught at Southbridge District High in zoology at the university and School, Rakaia, Olematata District warden of Rolleston House, will be High School, Benmorc, and since a field assistant doing technical 1966 at Roxburgh District High work and general housekeeping pre School. viously done by university under He has been an active member of graduates. the New Zealand Alpine Club for a Mrs. Young was thrilled when she number of years, during which he heard of her selection on June 24. has undertaken many major climbs She said she had done a lot of and been involved in search and tramping, but no mountaineering, rescue operations throughout the but did not think mountaineering Canterbury/Otago area. He is very experience would be needed as Cape active in many sports, particularly Bird, wbere her husband had been Rugby which he has refereed in before, was rocky. mid-Canterbury/Otago. Her selection was announced on Mr. Willis first went to Antarctica June 24 by Mr. R. B. Thomson, as a Field Party Leader in the sum Superintendent of the Antarctic mer season of 1966-67. He worked Division of the Department of Scien from Hallett Station for most of tific and Industrial Research. Until this period and also led a scientific now logistics and accommodation expedition to the top of Mount restrictions had precluded the in Erebus. clusion of women in Antarctic teams, Mr. Willis commenced duty with he said. Antarctic Division, D.S.I.R., in Wel To qualify for inclusion in scien lington on May 12 and will proceed tific teams women would have to be to Scott Base in early October to at least as well qualified as men, relieve the present Leader, Mr. R. well experienced in the outdoors, Foubisler, of Christchurch. pass psychological tests, and under take the same Antarctic training programme as men. Cape Bird, where Mrs. Young will First Lady for Scott Base be working, is the north-western extremity of Ross Island. It was Mrs. P. Young, of Christchurch, discovered and named in 1841 by will be the first New Zealand woman Admiral James Clark Ross for Lieu to work as a member of a New tenant Edward J. Bird, the senior Zealand research expedition in the lieutenant of the "Erebus," one of Antarctic. the two ships of Ross's expedition. ANTARCTIC Cutter "Burton Island" was in Wel Will Tourists Fly To lington its commanding officer, Cap tain Bain Leland, bought a minia Antarctica? ture manufactured elk head. Air New Zealand could well be flying tourists to the Antarctic in January, He later sent this to Captain Hugh 1971, if permission is forthcoming Kelley, Commander Antarctic Sup from the United States military port activities. With it was a letter: authorities in the area. " 'Burton Island' always returns The service would be flown by goods which have been appropri DC8 jet airliners from Christchurch ated inadvertently from other to Scott Base with accommodation commands. I greatly regret the provided by a liner in McMurdo reduction in size, but shrinkage in Sound. high winds and seas is always a factor to be reckoned with." A DC8 would make the 2,400-mile journey in between four and five hours, which does not rule out the possibility of day trips. If the service does eventuate, the ANTARCTIC PLACE NAMES airline will fly between five and At its recent meeting in Wellington eight services between mid-January and mid-February to coincide with the New Zealand Antarctic Place the best of the Antarctic weather. Names Committee approved the names for 171 features in the Ross Permission has been granted by the military authorities for an in vestigation team to make an inspec tion in November. It will comprise two DC8 captains, an engineer, and two members of the Civil Aviation Division of the Ministry of Trans Tapsell Foreland. port. The name was suggested to the Committee by Dr. R. A. Falla, one of its members. This is a most appropriate name indeed, for Cap Midwinter Celebrations tain Tapsell was the master of the barque "Brisk," one of the whaling Midwinter's day was celebrated for vessels based on the Enderby Settle the first time at New Zealand's new ment at Port Ross, Auckland Islands, in February 1850, Tapsell sailed tional feast. south to the Balleny Islands and Eighty miles of Antarctic darkness then westward along the 67th degree separated the four New Zealanders of south latitude as far as longitude and one American exchange scientist 143°E. Not only was this further at Lake Vanda from the 11 New south than the earlier course of Zealanders at Scott Base. Wilkes in the same sector, but it Good-will messages were swapped was so close to the now known posi with the bases of other nations tion of tbe coastline at several points spread around the continent, and that only the worst of visibility many messages were received from could have obscured sight of the friends and relatives in New Zea land. The continued bad weather land and other countries. prevented any whale hunting, and no land was seen. The voyage was briefly described Elk Disappears by Enderby at a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society in 1858, A stuffed elk head mysteriously dis and mention was then made that appeared from Scott Base recently. the log and journal of the voyage When the American Coastguard had accountably been lost. ANTARCTIC New Zealand Antarctic Programme For 1969/70 A total of 83 New Zealand personnel will be involved in the held work during the 1969/70 summer season and for scientific ?o!nrV¥i0ns a} Scr0tt Base and Vanda Station until the spring of fnlo'/^I i scale,of activities is the same as that recommended for 1968/69 although, principally for financial reasons, Government geological and soil field activities were not implemented during the 1968/69 summer season. PROPOSALS This will involve a wintering-over A. Scott Base party of four New Zealanders and one American exchange scientist as The studies in auroral physics, for 1968/69. earth currents, geomagnetism, iono spheric physics, meteorology, radio (Participating Organisations: DSIR, propagation and seismology should N.Z. Meteorological Service, Univer be continued. However, some sity of Otago, University of Welling changes to the auroral programme ton.) will be necessary for the measure ment of auroral heights in co-opera C.