Bulletin Vol. 13 No. 4, December, 1993
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AMQIKK Bulletin Vol. 13 No. 4, December, 1993. I raflE ^m T^!:,i"=:■ eta Ie&£2 i^r ->*r vonoaviNV Antarctic (successor to the "Antarctic News Bulletin") Vol. 13 No. 4 Contents Issue No. 147 December 1993 Polar New Zealand 138, 146 Australia 148, 171 ANTARCTIC is published Japan 149 quarterly by the New Zealand Antarctic Korea 156 Society Inc., 1979 United States 161 ISSN 0003-5327 Editor: Robin Ormerod Please address all editorial inquiries, Sub-antarctic contributions etc to the Tracking albatrosses 171 Editor, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington, General New Zealand ICAIR 142 Telephone: (04) 4791.226 NZAS and New Zealand pro International: +64 + 4+ 4791.226 Fax: (04) 4791.185 gramme 138 International: +64 + 4 + 4791.185 First Antarctica Lodge 173 All administrative inquiries should go to Vaughan expedition 176 the Secretary, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington New Zealand. Inquiries regarding back issues should go to P.O. Box 404, Christchurch, New Zealand. (Q No part of this publication may be Coven Detailed DEM for part of Hut reproduced in any way without the prior per Point Peninsula showing building lay mission of the publishers. out for McMurdo Station and Scott Base and roads between them. See ICAIR.. 137 ANTARCTIC December 1993 Vol.13 No. 4 On 2 November 1993, the New Zealand Antarctic Society turned 60. No other organisation in this country has a longer commitment to New Zealand's continued presence on the ice. In this article Bill Hopper, Chairman of the Wellington Branch, traces the origin of the Society. Society presses for New Zealand presence on ice "That a society be formed, and that it be called the New Zealand Antarctic Society. Moved: Mr Toogood, seconded Mr Russell. Carried unanimously." .... And so New Zealand's first serious Antarctic organisation was founded by a group of Wellingtonians in the boardroom of the Dominion Farmer's Institute on Featherston Street on the evening of Thursday, November 2, 1933. Present on that early summer's night were scientists, businessmen, educationalists, legal men, seafarers, a meteorologist and even the widow of a polar geologist of the "heroic era" of Antarctic exploration. This unlikely group had two things (of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's sec in common. They all knew the founder ond expedition) as patrons, a judge of and managing director of the Dominion the Supreme Court, Mr Justice (later Farmers' Institute. Arthur Leigh Hunt, Sir) Hubert Ostler as president and two and they all possessed a fanatical inter young men who were with Mawson on est in that last frontier of the explorer's the 1929-31 British Australian New work, Antarctica. Zealand Antarctic Expedition, ornitholo Their first objective was "to group gist Robert Falla and meteorologist together all persons interested in expe Ritchie Simmers, as vice-presidents. ditions, history, oceanography, geol The secretary was Charles Collins, a ogy, meteorology and natural history of young legal officer employed by the Antarctica, sub-Antarctic islands and the Public Trust Office in Wellington. This surrounding seas. band of enthusiastic presided over a 14 Hunt was the driving force. He was member council. an entrepreneur whose Antarctic inter There was Dr W.B. Oliver, director est and imagination was fired by a close of the Dominion Museum; Dr J. personal friendship with Rear Admiral Henderson, director of the Geological Richard Evelyn Byrd of the United States Survey; Captain W. Whiteford of the Navy and his business association with Marine Department and a young teacher Australian Antarctic explorer, Sir Doug of English at Wellington College, Leslie las Mawson. Quartermain. In those early days names associ In the early 1930's, the Society's ated with the fledgling society included goals were many and varied. Education Byrd, Mawson, and Sir Edward Evans by lectures and the printed word, pub- 138 Vol.13. No.4 December 1993 ANTARCTIC Early connections: Byrd (with Igloo), Douglas Mawson and A. Leigh Hunt, Wellington 1928. Photo: - S.P. Andrew licity for the Society and for Antarctic tica was matched only by that of the activities in general, the conservation of Society's founder. wild life and even the acquisition by The annual meeting of the Society's New Zealand of a suitable vessel for council in 1937 was confronted with polar work. the question of the preservation of Hunt's band of visionaries were whales in the southern ocean. Hunt looked upon as being ahead of their predicted the decimation of Antarctic time in lobbying for New Zealand par whale herds and presented a motion ticipation in geographic, scientific and that was carried unanimously, urging ecological exploration and research on the New Zealand government to seek the frozen continent. British help in securing a "complete Interest began to spread and in 1936 international agreement to regulate the Harold Griffiths, an oil company execu whaling industry". As always, Hunt's tive, formed a branch in Dunedin. He visions were prophetic. had met all the big names in contempo Like many other organisations the r a r y p o l a r e x p l o r a t i o n a n d h i s New Zealand Antarctic Society hiber enthusiasms for the mystique of Antarc nated for the long winter of the Second 139 ANTARCTIC December 1993 Vol.13 No. 4 World War, and was revived in 1949 by Today", president Falla accused the founder, Arthur Leigh Hunt. Government of "negative policy" with On the revitalised council new faces regard to the Ross Dependency. abounded. Captain W.W. Stuart, Ad In 1953, a letter to the Minister of ministrator of the Ross Dependency from External Affairs, Clifton Webb, over the the Marine Department, Frank Simpson, signatures of the president and the So a journalist and Lieutenant Colonel ciety's new and dynamic secretary, Thomas Orde-Lees, a 70 year old vet Arthur Helm, stated: "The Society feels eran of the '1914-17 Shackleton expe that some move to validate our claims to dition joined the three surviving mem sovereignty in the Ross Dependency is bers of the councils of the 1930's. essential and urgent The time is very They were Les Quartermain, head near when New Zealand must, herself, of English at Wellington College, Ritchie establish a post on the shores of the Simmers who had gained a doctorate in Ross Dependency or else watch men of meteorology and Dr Robert Falla now some other nation do so." Director of the Dominion Museum, who Still no action. The next letter went took over the reigns as president. to Prime Minister Sidney Holland and urged the Government "to give serious Continued lobbying consideration to the early establishment of a scientific station in the Ross The early 1950's saw continued lob Dependency....the station to be in op bying of Government for New Zealand eration in time to participate in the participation in Antarctic expeditions International Geophysical Year (IGY) and a physical presence and occupation which is to take place in 1957." of the Ross Dependency. Eventually, after more letters and But these were not the only self deputations Government announced it inflicted tasks of the New Zealand Ant would contribute 50,000 pounds to arctic Society. Council decided it was wards the cost of a proposed Trans- time to enter the publishing field, and Antarctic Expedition and would set up a two members, journalist Frank Simpson committee to organise a New Zealand and Dr John Cumpston, of the Austral base in the Ross Dependency to sup ian High Commission, were given a port the crossing party. And so the bold and daunting job: the collation of a Ross Sea Committee was formed with book containing the best information Arthur Helm as secretary and the New available on Antarctic research and ex Zealand Antarctic Society one of the ploration. contributing members. In November 1952, "The Antarctic Today - a Mid-Century Survey" was Branches for Auckland and launched. It was a 350 page treatise laden with topical information supplied Christchurch by the leading Antarcticians of the day. Internationally acclaimed as an authori While all this was going on, a new tative work, it was translated into Span branch was established in Auckland fol ish by the Argentineans and also into lowed by one in Christchurch and under Russian, with royalties even being paid the editorship of Quartermain, a single- by the USSR. sheet newsletter became a quarterly All this time the Society continued bulletin carrying not only news of the to be frustrated by Government inac Society and New Zealand's national tion. In a foreword to "The Antarctic endeavours, but also coverage of other 140 Vol.13. No.4 December 1993 ANTARCTIC " to assist the Antarctic Division in the preservation and maintenance of Scott's hut at Cape Evans " Photo: K. McBride, DSIR, 1971-72 nations' activities on the ice. south to continue on the hut mainte Next came a new publishing project nance as part of the Ross Dependency with Dr Trevor Hatherton, leader of Research Committee (RDRC) pro New Zealand's IGY party as editor. gramme. The volunteers, unpaid, went "Antarctica", a survey of scientific south for the love of it with the one achievement and exploration appeared criterion being that they had not previ in 1965 published by Methuen of Lon ously served in an expedition. don with contributions from 17 eminent Responsibility for the huts was taken authorities in four different countries. over the RDRC Historic Sites Manage In the 1960's the Society took up a ment Committee at the end of 1980 new challenge, to assist the Antarctic with the New Zealand Antarctic Society Division of DSIR in the preservation being represented by its president.