The NAWIC Journal 25th Anniversary Edition

Page 88

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WORKING WITH THE AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC PROGRAM - a life-changing experience by Maree Riley Organisational Psychologist, Australian Antarctic Division

Living and working in Antarctica is the opportunity of a lifetime. Just ask Amy Hobbs. “It’s a fascinating place to work. You are exposed to such a wild, forever-changing place, that you know not many people will experience. You work and live so closely with a small crew of people that they become more than just work colleagues, but some very good friends that I will have for life,” she says.

THE AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC PROGRAM

Amy had worked as a mechanical engineer in various industries across mining, defence, construction and fuel systems for about 15 years. She was also fascinated by Antarctica enough to travel to the Antarctic Peninsula as a tourist.

The population at each station ranges between 40 and 100 expeditioners over summer and 15 to 25 over the winter months. Each season more than 500 expeditioners travel south with the Australian Antarctic Program, although this number was reduced in 2020 due to the pandemic. Employment contracts are seasonal and generally for between 4 and 15 months.

“It wasn’t long after that trip that an advertisement came up in my Facebook feed for jobs with the Australian Antarctic Division. That peaked my interest and to my surprise, I found a role as an Engineering Services Supervisor (ESS) that pretty closely matched my skill set,” says Amy. Each year the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) recruits around 180 people, across 25 different roles, to live and work on one of our four research stations. The experience can be life-changing. “I eventually went down to Casey station as a summer ESS where I spent four months working with a diverse team of tradespeople and living with an even more diverse station crew,” Amy says. “I have since spent a further 12 month expedition over winter, and a summer expedition in Antarctica as an ESS.” 86

The AAD runs the Australian Antarctic Program, which needs highly-skilled and passionate people to support Australia’s world-class scientific research to answer key questions of global significance. Australia has three research stations in Antarctica - Casey, Davis and Mawson - and one on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island.

Each station is like a small town with a diverse and dedicated workforce, comprising station leaders, mechanical and infrastructure tradespeople, field training officers, scientists, doctors, chefs, Bureau of Meteorology observers and communications technicians. We also have a team of people supporting our shipping and aviation activities. Expeditioners are supported by head office staff experienced in Antarctic policy, law, operations, medicine, science and media. Summer months are generally busy with scientific research and a range of infrastructure projects being undertaken. Across the winter months the tempo reduces with environmental conditions limiting

THE NAWIC JOURNAL


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AM, Queensland Government Customer & Digital Group

5min
pages 102-104

THE GROUND UP by Dr Christina Scott-Young, RMIT University

5min
pages 100-101

INDUSTRY by Meg Redwin, Multiplex

7min
pages 96-98

by Charlotte Nichols & Kate Hannaford, John Holland Group

2min
page 99

by Maree Riley, Australian Antarctic Division

7min
pages 88-92

WILL BE THERE FOR YOU by Lina McIvor, Multiplex

3min
page 93

A CAREER THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

3min
pages 86-87

by Carolyn Whyte, Carolyn Whyte Research & Writing

5min
pages 83-85

by Kara Chisholm, Transport for NSW

2min
page 82

by Anna Broughton, NS Group

6min
pages 80-81

IF I CAN DO IT, ANYONE CAN by Jo Matai, Lendlease

3min
page 77

by Carly Zanini, Carly Zanini Consulting

6min
pages 66-69

An interview with Sarah Brunton, ERGT Australia

5min
pages 78-79

CPBJH JV

5min
pages 70-72

by Elissa Stirling, Inhabit

6min
pages 73-76

An interview with Ashleigh Hiemstra, Merge Building

4min
pages 64-65

by Sher Mitchell, Advance Archaeology

4min
pages 62-63

by Eliza Lane, Australian Industry Trade College

4min
pages 58-59

MY KOKODA EXPERIENCE by Emma Foster, SHAPE Australia

6min
pages 60-61

FROM PARENTAL LEAVE by Rachael de Zylva, Laing O’Rourke

5min
pages 48-49

by Melonie Bayl-Smith, Bijl Architecture

6min
pages 56-57

by Helen Shield, Construction Training Fund

3min
pages 50-51

EVOLVING CAREER by Clare Bailey, Taylor

6min
pages 52-55

AND GOAL ACHIEVEMENT by Taylor Perrin, Capital Veneering

5min
pages 46-47

TRADIES

7min
pages 43-45

by Alison Mirams, Roberts Co

4min
pages 32-35

AUSTRALIA

3min
pages 41-42

with Allison Smith and Fiona Tellefson, APP Corporation

7min
pages 36-38

IN SAFE HANDS - LUISA YOUNG SHARES HER EXPERIENCES OF TWO DECADES IN CONSTRUCTION by Narae Ko, Unispace

7min
pages 26-28

by Becky Paroz, Queen B Project System

3min
page 29

An interview with Yvonne Pengilly, QBCC

7min
pages 30-31

PART OF MY LIFE by Sandra Steele, K&L Gates

5min
pages 24-25

THE NAWIC BRIGHT IDEAS GRANT

3min
pages 19-21

Scholarship Research Report

6min
pages 14-16

Research Report

5min
pages 17-18

THE NAWIC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

5min
pages 6-7

Senator the Hon Marise Payne

2min
pages 10-11

An interview with Professor Paula Gerber, Monash University

7min
pages 22-23

SCHOLARSHIP

2min
pages 12-13

ABOUT NAWIC

1min
pages 4-5
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