In this edition:
Gough65 celebrating team member, Bubele Nongwejana’s birthday. Photo: Thendo Sikhwari
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 24 October 2019
This month is the kickoff for the Marion Island newsletters – we will start with the May 2019 newsletter.
In this edition (May 2019)
In this edition (September 2019)
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 10 October 2019
In this edition:
SANAE 58, RADAE Engineer – Travis Duck.
Click here to download/view the SANAE IV Newsletter, August 2019 Edition.
Click here to view all the SANAE newsletters available on the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa Archive.
September 2019 at SANAE IV – AntarcticaPhoto Credit: Jacques RobbertzeView Jacques Robbertze on the ALSA Archive. |
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 12 September 2019
In this edition:
Read more about the:
Team members of SANAE58 enjoying some outside time in the sun, after the long dark winter. L-R (Back): Travis Duck, Bongisipho Kuali, Jacques Robbertze, Mpati Boleme; (front) Dr. Salomé Odendaal, Tshimangadzo Munyai, Marvin Rankudu and Ewald Ferreira. Photo credit: Jacques Robbertze
Click here to download/view the SANAE IV Newsletter, July 2019 Edition.
Click here to view all the SANAE newsletters available on the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa Archive.
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 15 August 2019
In this edition:
Click here to download/view the SANAE IV Newsletter, June 2019 Edition
https://www.facebook.com/AntarcticLegacySA/posts/914615882210688:0
Click here to view all the SANAE newsletters available on the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa Archive.
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 30 July 2019
In this Edition:
Deputy Team Leader of SANAE 58, Mpati Boleme.
– Get to know the SANAE58 deputy team leader, Mpati Boleme.
– Learn more about the scientific work currently ongoing at SANAE IV
– See what was the weather like during the month of May 2019.
– Team gatherings
– Learn some facts about Antarctica
Click here to download/view the SANAE IV Newsletter, May 2019 Edition.
Click here to view all the SANAE newsletters available on the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa Archive.
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 13 June 2019
In this Edition:
– Get to know the SANAE58 team leader, Jacques Robbertze
– Have you ever heard of the ‘smelly’ and wondered how this ice melting system works?
Click here to download The Edurance (SANAE IV Newsletter), March 2019 Edition.
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 17 May 2019
Greetings from the M75 team to all our friends and families!
Where have the days gone?! March, our last full month alone on Marion, has flown by! For many of the field assistants, the work has slowed down substantially as the final tasks are being ticked off. For others, there is still quite a lot that needs to be squeezed into these final days. And, on the other hand, there are some (including the sealers) whose work has continued uninterrupted as is the case with base personnel who need to keep the ball rolling until we’ve boarded the ship home.
In between our duties however, the big clean-up has begun. All the huts have been tackled by the field assistants and back at base everyone is pitching in to make sure that everything is ready for take-over. Apart from the general base skivvy, we have all been busy packing up our own rooms too; as the total population of Marion explodes from 24 to over a hundred (with all the scientists and maintenance crew), we will soon be bunking with each other and the new M76 team while they find their feet.
Outside, island life goes on, oblivious to our bustling preparations. The wandering albatross which dot the landscape continue with their inredible life cycle and the fur-seal pups are venturing further and further from comfort as they grow at a rate. The winter leaves sap in the fading sunlight and the mountains are beginning to try on their winter coats.
We are sad to announce that this edition of The Wanderer (March 2019) will in all likelihood be our last. The next few weeks are undoubtedly going to be very chaotic and there will be little time to spare before we board the S.A. Agulhas II to go home. It has been a massive privilege to bring you these insights to our fantastic adventure in this paradise! We hope that you’ve enjoyed them as we have and that these newsletters can become part of M75’s legacy and serve to inspire future expeditions and explorers!
Authors: Elsa van Ginkel (Editor) and James Burns (Co-Editor), 75th Marion Island Overwintering Team, 16 April 2019 (received 13 April 2019)
Click here to view all the Marion Island newsletters available on the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa Archive.
In this Edition:
– Meet the team
– They have a Motto!!
– See who sponsored the team with some extra (nice to have items) for their expedition.
Click here to download The Edurance (SANAE IV Newsletter), March 2019 Edition.
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 05 April 2019
Meet the Communications Engineer of the 57th South African National Antarctic Expedition Team – Hloni Rakoteli. This is not the first time Hloni heads home on the S.A Agulhas II from an overwintering expedition, his first expedition was on Gough Island as part of the 61st Gough Island Overwintering Team (Gough61 team photo). Get to know Hloni a bit better, before watching the video, by downloading the June Edition of the SANAE57 team newsletter.
Excerpt of SANAE57’s first team newsletter – December 2017 (Click here to view this newsletter)
https://www.facebook.com/AntarcticLegacySA/videos/818243898526390/
This team is heading home on the S.A. Agulhas II, currently sailing through the roaring 40’s (now at 43°South). Track the S.A. Agulhas II by clicking on the icon below.
Track the S.A. Agulhas II
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 12 March 2019
Greetings to the friends, families and followers of the M75 team!
Greetings from our sub-antarctic paradise!
The first month of this new year has come and gone much too quickly. The decorations stayed up long after the festive season ended and the M75 team took as long as possible to wind down after all the fun. We had some pretty memorable parties and amazing feasts!
January was a proper summer month on Marion. We had a record number of pleasantly warm and windstill days which have been great for working in the field. The field assistants have been out and about, making the most of the sunny and not-so-windy days. The island is alive with courting albatross, hundreds of penguin chicks, young birds starting to take off, brand new fur seal pups, etc. Back at base, we have been kept entertained with movie nights, some birthdays and many braai’s.
We hope you enjoy The Wanderer (January 2019) and that all the stories and photos give you a better idea of the fantastic things we’ve been experiencing!
Kind regards,
the Wanderer Editing team
Click here to view all the Marion Island newsletters available on the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa Archive.
Authors: Elsa van Ginkel (Editor) and James Burns (Co-Editor), 75th Marion Island Overwintering Team, 27 February 2019 (received 21 February 2019)
Greetings to the friends, families and followers of the M75 team!
The last month of 2018 was a memorable one! Starting the festivities early in the month with decorations, the excitement built up steadily to Christmas day and we had an amazing time! Movie marathons, fun teamwork in the kitchen, potjies, presents, a secret santa and more made for a jolly season indeed. Unfortunately no snow on Christmas but we enjoyed some great sunny and calm days instead, summer finally arrived!
The team hasn’t stopped working and, between all the celebrations, fieldworkers have been out and about with lots to be done as the breeding season continues. Everything is still running smoothly at base although there is a definite mindset shift in the team as takeover approaches.
We apologise for the delayed distribution but we hope you all enjoy our latest edition of the Wanderer (December 2018)! We wish everyone the best for the upcoming year and thank you once again for supporting us from afar!
Kind regards,
the Wanderer Editing team
Click here to view all the Marion Island newsletters available on the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa Archive.
Author: James Burns, 75th Marion Island Overwintering Team (Meteorological Observer), 05 February 2019 (received 12 January 2019)
Greetings to the friends, families and followers of the M75 team!
November has swept by in a whirlwind of activity! The elephant seal breeding season has come to an end with a record number of new born pups but there has been no time to rest for the sealers as the fur seal population begins to boom. The birders have been busy non-stop with penguins, albatross and petrels all incubating eggs or raising chicks. The botanists have been traversing the landscape in search of the often elusive vegetation and there are even a few flowers brightening up the landscape as you’ll soon read.
Back at base, things are running smoothly and we are all getting into the festive spirit as Christmas approaches. Colourful decorations and even a couple of Christmas trees have considerably livened up some of our more frequented living areas. The weather, although windy as ever, has definitely been warmer on average and more sunny which has provided great opportunities to be out in the field for work or play.
We have tried to capture some of the highlights in this month’s edition of the Wanderer (November 2018) and hope you all enjoy reading the stories and checking out the photos of this amazing place and it’s amazing inhabitants!
Kind regards,
the Wanderer Editing team
Click here to view all the Marion Island newsletters available on the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa Archive.
Author: James Burns, 75th Marion Island Overwintering Team (Meteorological Observer), 10 December 2018
The Gough64 team members decided to take turns in writing blog posts, to update family and friends back home.
The first post was written by Cathy Mbazwana, Medic of Gough64.
This blog entry is about team member, Christopher Jones’s birthday party (Click here to read the blog). She also added the sea temperature and climate data for September and October 2018 to this blog post. It is great to hear that your team takes pride in planning and attending each other’s birthday parties. Your team dynamics definitely show positive signs for the year ahead.
Thanks for this great initiative Gough64.
We do still hope that the team decides to compile a newsletter in the coming months, but we are excited about this blog initiative and the stories your team will deliver.
Author: Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 20 November 2018
Greetings to all from our little island down south
We have had a great month here on Marion! October has been very productive for the field assistants and the huts have been experiencing a steady stream of visitors and some have been housing long term residents where there is lots to do nearby. Back at base all is running smoothly and we are all kept warm and well fed!
We hope you enjoy this edition of the Wanderer (October 2018) and that it gives you all a taste of our fantastic experience here!
Please click here to view all M75’s newsletters written so far.
Author: James Burns, 75th Marion Island Overwintering Team (Meteorological Observer), 19 November 2018
R. S. A. in Table Bay next to pier
SANAE I team on Polarbjorn 1959
