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Don’t forget to check our website at www.hobartsynagogue.org
7
One of our own …
A recent cover story in the LIFE Section of the AJN highlights the exploits and
adventures of Debbie Garrick (Brown) … Following is the report by Darren Levin
of AJN …
“From Scopus to the frozen continent” Mount Scopus graduate Debbie Brown is one of few Jews
to travel to Antarctica, visiting the frozen continent on four occasions.
When Debbie Brown took a clerical position in Tasmania in 1983, she certainly didn’t expect to
find herself in Antarctica three years later. But whereas most new employees are initiated into
the workplace by an introductory morning tea, Brown, 55 – who had taken an administrative
position at the Australian Antarctic Division – was whisked off to Antarctica on a three-week
adventure.
“It was an observational visit to have a look at the sites down there,” she says by phone from
Hobart. “It was very exciting. The icebergs, sea ice and penguins were spectacular.”
Brown, a Mount Scopus College graduate, who now co-ordinates the scientific research being
undertaken by the Australian Antarctic Division, has since been on three trips to Antarctica, the
most recent being in March last year. She is one of only a handful of Jews to visit the icy
continent.
“The biggest misconception is that people think it’s so cold,” Brown explains. “In summer it’s
more like the temperature of a ski resort. It might be two degrees and if the sun is shining and
you have the right clothing, it’s not so cold. “People don’t realise how comfortable the
accommodation and how warm inside it is. You can almost wear a T-shirt inside … almost!”
Brown says that the three permanent Antarctic stations – Mawson, Casey and Davis – operate
like tiny satellite cities, complete with chefs, doctors, tradespeople and scientists. “The winter
population is only about 16 people, but in summer it might swell to 60,” she explains. “In summer
it’s most scientists and tradespeople taking advantage of the better weather and longer days to do
their work.”
With trips to Australia’s nearest Antarctic station, Casey, taking about nine days by ship (trips to
Davis and Mawson take 12 and 14 days respectively), Brown says that part of the adventure is
just getting there. “Sitting in the mess in a rough sea… feels like a roller-coaster. One moment
you see the sky from the porthole and the next you see the sea from the same porthole,” she
says.
“They give you very good seasick pills, so I was OK. Some people actually stayed in their bunks
until they hit the sea ice.”
Brown, a self-confessed nature lover, enjoyed getting up close and personal with Antarctica’s
animal life, including king penguins and elephant seals. But, she says, nothing compares to
witnessing a passing iceberg. “Some are kilometres long. They have a sort of bluey colour and
they come in all shapes,” she says. “It doesn’t matter how many times you see them, but the
second someone on the ship yells ‘Iceberg!’ everyone rushes out onto the deck.”
Antarctica was first explored in the early 1800s, with Australia claiming 42% of the continent. The
Australian Antarctic Division, based at Kingston near Hobart, Tasmania, conducts and supports
science programs in Antarctica.
The Federal Government has just approved funding for an airlink to Antarctica operating out of
Hobart, which for seasoned visitors like Brown is long overdue.
“A flight to Casey station by jet will take a little over four hours,” she says. “It’s a long time by
sea.”
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