He might’ve spent six of the past eight months in Antarctica, but Terra Cat apprentice Reuben Halliday is already looking forward to returning to the ice in the near future. Reuben completed a four-month summer season from October to March, then returned for a two- month stint from April to May as part of a new Terra Cat winter programme. “The overall experience was just mindboggling and unreal,” Reuben enthuses. “I’d wake up every morning and couldn’t believe where I was, and what I was doing. I’d walk to and from work and all around is just mountains, and this white, flat landscape as far as you could see. It was crazy to think that we were the only people around for miles.” Over the summer months, Reuben was primarily based at McMurdo Station, but regularly travelled by Scott Base to the runways to repair and maintain equipment. Given the harsh environment, there was never a shortage of work, and the Terra team was constantly busy with a variety of jobs. “There was no time to ask, ‘what should we do now’ as there was always something that needed servicing, maintaining or repairing,” he says. “We’d work on Cat equipment, bulldozers, wheel loaders, excavators, track loaders, large Mobiltrac tractors, telehandlers, and sometimes utes and vans.” Over the winter months Reuben and the team mainly worked out of the vehicle maintenance facility (the VMF), keeping the equipment in running order. “The most challenging part was probably learning all the different systems. When a piece of equipment has an issue, you’ve got to get yourself up to speed quickly, figure out how everything works, and apply your knowledge from Cat to the other equipment. There was a lot of thinking on the fly.” SIX MONTHS ON THE ICE
During summer, Reuben was mostly on the night shift, but when it’s light 24 hours a day in the middle of summer, it took little time for him to get into the groove: after all, he’d go to sleep in a blacked-out room and wake up with the sun still shining. It was a vastly different experience in winter as the team worked in constant darkness. “It was a completely different vibe being pitch black, even in the middle of the day,” he reflects. “It was a great opportunity to learn from some of the team who’ve spent a lot of time in Antarctica.” Another advantage of the winter stint was seeing some phenomenal southern lights. “Some of the Aurora Australis displays were just incredible, with all the colours of the rainbow bursting right above you, even in the middle of the day. It was pretty surreal to experience.” Outside of work, there were plenty of activities to keep the teams entertained. The gym was regularly used, the hiking tracks to the tops of the surrounding hills provided world-class views, and there was snowboarding available, almost on the doorstep. “During winter there’re more indoor activities, but there’s always something happening, such as quiz nights, karaoke, stargazing and heaps more. There were always ways to keep ourselves entertained.” Terra Cat has sent a total of 12 technicians to Antarctica over the summer and winter seasons, to support the United States Antarctic Programme. Reuben will return for a second three-month winter stint in August. “Man, I’d live there if I could,” he says. “As soon as I heard about the opportunity to return for the winter programme I was like, ‘sign me up’.” Photos: Hayden Sims and Reuben Halliday
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