Ranger leaving for Antarctic

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 7, 14 July 1987, Page 12

Ranger leaving for Antarctic

Senior conservation officer at Tongariro National Park, Graeme Ayres, has been appointed Officer in Charge of Scott Base in Antarctica for a period of five months and will be leaving Whakapapa at the end of this month. Mr Ayres has been involved with conservation work for 12 years, working in Fiordland, Westland, Nelson Lakes and at Tongariro National Park for four and a half years. He will be in overall charge of 90 work staff and 90 research staff at Scott

Base - a position he regards as "quite a challengc." Mr Ayres said the working situation at Antarctica is very similar to his present job. His position as senior ranger involves 'local politics'- liaising between the Park and the THC Chateau, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts and the local concessionaires. The job also involves the implementation of the Park's management system. Mr Ayres was pari of a research team to visit Antarctica in 1979/80, on a foiir month "deep field" assignment in an area west of Scott Base, known as the Dry Valley because it has no rainfall. His previous Antarctic experience coupled with his work with Search and Rescue organisations in the Mount Cook National Park have put him in good stead to take on his latest challenge. Mr Ayres said he is excited by the prospect of being chosen for a senior position at Scott Base, in the Department of Conservation's first year of existence. He anticipates the Department will have a higher profile in Antarctica than their predecessor, the Department of Lanas and Survey. Mr Ayres is expecting to leave Tongariro on or around 25 July for Christchurch where he will spend two months working on Department administration and receive briefing on his new position. He will be on the first flight to Antarctica in early October. The flight will transport the new staff and pick up those who have wintered over at the Base. The Starlifter flight from Christchurch takes 5-6 hours. Mr Ayres' job will involve making sure research and work programmes are completed to schedule. He will also work closely with the American staff at nearby McMurdo Base, 3km from Scott Base. He will also be in charge of co-ordinating the year's

events on the ice which involves 48 different summer projects. Mr Ayres is also in charge of overall maintenance and building at Scott Base. The base is the original complex built in 1957-58 by New Zealander Bunny Fuchs and his team. The objective for the builders this year is to complete new quarters. Mr Ayres said Scott Base operates on a shoe-string budget while neighbouring McMurdo, known by the New Zealanders as 'Mac Town', has vast resources. The second New Zealand base is Vanda Base, located in the Dry Valleys. From his past experiences, Mr Ayres said he has no problem adjusting to the vastly different environment of the Antarctic. The temperature at present averages at -30°C during the day while during the summer months it warms to -6°C. He is enthusiastic about returning to the ice and Scott Base, which he says is "amazing." "It's like a club field down there - it even has its own mini skifield," he said. "The atmosphere is great. After a while you develop a heightened sense of awareness. It's the sort of place you only touch the surface of the first time you visit and after that, you just keep on going back." Mr Ayres said some people would find the isolation a problem but staff are chosen who are able to cope with the situation. His wife and children will be staying in Melbourne while he is away. Mr Ayres said his old job in the Tongariro National Park will be waiting for him when he returns. His current workload will be divided up amongst conservation officers. He is optimistic about getting a few days off while he is in Christchurch to return to the Park for a few days during the Centennial week in September. "I would hate to miss that," he said.