'Fortunately, there are no souvenir shops in Antarctica yet, so any souvenirs taken home must be made on the spot.'

– Tony Groom, Wilkes Station, Antarctica 1966

Hence the creation of magazines and yearbooks by expeditioners stationed in Antarctica. Publications such as 'Call of the Royal', 'The Antarctic Waste', and 'Fog 'N Bog' contain the informative, the humorous, and sometimes inappropriate. Within the covers lay editorials, poems, recipes, and cartoons. Writers, photographers and illustrators detail daily life in Antarctica. Some of which is true.

These keepsakes are a reminder of a life led differently and are a way to describe to people back home what living, working and relaxing in such a remote location was like.

The following edited extracts from the 1966 Wilkes Yearbook are examples from our large collection of Antarctic publications.

Midwinter Day

Midwinter Day, the most festive day in Antarctica, is unique to that continent and those who have wintered there. 21 June is usually the only holiday when the full camp is present.

At 2 pm Steve, Ted, and Becky turned on a main dinner of prawn cocktails, roast duck, bombe Alaska, and a huge cake showing the station buildings and a tiny hydrogen filled balloon. Rodger and Jock provided a beautifully photographed souvenir menu for each man.

Drinks continued most of the afternoon, then after a buffet dinner the 'ding' started in earnest, with the remaining 24 dozen cans consumed between acts.

Noel, Roger and Hans performed 'Romeo and Yooliet', Ted and Joe sang Cockney songs, and Joe and Alan army ditties. There was a beauty contest with contestants dressed in home-made fur bikinis and rope hair. 'Gangles' Neilson, known as Miss. Wilkes (you couldn't imagine anything less like Miss. Wilkes), won the coveted 'Miss. Antarctica' sash. Tony and Dick sang folk songs, with Alan doing fine virtuoso work on a tambourine. John performed an edifying mime, and Col a rousing rendition of 'Man from Ironbark'.

The last act had more people in it than watching – the Wilkes Band, which had practiced once, included drums, piano, tea-chest base, comb and paper, bongos and several unidentified instruments. Doc, featuring on the piano accordion, stamped his foot out of time with everyone else.

Movies

Movies were one of the most regular forms of amusement. Bob made our humble rec. room look as much as possible like the Regent Theatre by installing dimming coloured lights and background music; at Midwinter he was awarded a carved 'Oscar'. Our 93 movies were popular all year despite some being screened 4 or 5 times.

Movie nights were a chance to let off steam by hurling abuse at the projectionist, actors, and people who came in late and sat at the front. One night was noisier than usual when Kev and his Cosray coterie sprinkled invisible explosive powder around the rec. room floor. Another night's programme was momentarily interrupted when a 90-knot wind gust sent the ham radio aerial crashing through the roof just above Steve's head.

Dog Race

The Dog Race in May was particularly successful with the starting line decorated with flags and gas-filled balloons. Seven contestants were dressed in red spotted shorts over long white underpants, or red wind-proof pants and white football guernseys.

As Hans sheltered from the fierce Midwinter sun under a black umbrella, the sled teams of five dogs and two or three men all raced off before the starter's gun sounded. One team knocked over Tony, Leigh's sled took off while he took photographs, and Steve fell off his chariot, leaving two sleds careering off in the wrong direction without riders.

Col and John's team was the only one to get away without incident. They led all the way round the mile circuit, returning easy winners. Of the other two teams, one had a short lead until their dogs went either side of the winning post, resulting in confusion and the other team passing them. Sometime later Ted Elkington staggered in, having walked the full course.