MAWSON’S HUTS FOUNDATION – Media release.............................................................................Page 1 of 3
12 January, 2009
New Antarctic laboratory conserves artefacts from Sir Douglas
Mawson’s expedition
The multi-year program to conserve Australia’s Antarctic heritage at Cape Denison,
Antarctica, has moved into a major new phase with the inauguration of an on-site
artefact conservation laboratory.
The laboratory is now being used by conservators at Cape Denison, members of the
2008-09 Mawson’s Huts Foundation team, tackling the conservation challenges posed
by artefacts buried in ice for nearly 100 years.
The laboratory, installed at Sorensen Hut within a kilometre of the original Cape
Denison headquarters of Mawson’s 1911-14 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, marks a
significant shift in the focus of the Foundation.
“Since the late 1990s the Foundation’s work at Cape Denison has focused on preserving
what was left of the buildings left behind by Mawson in 1913,” the 2008-09 team leader
Dr Ian Godfrey said.
“The buildings still need our attention but the major structural threats have been dealt
with for now.”
“The Cape Denison laboratory now enables us to shift our attention to what is inside
them – the personal bits and pieces left behind when Mawson’s last group left the Main
Hut in 1913,” Dr Godfrey said.
“The remains of Mawson’s expedition are unique in Antarctica. Unlike other historic
expedition sites, they have not been subjected to major tidying-up work since the end of
the original expedition.”
“The contents of the Main Hut are therefore especially important as historical records of
what’s become known as the heroic era of Antarctic exploration,” Dr Godfrey said.
Artefacts are being revealed as the ice content of the hut recedes over time, a result of
both ice excavation and natural reduction in the wake of building works that have
closed gaps, preventing entry of snow and ice particles.
A dog collar with strands of hair still attached was found to reveal more once it was
taken into the warmth of the new laboratory. “It definitely still smelt of dog which must
have rolled in rotten meat. I thought for a moment it was endearing to smell historic
doggie but that idea wore off quicker than the smell on my hands” said conservator
Megan Absolon.
MAWSON’S HUTS FOUNDATION – Media release.............................................................................Page 2 of 3
The conservation team of Michelle Berry, Megan Absolon and Ian Godfrey have begun
the long process of documenting the condition of recovered artefacts and treating them,
removing extraneous materials and stabilising their condition.
“We’ve needed this facility for a long time. Just as we’ve stabilised the structures, now
we can help to prolong the life of their contents, without removing them from
Antarctica,” Ms Berry said.
The shell of the conservation building – an extension to the 22-year-old Sorensen Hut
used for accommodation – was constructed by last year’s Mawson’s Huts Foundation
team. It lies on the other side of a rocky ridge to the east of Mawson’s Huts.
Three days of fit-out work by heritage carpenters Peter McCabe and Ben Burdett
involved installation of benches, shelving, a fume cupboard and other equipment
brought to the site by the 2008-09 team.
The 2008-09 Mawson’s Huts Foundation expedition is supported by the Australian
Antarctic Division.
Contact:
Expedition Manager: Rob Easther 0419 337 169
Photographs are available from Rob Easther
CAPTION: The first artefacts from Mawson’s Huts ready for treatment in the new
laboratory
MAWSON’S HUTS FOUNDATION – Media release.............................................................................Page 3 of 3
CAPTION: Materials conservators Michelle Berry (L) and Megan Absolon treat the
first artefacts from Mawson’s Huts in the new laboratory
CAPTION: Dog collar found in Mawson’s Huts with hair and a characteristic odour
still attached.
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