UK/Europe Midwinter Lunch - 23 June 2012
On Saturday 23 June sixteen Antarcticians, including wives and partners, came together at Elaine and Paul Gigg’s home north of Milton Keynes in the UK to celebrate our time with ANARE. It was the second Club Midwinter celebration in Europe, following on from 2011.
As it was Mid “Summer” all enjoyed a barbecue and a summer lunch, in between being blessed with basking sunshine and having to use our ANARE Club warmth to offset the traditional British weather of wind with rain showers.
This year, and following up discussions on closer fraternal relations we also enjoyed the company of the Secretary of the British Antarctic Survey Club (Tony Wincott) and his wife Janet . Tony brought to us, not only insights on the BAS Club, but also his own experiences over at Halley Bay and on the Falklands and South Georgia in the 1970s.
This was reciprocated on Saturday 07 July when Elaine and Paul Gigg were guests of the Chairman (Terry Allen) at the BAS Club AGM and Dinner in Cambridge, where they were warmly welcomed as representatives of the ANARE Club members resident in Europe, and introduced to the some 150 members attending.
Paul reports that the BAS Club "does pretty much what the ANARE Club does" and we look forward to further fraternal and representative interchanges. Another ANARE Club member, Gil Mayer, was hosted by Tony Wincott and also introduced to BAS Club members.
As can be expected, we all enjoyed our ANARE Midwinter Lunch into an afternoon of reminiscing on our times "on the ice" and, of course, toasting (many times): "absent friends", the Club which has brought us all together, and all those "down south" continuing the work we well recall being involved with as we grew through our times with ANARE.
The current thinking is to certainly repeat the Lunch format, for ease of transport reasons, in 2013.
If any Club members are resident in Europe and who have not been contacted over 2011 and 2012 and would like to participate in 2013, or who are planning to travel to the UK in around May/June 2013; please do contact Ian Thomas and Paul Gigg using the contact form.
For other reasons we may have to "slide" the date for our Lunch forward in 2013, so please contact us by email by 31 December 2012 and we'll ensure you are "kept you in the loop".
Again, we hope that a representative of the BAS Club will be able to join us.
As it was Mid “Summer” all enjoyed a barbecue and a summer lunch, in between being blessed with basking sunshine and having to use our ANARE Club warmth to offset the traditional British weather of wind with rain showers.
This year, and following up discussions on closer fraternal relations we also enjoyed the company of the Secretary of the British Antarctic Survey Club (Tony Wincott) and his wife Janet . Tony brought to us, not only insights on the BAS Club, but also his own experiences over at Halley Bay and on the Falklands and South Georgia in the 1970s.
This was reciprocated on Saturday 07 July when Elaine and Paul Gigg were guests of the Chairman (Terry Allen) at the BAS Club AGM and Dinner in Cambridge, where they were warmly welcomed as representatives of the ANARE Club members resident in Europe, and introduced to the some 150 members attending.
Paul reports that the BAS Club "does pretty much what the ANARE Club does" and we look forward to further fraternal and representative interchanges. Another ANARE Club member, Gil Mayer, was hosted by Tony Wincott and also introduced to BAS Club members.
As can be expected, we all enjoyed our ANARE Midwinter Lunch into an afternoon of reminiscing on our times "on the ice" and, of course, toasting (many times): "absent friends", the Club which has brought us all together, and all those "down south" continuing the work we well recall being involved with as we grew through our times with ANARE.
The current thinking is to certainly repeat the Lunch format, for ease of transport reasons, in 2013.
If any Club members are resident in Europe and who have not been contacted over 2011 and 2012 and would like to participate in 2013, or who are planning to travel to the UK in around May/June 2013; please do contact Ian Thomas and Paul Gigg using the contact form.
For other reasons we may have to "slide" the date for our Lunch forward in 2013, so please contact us by email by 31 December 2012 and we'll ensure you are "kept you in the loop".
Again, we hope that a representative of the BAS Club will be able to join us.
Back Row:
Front Row:
Pat Newton (wife of Geoff Newton (deceased May 2012), Medical Officer: Mawson 1960), Janet Wincott, Jean Sheraton, Elaine Bell-Gigg, Leise Helslev, Val Illingworth, Fiona Thomas, Jean Everitt
- Ian Thomas (Auroral Phys & Environmental satellites: Mawson 1967, Scott Base 1975 - 1984),
- Tony Wincott (Secretary BAS Club and Building Supervisor: Halley Bay, Falkland Islands and South Georgia 1972 - 1974),
- Erling Helslev (Engineer & Chief Engineer: Nella Dan 1974 - 1987),
- John Sheraton (Geologist: Southern Prince Charles Mountains 1973 and Enderby Land 1976 and 1977),
- Paul Gigg (Radio Technician: Mawson 1990 and Macquarie Island 1998),
- John Illingworth (Glaciologist: Mawson 1967),
- Rodney Buckland (Cosmic Ray Physicist: Mawson 1971), and
- David Everitt (Biologist: Davis 1977)
Front Row:
Pat Newton (wife of Geoff Newton (deceased May 2012), Medical Officer: Mawson 1960), Janet Wincott, Jean Sheraton, Elaine Bell-Gigg, Leise Helslev, Val Illingworth, Fiona Thomas, Jean Everitt
