It’s never too late to have another try. Life, business, and polar discovery can all be described as an ongoing chain of decisions, each devolving from the results of those that have gone before. Sometimes an unanticipated upset overtakes and dooms even the best-laid of plans. But as some of the explorers’ life stories can … More Inspiration, Will, and Forethought
Terra Nova Press is pleased to announce the publication of our latest book When Your Life Depends on It: Extreme Decision-Making Lessons from the Antarctic. Co-written by Brad Borkan (London), this book uses epic true stories from the “heroic age” of Antarctic exploration to place the reader in those life and death situations and asks … More Now in Print: “When Your Life Depends on It” co-authored by David Hirzel and Brad Borkan
–from Douglas Mawson’s account “The Home of the Blizzard”– “On February 26 we gazed on distant cliffs of rock and earth–Kangaroo Island–and the tiny cluster of dwellings round the lighthouse at Cape Borda. Then we entered St. Vincent’s Gulf on a clear, hot day, marveling at the tree-clad shores and the smoke of many steamers. … More February 26, 1914: Mawson’s Australian Antarctic Expedition–Home at Last.
–from Douglas Mawson’s account The Home of the Blizzard– On February 12, in latitude 55 S., a strong south-wester drove behind, and under half steam and with all sails set, the Aurora made eight knots an hour. The last iceberg was seen far away on the eastern horizon. Albatrosses followed in our wake, accompanied by … More February 21, 1914: Mawson’s expedition nearing home
–from Douglas Mawson’s account “The Home of the Blizzard”– “A calm evening in November! At ten o’clock a natural picture in shining colours is painted on the canvas of the sea and sky. The northern dome is a blush of rose deepening to a warm terra-cotta along the horizon, and the water reflects it upward … More November 1913: A Calm Evening in Adelie Land
–from Douglas Mawson’s account “The Home of the Blizzard”– “The winds were very high for the ensuing two days, and on the 17th (October) the horizon was clearer and more water-sky was visible. Before lunch on that day there was not a living thing along the steep, overhanging ice-foot, but by late afternoon thirteen birds … More October 20, 1913: Spring arrives at Commonwealth Bay
–from Douglas Mawson’s account “The Home of the Blizzard”– “On September 24, McLean reported a unique experience. He was quarrying ice in a fifty-mile wind with moderate drift close to the Hut, and, on finishing his work, walked down to the harbor to see if there were any birds about. He was surprised suddenly to … More September 24, 1913: A (very) Rare Calm
–from Douglas Mawson’s account “The Home of the Blizzard”– “Many have asked the question, ‘What did you do to fill in the time during the second year?’ “The duties of cook and night-watchman came to each man once every week, and meteorological and magnetic observations went on daily. Then were able to devote a good … More Winter 1913: Marking time at Cape Denison
–-From ‘When Your Mits Begin to Go’, June 1913 issue of “The Adélie Blizzard”– “If you’re snowed-up in a blizzard in a sludgy sloppy tent, And for days the drift has threshed and swished, and conversation-spent You hazard another ‘chestnut’ on your mild forbearing mates, And the scornful lips of someone with a wan smile … More June 1913: The Adelie Blizzard “When Your Mits Begin to Go”
–from Douglas Mawson’s account “The Home of the Blizzard”– At the beginning of April, McLean laid the foundations of “The Adelie Blizzard,” which recorded our life for the next seven months. It was a monthly publication, and contributions were invited from all on every subject but the wind. Anything from light doggerel to heavy blank … More The Antarctic Year: Commonwealth Bay 1913
