The Silence Calling: Australians in Antarctica 1947-97

Shortlisted, Individual Category, Centre for Australian Cultural Studies National Awards 1997 On Boxing Day in 1947, members of the first Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE) gathered around a makeshift flag pole for a ceremony of possession at Atlas Cove on Australia s remote Southern Ocean outpost of Heard Island. So began the life of a unique Antarctic community which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 1997. The Silence Calling is the culmination of four years' work by noted broadcaster and historian Tim Bowden, who was commissioned by the Australian Antarctic Division to write the ANARE jubilee history. A fascinating and often moving account, it traces the development of ANARE from that first settlement up to the present day. Thousands of men and women from all over Australia and from many backgrounds have lived, worked and, indeed, played in that dangerous, hostile and overwhelmingly beautiful environment to become part of Australia s Antarctic legend. However, The Silence Calling is not just about personal endeavour and hardship. It is about exploration, discovery and Australia s significant contribution to international