There was a drunken fight (also know as the "Christmas Punch-Up" by off-continent news sources) at the South Pole the night or morning of our two day Christmas holiday. One man (not a favorite frequent flyer in Antarctica) had his jaw broken and required a medevac from the South Pole to McMurdo. Unable to treat him here, we had to send him North to Christchurch. You can imagine how excited everyone was to come in on their day off to get this guy to New Zealand. My senior, Susie, worked the South Pole flights in the morning and I set up the Christchurch flight in the evening. I can't say much more than what the press has gotten a hold of; other than most of their information is accurate.
News Stories:
Guardian Unlimited: Antarctic Base Staff Evacuated after Christmas Brawl
The Register: Antarctic Base Staff in Drunken Xmas Punch-Up
The Age: South Pole Slugger gets the Sack
Also in the news was the emergency landing of the Basler aircraft. You may remember this photo of me with the Basler (and the seal) from Christmas last year.News Stories:
Canadian Content: Canadian Basler Aircraft Crashes in Antarctica
The Press: Researchers Rescued After Antarctica Crash
The New York Times: 10 Survive Plane Crash
Another fun and exciting (but not so news-worthy) event occurring in McMurdo between the holidays was a massive power outage that cut off communications between McMurdo and the northern world. A dump trunk snagged a power line with the bed of the truck in the "up" position. Crazy, but true. This incident downed two power lines, put a few buildings out of power along with T-site; where our back-up communications systems and antennas are run. Who knew a dump truck would pose a threat to our power and communications systems?
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