TEAM

Nathan Dabkowski.  Year 10.  Antarctica has long been thought of as one of the last untouched places on Earth. This is changing. Our actions are affecting the one place we thought was untouched. One of the main reasons I want to go to Antarctica is because of the environment that we are impacting. I know it will give all of us a new sense of determination and urgency to start actually doing something about climate change. Not just ourselves but to be active and encourage others to do so as well! The other reason is because it is a beautiful and challenging place. As I am an avid photographer it also provides me with a place of passion to really try and get some extraordinary photos and film.  

 

Nina Frielink. Year 12. When first hearing about such an amazing expedition it was hard to believe that i had a chance to be a part of it. Now, months after the gruelling interviews, we are almost ready to embark on this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s not only the spectacular wildlife, interesting ice formations and cold that jumped out at me, but also the opportunity to be somewhere hardly anyone has been where it is hauntingly quiet. With climate change, who knows what could happen to this wilderness. I am lucky and extremely happy to be able to tick Antarctica off my to do list.

 

Lachy Robertson. Year 10. Antarctica is one of the few wildernesses left in the world. It is a place yet to be tamed and it is for that, that I want to go there. From Antarctica I cannot by law take anything home but my memories and that in itself is a prize of its own.

 

Angie Halas. Year 10. Well, standing (or huddling in a group) realising that there is no one else there, being hundreds of kilometres away from civilisation. And the silence. That’ll be nice. You could have silence in a lot of places but to say you have been to Antarctica, that’s cool.

 

Max Cameron. Year 10. The opportunity of travelling to Antarctica and being a member of an expedition is one I could never have knocked back. The opportunity for adventure. The opportunity for hardship within a team. And the opportunity for memories that will last forever. We are the luckiest people on Earth.

 

Eilish Costelloe. Year 11. I want to go to Antarctica because it is something different. Antarctica is the unknown, the beautiful, the rare, the dangerous, Antarctica is an adventure like no other and to be a part of it will be the most amazing experience in which I still can’t grasp the idea of. The open spaces and the silence will be new, exciting and thrilling.

 

Jack Macaulay. Year 12. For me, this trip is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something daring, challenging and adventurous in a place so rarely visited. Antarctica seems to me the ‘final frontier’ on earth, one of the few places that hasn’t been compromised by people. I can’t wait to experience the extreme climate and the harsh environment that makes it such an enticing place. Also, to do something like this to finish off my schooling seems a fantastic way to head out into the real world.

 

Camilla More. Year 10. I want to go to Antarctica to experience an adventure in one of the most pristine places in the world.

 

 

 

James Calvert-Jones. Year 10. I want to go to Antarctica because it is so out of the ordinary. This is such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and everything is so different to what you would expect to see out in the world that we live in. Not only being in Antarctica with all the ice and different wildlife, the journey over there, sailing across some of the worst waters in the world and crewing the yachts over there.

 

Nina Hanni. Year 11. I think I’ll put my answer like this. If I had a bucket list of all the things I wanted to do, going to Antarctica would be there. To answer otherwise is hard.  It has got everything I love within the one trip, snow, cold, sea and another thing I’d like to add is I want to go to experience it which I’m sure will be an absolutely amazing experience away from all civilisation.

 

Namo Visudhipol. Year 12. To gain experience which will effect my future decision making to enhance my learning experience about global warming and the world.

 

Ben Johnston. Year 12. I want to go to gain experience of seeing the effects of global warming first hand, also to contribute to my Timbertop experience. I want to achieve leadership and team work skills that will help me out in later life. I also want to go on this trip to share my knowledge and gain knowledge from other students not just staff.

 

Nick Fletcher. Year 10. I want to go to Antarctica because of the adventure and to go where others haven’t been. I want the experience of sailing the Drake Passage and having fun getting there. I have been so lucky to have been picked to go on this trip it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I want to get the most out of this experience.

 

Justin Robinson. Teacher. To experience first-hand the wonders of Antarctica will be incredible. I have great respect for the early polar explorers and in particular I admire the leadership qualities of Sir Ernest Shackleton. To embark on an adventurous multi-day ski trek with a group of students across the Antarctic peninsula will require great teamwork. Whilst we are not exploring new terrain, hopefully we will feel like a team of explorers. As students and staff we have completed significant preparation for this trip.  Collectively we have agreed upon our trademark; to be United, Enthusiastic and  to exhibit Perseverance whenever faced with a challenge. I am excited about our three week expedition and feel privileged to share it with this group of students.

 

Stephen Pearce. Teacher. I want to go to Antarctica for a number of reasons. Firstly, having taught at Timbertop, I wanted to go on an expedition that would call upon and further extend my own and the students’ experiences of going outside of one’s comfort zone. As a Geography teacher, I teach about the Antarctic environment, climate change concerns and human impact on the earth, past and present. I’d really love to be able to discuss all these issues with my students from a personal perspective.  Of course, I want to experience with friends and students a once-in-a-lifetime multi-faceted polar adventure. We have prepared ourselves through an intensive training program. I am very proud of the efforts of the group.  The trip is carbon neutral through tree plantings, aware of environmental issues and past human endeavors. The group has sailed, kayaked, trekked, skied and improved fitness levels. The group is well read. The group is united and has received formal leadership training that will provide a foundation of respect, tolerance and support for each other during challenging times. We have certainly “earned Antarctica”.     

Eric Philips. Guide. Although I have been to Antarctica many times this is my first time to the Peninsula. Judging by the photos, we are in for a visual treat. But it's the opportunity to introduce our younger generation to Antarctica that really excites me.  Never before has a school undertaken an expedition to Antarctica and this represents both a unique opportunity for me as a guide and a great privilege to be part of this ground-breaking journey.

Eric is the owner of Icetrek Expeditions. He was the Director of Outdoor Education at Geelong Grammar School Timbertop from 1988-92. In 1991 and 1992 a committee of students from Timbertop helped Eric to organise his first polar expedition, to Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic. Eric's Ellesmere team consisted of former Timbertop science co-ordinator Dr. Richard Smith, and former GGS student, Nick Fairfax.