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Source: The Age
Author: Lloyd Jones, Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica
January 17, 2012

AUSTRALIA'S Antarctic hero Sir Douglas Mawson and his fellow expeditioners have been honoured in a simple ceremony at the huts they built on the icy continent 100 years ago. The Australian flag was raised above the explorer's old base at Commonwealth Bay by a team from the icebreaker Aurora Australis.

A time capsule was laid and a plaque placed at Proclamation Hill above the huts to commemorate the landing of Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition at Cape Denison on January 8, 1912.

For three days, low cloud and fog prevented helicopters from flying the commemorative party of 26 to the huts, but fine weather yesterday morning allowed the transfer to go ahead.

Australian Antarctic Division director Tony Fleming read a statement from Prime Minister Julia Gillard, saying Mawson was ''a man of generous and intrepid spirit drawn by what he called the passion of a great adventure''.

''Mawson and his colleagues undertook their epic journey … to advance the cause of science.''

Just as the Antarctic weather delayed the commemorative ceremony, so it held up Mawson's expedition 100 years ago, with blizzards delaying the unloading of supplies from the steam yacht Aurora.

A massive iceberg has iced up Commonwealth Bay for the first time since Mawson was there and has prevented tourist vessels from reaching the huts that sit around the bay.

The time capsule laid at the cape yesterday contained Ms Gillard's message and winning entries from Australian students, who were asked for their vision of Antarctica in 100 years' time.

In her entry, grade 7 student Sophie Anderson from Hurstville in NSW predicted that many nations would co-operate to conserve Antarctica.

''I hope that Antarctica can help us understand how to preserve our planet from climate change,'' Sophie's note says.
 
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