A Dundee man says he is “living the dream” working on the new Halley 6 Research Centre in Antarctica.
Jimmy Hendry is the base’s winter plumber and so lives on the Brunt Ice Shelf for 15 months at a time taking care of maintenance.
He arrived at the South Pole by ship, the Ernest Shackleton, on December 24 and as the captain had moored up next to the main penguin colony close to the base, Jimmy awoke to a view of the Emperor penguins on Christmas Day.
He said: “Although they are lovely and surprisingly friendly, the colony does smell a bit of penguin droppings.”
Every morning at 9am he starts checking the station to make sure the base has not suffered any problems during the night and records all temperatures and pressures.
He then starts on his list of jobs from his boss at the British Antarctica Survey in Cambridge.
Cold all year round, the “summer season” is usually from about the end of October until the end of February with temperatures usually between minus 5 to minus 10, without a wind chill factor.
The team have 24-hour sunlight for three months at this time so they take advantage by carrying out major repairs and changing staff.
During winter, from March to October, the temperature can reach minus 50 without a wind chill factor and for three months there will be 24-hour darkness.
Jimmy said the main challenge he faces, apart from the bitter cold, is the isolation.
He said: “I am staying out here for 15 months with no trips home or off the Antarctic continent as this is such an extreme place to get in and out of.
“It took us just over two weeks sailing from Cape Town to reach here, passing through many ice fields and passing many massive icebergs.”
Jimmy lives in the station alongside 12 other professionals including the doctor, chef, electrician and the science team. Their meals don’t include any penguins, seals or whales and are largely similar to what they would have at home.
The base has a gym and a cinema, as well as internet access.
Jimmy had always wanted to go to the South Pole ever since finding out about the continent when his P7 teacher took the class to Discovery Point and he felt it was as far away as it gets for a boy from Dundee.
He said: “Just being in Antarctica for a winter is major excitement. More people have climbed Everest than have spent a winter here at Halley I’m doing things that most people only dream of.”
Having worked as a plumber since the age of 17, Jimmy said he got involved in the research centre after hearing about work from a friend. The team get a lot of free time to explore their surroundings and take trips off the base.
Jimmy said: “I often say I’m living the dream and even had it tattooed to my arm and this just proves that even a wee boy or girl from Dundee can, with imagination and determination, get anywhere they want, even if it is to the bottom of the world.”