Special Report: Stay- Antarctic Guide Dog
So who or what is Stay?
This was written by someone at the Antarctic Division a little while ago.
It has been suggested that Stay should do exactly that - stay at Kingston and raise money for the Guide Dog Association. It has also been suggested that a short story about Stay’s Antarctic adventures accompany him/her. Here it is so far. Help with the missing bits would be appreciated and thank to those who have already provided information.
Stay was collected from the Guide Dogs Association in Elizabeth St Hobart in late 1991. The idea was that of Station Leader John Wilson - he was annoyed at learning that the real dogs were being sent home from Antarctic stations therefore Stay was a symbolic protest against this decision. He also thought it would be a way to raise a few dollars for the Blind Institute/Guide Dog Association.
Stay was to have been returned to the Guide Dogs Association in early 1993, when the wintering Davis expeditioners returned to Australia, however his/her adventures had only just begun.
All year the expeditioners on the other stations had been subjected to incessant stories about Stay so during an early season visit to Davis, Mawson expeditioners stole the dog.
Since then "ownership" of Stay has become a prime objectives of some expeditioners.
This is a brief record of his/her travels and adventures in Antarctica - the details would get too many people into strife.
- Wintered Davis 92
- Stolen early summer 92/93
- Mid summer 92/93 suffered a broken leg at Mawson by "falling down the stairs
- Leg amputated and sent to Davis with ransom note
- Stolen late summer 92/93
- Wintered Macquarie Island 93
- Stolen summer 93/94
- Wintered Casey 94?????
- Winter 95?????
- Stolen summer 95/96
- Mawson January 96 fitted with Huon pine leg
- Wintered Mawson 96, traverse to PCMs
- Stolen summer 96/97
- Wintered ???? 1997
- Stolen summer 97/98
- Wintered Macquarie Island 98
- Stolen early summer 98
- Short holiday in Victoria with police friends
- Reached Davis fast ice V6 98/99
- Stolen and flown in to Casey
- Wintered Casey 99
- Stolen early summer 99/00
- Currently (2000)hiding out in Hobart.
Some photos were taken with a digital camera way back in 1992 at Mawson; hence the poor quality.
PS: The Guide Dog people once asked when we were going to return the dog and how much money we thought had been raised. They were told the horrible truth "Never" and "None" but found the whole story very amusing. It’s about time we redeemed ourselves, so when you see "Stay" around the building, please give generously.
[Postscript: Davis Station Leader 2003 Jeremy Smith is writing a fuller story about STAY for publishing in the Davis Year Book 2003.]
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