Intrepid Antarctic women mark 50-year milestone

Australia's third female station leader, she recalls earning a reputation as a "troublemaker" after having an R-rated image removed from a daily station newsletter.

At times, there was only one other woman stationed with her at the remote outposts. 

"When you're in Antarctica, the number of women prevents and precludes mutual support from the sisterhood," she says.

"Trying to share experiences or expect any practical or emotional support from other women is just not a physical possibility."

Ms Russell, whose last station-leader deployment came in the mid-2000s, is involved in the network's celebration of 50 years of female expeditioners, marking the first in 1976. 

Plant biologist Patricia Selkirk made almost 20 expeditions between 1979 and 2005 and will speak alongside Ms Russell and others at a panel event on Saturday in Hobart. 

Dr Selkirk is among the first to recognise the importance of studying the impact of climate change on the sub-Antarctic islands.

In 2022, she was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to science and conservation and as a mentor and champion for women. 

"It was very unusual for a woman to be going off to the Antarctic," she says. 

"Who knew anyone who had been to the Antarctic, male or female, in those days?

"It's true that there were more men than women but my task was to be a scientist."

An external study in 2022 found there was a "predatory" culture of sexual harassment at Australian Antarctic Division stations. 

In March, a progress report said the division had made positive cultural changes but issues remained, including around the reporting of inappropriate behaviour. 

The Antarctic Women's Network was established in 2023 with the goal of encouraging the next generation of scientists and expeditioners. 

As part of the panel discussion, titled "Ice and Islands: Australia's First Women to the South", stories will be recorded and go on display later in the year. 

"We started the network in recognition that women needed to support other women," convenor Karen Rees says.

"How can women support other women, so that we're not discouraged from going to the south?"

Ms Russell says the network has been a huge gift and is a way of ensuring achievements are acknowledged. 

Dr Selkirk has shared her experiences in many ways, including at rotary clubs and via school assignments done by her grandchildren. 

There are tales of being blown off her feet, cooking with the same Kerosene cooker used by famed explorer Sir Douglas Mawson and communicating by coded typewriter-like telex machines. 

She hopes the network can foster a sense of wonder and appreciation for the beauty of the frozen continent.

"Its threats are very real and very concerning but I'm an optimist by nature," she says. 

"And I'm ever-hopeful ... people will continue to be interested enough to be protective of it.

"I'd like it to remain as it is now, a continent of science, of peace and for people to recognise it as very rare." 

Australian Antarctic Division Emma Campbell head says the organisation recognises the importance of women and their profound contributions. 

The March review confirmed the division has made progress in creating more positive workplaces in the last three years, she says. 

"While I welcome the improvements we've made so far, we are in this for the long term and we have more to do."