Read inside this issue of the Wanderer
“It is with mixed emotions that we send these final greetings from the G67 team! The time has come to present our ultimate Bunting newsletter before handing over the reins to the next editor(s) who will be responsible for introducing the resilient members of G68.” – Editor Gough Bunting.
Read the final Newsletter form the Gough67 Overwintering Team. Inside this issue:
“Goodbye Gough Island and thank you for everything.” – Sandile Nkebe (Team
leader of G67)
G68 Team (Left to Right): Lucy Dorman, Joyfull Ntobeko Gaju (removed from the team and replaced with G67 Medic, Sandile Nkebe), Philani Siyabonga Ngcobo (removed from the team and replaced with G67 Assistant Meteorological Technician, Tshililo Kharivha), Sibusiso Maduna, Rebekah Goodwill, Mphumzi Brooklyn Zilindile, Eddy Mfezeko Xaki, Khuliso Collen Maphaha, Mayembe Kapenda.
On 20 August 2022, the S.A. Agulhas II departed to Gough Island, via Tristan da Cunha. They will soon arrive at their new home, where they will be living for the next approximately 13 months. The G68 team will replace the G67 team.
Two team members stayed behind from G67. The Medical Orderly, Sandile, will be replaced at a later stage and Tshililo will stay on for the year as part of G68.
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 25 August 2022, updated on 19 September 2022.
The S.A. Agulhas II departed from East Pier, V&A Waterfront on her annual Gough Island relief voyage on Saturday, 20 August 2022.
On the way to Gough Island, the vessel will stop at Tristan da Cunha, offloading Tristan passengers and cargo. This stopover will approximately be 60 hours. From here the vessel will depart to Gough Island. Passengers will disembark and cargo will be offloaded with helicopters. Scientific projects will commence.
Onboard are the DFFE Logistics team, the 68th Gough Island Overwintering team (9 team members), the National Department of Public Works (NDPW) maintenance team, Helicopter crew, Scientific personnel, and Tristan passengers.
Logistics Team
| Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Directorate: Southern Oceans & Antarctic Support Management, logistics and support for this voyage |
|
| Departmental Co-ordinator (DCO) | Ms Nomzi Ndzandzeka |
| Assistant DCO | Mr Zukisa Kuse |
| Technical Section | Mr Willem Boshoff |
| Medical Doctor | Dr MC Taggart |
| Waste Technician | Mr Tatulo Fipaza |
68th Gough Island Overwintering Team (Click here for profile pictures of the team members)
| Medical Orderly/Team Leader | Mr Joyfull Ntobeko Gaju |
| Diesel Mechanic | Mr Sibusiso Maduna |
| Communications Engineer/ Deputy Team Leader | Mr Mayembe Kapenda |
| Electrical/Base Engineer | Mr Eddy Mfezeko Xaki |
| Senior Meteorology Technician | Mr Philani Siyabonga Ngcobo |
| Assistant Meteorology Technician | Mr Khuliso Collen Maphaha |
| Assistant Meteorology Technician | Mr Mphumzi Brooklyn Zilindile |
| RSPB Field Assistant | Dr Lucy Dorman |
| RSPB Field Assistant | Ms Rebekah Goodwill |
National Department of Public Works Maintenance Team
| Project Manager Leader | Mr Takalani Mudau |
| Refrigeration Mechanical & Deputy Leader | Mr William E Kriege |
| Carpenter | Mr A Petersen |
| Carpenter | Mr E Roberts |
| Carpenter | Mr ME Gazi |
| Bricklayer | Mr MI Jantjies |
| Plumber | Mr M Maluka |
| Plumber | Mr MW Samsodien |
| Plumber | Ms N Sogoni |
| Painter | Ms B Nelani |
| Crane Technician | Mr James Page |
| Crane Technician | Mr L Pierce |
| Mechanical | Mr J Zeelie |
| Mechanical | Mr MLG Porta Nova |
| Mechanical | Mr B Mpengesi |
| Mechanical | Mr LN Thomas |
Helicopter Crew
| Team Leader & Engineer | Mr Raymond van der Watt |
| Captain | Mr Waldo Venter |
| Captain | Mr Eugene Viljoen |
| First Officer | Mr Mukapitendwa Khalushi |
| First Officer | Mr Jason Abrey |
| Engineer | Mr Daniel Carstens |
| Engineer Engine/ HLO/Crewman | Mr Warren Vogt |
| EngineerCrewman | Mr Eduan Teich |
| EngineerCrewman | Mr Jodi Brophy |
| Fire Fighter | Mr Zakariah Johnson |
Scientific fieldwork planned for the 2022 take-over
| South African Weather Service (SAWS) | |
| Atmosphere and Ocean Surface Research | |
| Group Leader | Mr. Julian Grace |
| Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) | |
| Monitor trends and changes in water quality, provide guidance and support | |
| Group Leader | Ms Silindokuhle Ndlela |
| Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) | |
| Gough Island Restoration Programme | |
| Group Leader | Dr Antjie Steinfurth |
| South African National Space Agency (SANSA) | |
| Polar Space Weather Studies | |
| Group Leader | Mr Christopher Gray |
| University of Fort Hare | |
| Landscape and climate interactions (LCI) | |
| Group Leader | Dr Elizabeth Rudolph |
“SCAR’s mission is to advance Antarctic research, including observations from Antarctica, and to promote scientific knowledge, understanding and education on any aspect of the Antarctic region. To this end, SCAR is charged with the initiation and international co-ordination of Antarctic and Southern Ocean research beneficial to global society. One of the most effective ways to do this is to bring researchers together to share their latest results, discuss new ideas, and provide opportunities to develop new projects” – www.scar.org
SCAR expanded its biennial business meetings to include an Open Science Conference (OSC). This year’s open science conference was held from 1 – 10 August 2022, hosted by India. It made it possible for participants and attendees to discuss current results and develop future projects. The conference included plenary, parallel and satellite events, as well as workshops. Business meetings of the science groups were held before the open science conference.
South Africans participated and attended various sessions during the conference (see details below):
Presentations delivered:
E-Posters:
Antarctic Legacy of South Africa communicated South Africa’s participation and conference-related announcements on Twitter (47 Tweets). A highlight was the session on the discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance, where South Africa was frequently mentioned during the talk.
Goosebumps!! If you're missing this mini-symposium, make sure to watch the recording.
John Shears, Expedition Leader of #Endurance22 just shared a great video of the expedition and now talking more about the brave explorer, Sir #ErnestShackleton and his men of the #Endurance. pic.twitter.com/kZpH7aGtVg
— antarcticlegacy@sun.ac.za (@Antarcticlegacy) August 4, 2022
What is to come:
All posters and presentations can be found on the ALSA digital archive.
The conference virtual site is still available – if you have missed out on any sessions you can listen to the recordings, and all abstracts and posters can still be downloaded.
Ria Olivier, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 17 August 2022.
East Pier Shed, East Pier Lane,
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town,
South Africa
