Adrian Porter Pulls No Punches (continued)

The main danger is not necessarily the Antarctic cold or wind; work had its hazards. Hydrogen was once generated at Casey by heating ammonia to high temperatures to produce nitrogen and hydrogen in a cracker called a HydroNeal. Part of the process was to vent the remaining ammonia in a gas line to the outside. On one occasion, upon completion of the balloon's inflation with the hydrogen, I vented what I thought was the residue of the ammonia in the gas line. Unfortunately, there was no indication whether or not the ammonia cylinder was closed. The wind that day was drifting back along the board walk to the main generating building. Closing the door on the HydroNeal and taking a few paces along the board walk placed me in air having a high concentration of ammonia. The decision was to either run forward or re-enter the building where there may also be a room full of the gas. Lungs full of it and eyes watering, it was not good, and diving back into the hut proved the right option as there were oxygen and water there. This unit has been replaced along with the chemical hydrogen facilities at all bases, and not before time. With the dangerous nature of this type of equipment it was a wonder that more accidents, or a fatality, did not happen.

The time spent in Antarctica placed me in a unique club upon my commencement with the Installation Section in 1978. The club, unofficial in nature, drew on a small band of like-minded individuals who had experienced life in Antarctica, and whose expertise was tapped when an Antarctic issue arose. Thus continued the forward thread of my Tasmania/Antarctica connection.

Bureau of Meteorology