Menu from Midwinter's Day party, Wilkes research station, 1960

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Type: Menus
Place: Wilkes Station, Wilkes Land, Antarctica
Materials: Adhesive - non specific, Adhesive tape, Card, Ink, Paper, Photographic emulsion
Collection: National Antarctic Heritage collection
Accession number: 2024.0001.0339.002

Description

A menu titled 'MIDWINTER'S DAY. / 1960. / 'WILKES / ANTARCTICA' comprising two layers of folded card with a satin finish, black and white photographs and handwriting in black ink throughout. On the cover is an image of a huskie's head and a portrait of a man with a beard and glasses. On the inside covers are wine and beer lists, a menu with several dishes, and brandy and cigars. In the background is an image of the Wilkes research station, and on the back cover are 18 headshots.

Midwinter on 21 June marks the shortest day of the year and the point at which the light begins to return. Since the beginnings of Antarctic exploration, midwinter dinners, parties or gatherings are for expeditioners the biggest celebration of the year, offering a welcome boost to morale at the darkest time of the year. Much focus is diverted to the planning of premium multi-course meals using food supplies and alcohol often partitioned for months beforehand. In 1913, during the second year of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-14, Douglas Mawson recalled: 'Midwinter's Day! For once, the weather rose to the occasion and calmed during the few hours of the twilight-day. It was a jovial occasion, and we celebrated it with the uproarious delight of a community of eighteen young men unfettered by small conventions. The sun was returning, and we were glad of it. Already we were dreaming of spring and sledging, summer and sledging, the ship and home. It was the turn of the tide, and the future seemed to be sketched in firm, sure outline. While the rest explored all the ice-caves and the whole extent of our small rocky "selection", Hannam and Bickerton shouldered the domestic responsibilities. Their menu du diner to us was a marvel of gorgeous delicacies. After the toasts and speeches came a musical and dramatic programme, punctuated by choice gramophone records and rowdy student choruses. The washing-up was completed by all hands at midnight. Outside, the wind was not to be outdone; it surpassed itself with an unusual burst of ninety-five miles per hour.' At some stations, ANARE expeditioners exchange gifts, often handmade from found materials. Commemorative cards, programs and menus also feature, as well as icy plunges, theatricals and other festivities. The eighteen ANARE expeditioners shown are likely: Harry Black (officer-in-charge), Graeme Burkett (radio officer), Don Butling (plumber), Mike Campbell (radio supervisor), Tom Edwards (assistant diesel mechanic), Neal Graham (cook), Jim Harrop (weather observer), Rudi Honkala (US meterologist), Keith Jones (geophysicist), Bill Lensink (weather observer), Jan Lunde (senior diesel mechanic), Richard Penney (US biologist), Jim Smith (assistant diesel mechanic), Frank Soucek (medical officer), Angelo Spano (US weather observer), Brian Wall (physicist) Dave Ward (radio officer) and Dave Yingling (US weather technician).The husky dog shown may be 'Oscar'.

About the collection

This collection comprises approximately 600 objects acquired by the Australian Antarctic Division and its predecessors between the 1940s and 2010s. It includes scientific and communication equipment, navigation and cartographic equipment, specimens, commemorative objects, building fabric, field support vehicles, clothing and field work supplies relating to Australia’s long and distinguished tradition of research and exploration within the Antarctic region. These objects are the largest and most diverse assemblage of surviving material culture demonstrating Australia’s relationship with the subantarctic islands and Antarctic continent between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. The collection offers remarkable natural and historical significance, notably nineteenth century commercial activities and the early twentieth century expeditions of Sir Douglas Mawson and other explorers that expanded scientific knowledge and laid the foundation for Australia’s enduring presence in the region. From the 1940s, the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions undertook major exploratory and scientific work to understand and protect the Antarctic landscape. Australia took a leading role in the International Geophysical Year and the negotiation of a comprehensive environmental protection regime for Antarctica with the establishment of the Antarctic Treaty System from 1959. It records how the Australian Antarctic Division continues to manage Australia’s interests in the Antarctic region, overseeing world-leading research at three permanent continental research stations - Mawson, Casey and Davis - and at subantarctic Macquarie Island.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:53:18 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2026-07-08. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.