72932 - Dogs, Meat and Douglas Mawson.pdf (124.53 kB)
Dogs, Meat and Douglas Mawson
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 08:07 authored by Elizabeth LeaneElizabeth Leane, Tiffin, HMWhen the Aurora, the ship used to convey the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), left London on the first leg of its journey in late July 1911, its departure was accompanied by an unsettling sound. One of those on board, Lieutenant B.E.S. Ninnis, described the event evocatively: ‘No soul but a solitary dock policeman witnessed our departure, and although noise we had in plenty, it did not originate from the enthusiastic outpourings of a patriotic populace, but from the forty-eight Greenland sledge dogs, which swarmed about our decks and made the sultry July night hideous with [their] din … as they voiced their protest at the unaccustomed heat and confinement’ (1). Although unusual, the accompaniment was not inappropriate, for dogs were to play a pivotal role in the expedition, and six of them would die alongside Ninnis the following year.
History
Publication title
Australian Humanities ReviewVolume
51Issue
NovemberPagination
185-199ISSN
1835-8063Department/School
School of HumanitiesPublisher
School of Humanities, Australian National UniversityPlace of publication
AustraliaRights statement
Copyright 2011 Australian Humanities ReviewRepository Status
- Open