Sir Douglas Mawson is a titan of Australian Antarctic history. A scientist and expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, memorials to him are dotted all over the country.
But you’ll find little mention of Sidney Jeffryes, a member of Mawson’s crew and a pioneer himself.
In 1913, Jeffryes made two-way wireless contact between Antarctica and Australia for the first time in history and established a crucial link with technological and political implications.
For Jeffryes, the cost of making that first contact was high. In an era of polar exploration that celebrated physical acts of heroism, vulnerability was not tolerated.
Guests
Dr Elizabeth Leane, Professor of Antarctic Studies in the school of humanities at the University of Tasmania
Dr Kimberley Norris, psychological scientist and clinical psychologist at the University of Tasmania
Sidney Jeffryes played by Tim Wright. Additional voices by Adam Crouch and Sally McKenzie