Able Seaman Roek Dyer will spend Christmas in Antarctica.
Camera IconAble Seaman Roek Dyer will spend Christmas in Antarctica. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Sailor to serve on icy continent

Jon Bassett, Western Suburbs WeeklyWestern Suburbs Weekly

The ship leaves Hobart for a month-long voyage to the icy continent next month.

‘I’m interested in surveying the ocean floor because you get a lot of icebergs going through and it may have changed, and to see the lights of the aurora australis in the atmosphere,’ Able Seaman Dyer said.

Originally from Nedlands, Able Seaman Dyer will be part of the crew on Wyatt Earp during the resupply of Casey Station and survey of navigation routes to the Australian scientific research base 3380km south of Perth.

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During five years in the RAN, he has been trained to map the sea floor while serving on the survey ships HMAS Melville and Leeuwin based in Cairns, creating charts of the Torres Strait.

He volunteered for the RAN’s detachment aboard the Aurora Australis for two years.

‘This job is important because it will give mariners the confidence to travel in the Antarctic region,’ he said.

Training for the voyage has included the RAN’s survival course and familiarising the launch with its new crew.

Able Seaman Dyer expects to have plenty of stories for family and friends when he returns in January.