Kapiti's Randal Heke proud of Scott Base construction and restoration 60 years on
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
A Kapiti man is delighted part of his construction in one of the planet's harshest climates stands good as new, 60 years on.
Randal Heke, now 88, was the foreman as Scott Base was built in Antarctica.
The base was opened on January 20, 1957. 'Hut A', aka 'Hillary's Hut', has been recently restored by the Antarctic Heritage Trust. It is the only original building left.
The base was built for the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which completed the first Antarctic overland crossing, via the South Pole, and was led by Sir Edmund Hillary.
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It was also used as a research centre for the International Geophysical Year, a multinational scientific project that ran from July 1957 to December 1958.
Heke, who lives in Waikanae, north of Wellington, said he looked back on that time happily.
'I feel pretty proud it's survived so well and, now its under the control of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, it's being restored to its original condition.'
Hillary's Hut took a week to build, and the whole base about a month. There were six single-storey huts and three labs built by Heke's seven-person team.
They worked 10 to 12-hour shifts, and slept in tents for part of that time.
'Believe me, it was pretty cold. There was very little insulation,' Heke said.
They worked in summer, when it does not get dark. Heke said temperatures dropped to -8 degrees Celsius.
Scott Base is located on Ross Island.
Hut restored to former glory
The Antarctic Heritage Trust spent about three months restoring Hillary's Hut, and finished in time for the base's 60th anniversary party.
The team of 12 fixed a leaking roof, removed asbestos wall linings, restored the foundations, repainted inside and out and conserved artefacts like food, clothing and tools.
Trust artefacts programme manager Lizzie Meek said the building's much-needed restoration had restored it to 1957 aesthetic and structural standards.
It had deteriorated due to ice and scoria abrasion and water in the foundations, she said.
Meek said architect Frank Ponder thought initially it would last about 30 years.
'Here we are 60 years later, and we hope it lasts a lot longer than that.'
Initially the 70 square-metre hut served as Hillary's headquarters and a living room, kitchen and radio room for 23 expedition and IGY personnel.
It was painted orange and yellow to stand out during snowstorms.
It was now a 'quiet place of reflection' for Scott Base personnel, Meek said.
She said she hoped it served as a memorial for the 'huge effort' of Heke's team.
Heke returned three years after Scott Base was built to help build a hangar for the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
He had a 2175-metre Antarctic mountain, Heke Peak, named after him in 1993.