Australian Singles

Lot 3475    Session 12 (11.30am Thursday)    Australian Singles

Estimate $7,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $9,300

POLAR MEDAL (GVR) - BAR - ANTARCTIC 1912-14, in silver. P.E.Correll Aurora. Impressed. Toned, very fine.

The Australian Antarctic Expedition (1911-1914) was led by famed geologist Sir Douglas Mawson and set out to chart the virgin coastline between Cape Adare, due south of New Zealand and Gauss Berg, on the Indian Ocean. The Australian Association for the Advancement of Science approved and allocated a large share of funding for the exploration with the remainder apportioned from public subscription and government grants. The team mainly comprised leading university academics from Australia and New Zealand, including Percy Correll, a physicist from Adelaide. Sailing on the Newfoundland steam-powered Aurora, the team landed at Macquarie Island on 11 December 1911 and built winter quarters in Commonwealth Bay, where parts of the settlement remain to this day. The treacherous and unforgiving conditions of the continent were demonstrated by the incident that occurred during a sledding trip on 13 December 1912. A concealed crevasse saw Belgrade Ninnis, six sleigh dogs and the majority of supplies plunge into the icy abyss. The survivors, Mawson, Xavier Mertz and six dogs, were forced to attempt to return to Main Base, a distance of over 300 miles with just 10 days rations. In fierce and freezing weather, Mawson, with blackening feet and verging on delirium, was the only member to return alive. Merz had died on 8 January and the dogs were all killed for meat. With copy of obituary (Sunday Mail, 30th June 1974), copy of letter to Sir Douglas Mawson, copy of expedition press coverage (The Australasia, 12th April 1930), copy of rolls, photograph.