Coolest concert celebrates Scott Base’s 60th anniversary
Celebrations are kicking off in Antarctica today as Scott Base celebrates its 60th anniversary.
Among the key events is the broadcast of the pre-recorded TEDx talks featuring award-winning Kiwi musician Gin Wigmore, US astronaut Dr Dan Barry, who has logged more than 734 hours in space, and Ashlan Cousteau, a veteran US journalist, environmental advocate and granddaughter-in-law of French documentary-maker Jacques Cousteau.
New Zealand was one of the first countries to establish a base on the frozen continent and over the six decades since, the country had been at the forefront of scientific research and exploration on the ice, Antarctica New Zealand chief executive Peter Beggs said.
On January 20, 1957, a flag-raising ceremony was held outside the original Scott Base that had just been built by a team led by Sir Edmund Hillary.
Beggs said Antarctica New Zealand wanted to do more than just cut a cake to mark the milestone.
“We wanted to celebrate our his- tory and success at Scott Base, but we wanted to use the anniversary to draw attention to the significance of Antarctica, how the continent is changing, and the impact this has on the rest of the world.”
Wigmore earlier wrote on her Facebook page that the Scott Base concert would be “one of the coolest gigs of my life”.
Otago University PHD student Ngahuia Mita, who is also an assistant research fellow in the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge, kicked off proceedings with a karakia.