Guided tour- Perry Le Lieuse, Naarah Harrison, Babara Matheson and Jaaesha Hurrere with Riahna

By Kelly Yates and Bridget Brady
THE second woman to ever lead a team to Davis Station, Antarctica, spoke about the high and lows of the expedition during the last week’s Girl Guides Victoria Women of Note Casey Mentor Breakfast.
Rachael Robertson led the 58th Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition.
As the station leader, she was responsible for all aspects of life on the station from the safety and welfare of more than 80 people, made up of mostly men, to the delivery of the Australian Government’s $10 million science program.
Ms Robertson said she was excited to share her story and re-live her experiences at the 19 March mentor breakfast at the Casey Civic Centre in Narre Warren.
Each year, Girl Guides Victoria and Women of Note select women from a variety of careers to offer encouragement and inspiration to Year 11 students.
Women of Note chairwoman Rita Hartney said the breakfast had a strong reputation in Casey schools, with about 18 schools supporting the initiative every year.
Prior to scoring the role to lead the expedition, Ms Robertson had to go through what she described as a “gruelling selection process.”
“It was a week-long boot camp competing against 14 men for the job,” she said.
Ms Robertson said the she learned that true leadership wasn’t always about being in charge the entire time, but rather allowing someone else to lead a task if they had the expertise or were better suited.
She said her time in Antarctica was amazing, despite missing the Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the fifth series of Big Brother and the birth of her first niece Meg.
She then showed the audience a slide show of photographs from Antarctica.
“Antarctica will always have a special place in my heart,” she said.
“It truly is a beautiful place.”
The MCs at the event were Year 12 students Monica Kwiecien and Hafiza Zahidee.
Casey deputy mayor Shar Balmes, who welcomed guests to the event, said mentoring was a powerful tool.
The 2010 breakfast also recognised the national “Year of the Guide”, which marks a centenary in guiding in Australia.