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Story: Subantarctic islands

Weather-station staff singing, 1959

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Weather-station staff singing, 1959

A group of men isolated on Campbell Island for a year, the weather-station staff had to make their own fun. Here ‘Campbell Choral’ dress up in rags from the cleaning bag and sing. They are (from left) carpenter Doug Herkt (with a genuine eye injury), meteorological observer Bob Lamb, cook Bob Rae, senior ionosphere observer Bob Thompson and leader George Poppleton.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Philip George Poppleton Collection (PAColl-5545)

Reference: PA12-1424-035

by Philip George Poppleton

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Subantarctic islands – Second World War and after, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/38564/weather-station-staff-singing-1959 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 28 November 2012.