“I'm out on deck, the sun's just going down….there's been this massive build up to the departure. It's been a roller coaster, and it really feels good to actually throw the ropes off the ship and head to sea,” Shaun shouts above the sound of the wind.
Meanwhile, back in Darwin, it’s day one and the shit hits the fan... literally! From blocked toilets and monsoonal mould, to gigantic sparkling icebergs and elephant seal wallows, this episode explores why people choose to live and work in remote places, facing danger and hardship.
Lori searches for answers with mates Tamara and Rhiannon. Tamara works for Border Force and is often deployed to remote islands in the Torres Strait and her partner Rhiannon is a remote area nurse travelling to faraway places throughout outback Australia.
“You know, when you see people in their own environment and on their own country, it's just totally different to what you get when you work with people in a hospital”, explains Rhiannon.
On the ship, Shaun grabs his audio recorder and seeks out Doctor John Cherry, who will be wintering at Davis Station for the year.
“This is my first winter, which is a very different beast to coming down for a round trip for a couple of weeks or a couple of months. You know, we've got a nine month window where there's no medical evacuation”.
Join Lori and Shaun as they figure out why people put themselves in situations that most of us wouldn’t dream of - isolation, separation, adversity and danger.
Contributors to Ep2: Tamara Travers, Rhiannon Townsend and Dr John Cherry
Host and executive producer: Lori Uden
Co-producers: Cinnamon Nippard and Lori Uden
Interviews and sound recordings: Shaun and Lori Uden
The kids! 10-year old Matilda Uden and 9-year old Saxon Uden
Editor: Cinnamon Nippard
Mixer: Hamish Robertson
Music producer: Serina Pech
Online producer: Lori uden
Graphic designer: Kelly Walsh
Photographer: Helen Orr, Adam Leatherbarrow & Shaun Uden
Mentor: Johanna Bell
Critical listeners: Johanna Bell and Jess Ong
From Afar was created on beautiful Larrakia land and was produced with funding support from the Northern Territory Government through Arts NT
Thanks also goes to the Australian Antarctic Division and Maritime Construction Services for their support.
'It's a thirsty for...what exactly?' is the second episode of From Afar, a 5-part podcast exploring long distance love, from tropical Darwin to icy Antarctica.
