Letter to Paquita Delprat [Transcript]

The letter is in pencil and was written on the train from Melbourne to Sydney on Australasian Antarctic Expedition letterhead. Mawson briefly refers to some success with fund raising for his forthcoming Antarctic expedition, the possible recruitment of expedition staff and assistance with cars during his Melbourne visit. He then tells Paquita, his fiancée, how much he misses her and muses over their next meeting.

In the letter Mawson says Deakin would try and obtain another 5,000 pounds from the Commonwealth. Alfred Deakin was at that time Leader of the Federal Opposition after serving three terms as Prime Minister. Mawson became acquainted with Deakin through his former professor and mentor T W Edgeworth David, with whom he had served on Shackleton's 1907-1909 Antarctic expedition. In all, the state governments of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Commonwealth government had contributed 28,500 pounds to Mawson's expedition: Queensland, Western Australia and New Zealand contributed no money to expedition funds.

Dr Whetter, the New Zealand doctor whom Mawson indicates had applied to join the expedition, was appointed surgeon to the expedition: Dr Sydney Jones who is also mentioned was appointed the medical officer on the Western Base party led by Frank Wild.

Mawson looks forward to seeing Paquita and mentions the voyage to Hobart when he will join his ship Aurora and when they will be able to spend some time together before he sails south on his expedition. He enquires whether Paquita is a good sailor and mentions Nimrod. This was Ernest Shackleton's ship on which Mawson made his first voyage to the Antarctic in 1907. On this voyage Mawson had been very seasick, partly because the conditions during the voyage had been particularly rough. The experience had managed to cure his tendency to seasickness.

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