It wasn’t the party that had been planned, Covid-19 put paid to that, but if you’ve waited 100 years, you are going to celebrate anyway. An intimate event, organised by John Russell’s daughter, Sue Morgan, and Peter Jones, President of the Deception Bay sub-branch of the RSL, launched this Antarctic legend into his next century.

Peter Jones presented John with letters and certificates from those who represent the people, starting with the local member for Bancroft, Chris Whiting MP, and working his way up the “food chain”: Hon Luke Howarth MP, Federal Member for Petrie; Councillor Peter Flannery, Mayor of Moreton Bay Regional Council; Annastacia Palaszczuk, Premier of Queensland; His Excellency The Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland; Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia; General David Hurley, Governor-General of Australia – all the way to the top: Elizabeth, to which John commented, “She won’t be very long after me”.

Messages of congratulations also came from John’s Antarctic colleagues: Kim Ellis, Director of the Australian Antarctic Division; Richard Unwin, President of ANARE; David Dodd, Treasurer of ANARE; David Parer, Councilor and Elizabeth Parer-Cook, Vice-president. 

At the end of the formal presentations Trevor and Peter Field (Web Manager for ANARE) symbolically flew the ANARE Club flag over John. Next year, on 22nd of October, will mark 70 years since John first stood beneath the flag.