Air Greenland is the proud owner of the world’s oldest operational helicopter – a nineteen-seater Sikorsky S-61. Well, in truth probably every component in the helicopter has been replaced multiple times in its history, aside from the fuselage. But there has, nonetheless, been a continuity of fifty years for this one machine. In 2015, Air …
Last winter the snowfall in Nuuk was more than locals could remember for decades. It snowed and it snowed. By the time we returned from our Christmas holiday, the stairs leading to our front door were buried thigh-deep. The balcony was already an intimidating snow-clearing task and it only got worse. My husband dug out …
We moved to Greenland in mid winter, almost three years ago today. Our son, then five, was culture-shocked by his sudden transposition from Australian summer to an icy darkness where he could no longer communicate with any of his peers. So one of our first priorities was to get him socialising with other kids. On …
*Photograph by Natasha Henwood My family are nomadic – my husband and I by choice, our son by grim reluctance. Since I left home as a teenager, I’ve not lived in one town more than five years, or in one abode more than three. The average, over the past 24 years, is one move per …
Arctic travel requires patience, I reminded myself as I waited in a queue for a hotel voucher at Keflavik ariport. We were stuck in Iceland – again – our connecting flight having never left Nuuk because of winter blizzard conditions. Of course it’s nice to get home, but being stuck in Iceland isn’t so bad. …
We sailed into a small settlement on a calm day, two of us motoring in an open boat. I leaned over the side, staring deep into the clear, frigid water. As the sea bottom shallowed and came into view, my heartbeat quickened at the sight of ghostly white limbs, sharpening into focus, drawing toward me. …
It was pitch black, five o’clock on a late January afternoon, when my son and I walked the few hundred metres from our home to the local supermarket. Crisp and dark, but the street lamps glowed yellow on the deep snow. Immediately we noticed the familiar, deep, heavy grind of helicopter blades – whack, whack, …
*Photograph by Chris Kirkland “F*** Greenpeace,” declared the bumper sticker of a battered old station wagon. I couldn’t but laugh – only in Greenland. Greenpeace devotes a lot of energy to Greenland. But they are very unpopular here. Here are some reasons why. One – oil. Education standards are low, unemployment is high with …
Last week, an 80% turnout of Australians voted 62% in favour of same-sex marriage – a clear mandate to politicians to pass legislation. Australia will now likely join 25 other countries who have legalised same-sex marriage. One of them is Greenland. Same-sex marriage was legalised in Greenland in 2015, though registered partnerships have been possible …