Maid for the South Pole

Part 6

SIX

Audra clutched at the lectern with both hands. "So, all I have left to say is: let's go out there, fellow graduates, and take the country by storm!"

Polite laughter rose over the applause as Audra headed for her seat and finally allowed herself to relax. All through the Diploma of Meteorology course, she'd strived to get the best possible results. What she hadn't realised was that the student with top marks automatically became the valedictorian of the class, complete with speech responsibilities at graduation. Well, she'd discharged those responsibilities now, so all she had to do was collect her degree before she could head home to celebrate.

She waited for her name to be called. A quick walk across the stage with a handshake from the Director in the middle, before she was handed her piece of paper and allowed to return to her seat in the audience.

At the end, the Director stood up to give his speech, which was surprisingly short. When he was done, he waited for the applause to die down before he said, "I also have an announcement to make. As part of the Bureau's commitment to ongoing education, next year we're holding a contest. The prize will be a training voucher that you can use for courses, conferences or research, as long as it's relevant to your job. And you'll be paid for your training time, too, for the duration of your course."

Murmuring broke out among the audience. The Director waved his hands for silence.

"In order to win, we're looking for staff who can raise the Bureau's online profile, so we can continue to attract the best graduates for our diploma program. We're looking for blogs or social media accounts where our staff tell the world about a day in the life of a meteorologist, or photos of weather phenomena, or whatever it is about your job that you feel best represents the Bureau's mission and values. We feel that..."

Audra tuned out at that point. Most of her fellow students had already stopped listening, holding whispered conversations with those around them, or trying to catch the eyes of their family members in the other rows.

She didn't have any family members here – they hadn't been able to afford the flights, let alone the hotel accommodation. She couldn't deny that she was disappointed, but she'd never really expected them to come. Now, when the ceremony ended, it meant she could take advantage of her lonely state and corner the Director for a few questions about the contest.

But first, she could have one drink before driving home, so she snagged a glass of sparkling wine from a passing waiter. It was definitely a champagne occasion.

"I liked your speech, Audra."

Audra nearly choked on her drink as the Director appeared beside her. He held beer.

"Thank you," she managed to say.

"I hope you're considering entering the contest. With a record like yours, you could use it to fund a Masters degree, or even your PhD," he continued.

That answered one of her questions. "But how would it pay for a PhD? I mean, there aren't any course fees. Is the money enough for a scholarship for the three or four years it'll take?"

The Director shrugged. "It's not enough to live off for three years, no. But you'd still have a full time job with the Bureau for that time, so you shouldn't need to. What it will pay for is equipment and expenses, conferences and travel. And you'd have the full support of the Bureau to complete your degree, so you'd have a study leave allocation."

"So, basically, the Bureau would pay me to get my PhD?" Audra asked. It sounded too good to be true.

"Ah, but first you'd have to win the contest. That's not going to be easy. We'll officially open it next week, and it'll run for six months, until the end of March. You'll have six months to create content that can...ah, go viral, I think it's called. Our PR manager is one of the judges, and she assures me there are several criteria you'll be assessed against. The quality of your message, the number of followers you have, how well you align with the Bureau's mission...like I said, it won't be easy."

Nothing was easy, especially not for Audra. Why should this be any different? She waved away his concerns. "When you say social media, could it be an online video channel?"

Another shrug. "I imagine so."

"Then I think I'll be entering," Audra said, sipping her bubbly.

The Director beamed. "Good to hear! I look forward to your videos of...where are they posting you?"

"Officially, we don't find out until Monday," Audra said carefully. "But the Chief Meteorologist at Davis Station in Antarctica told me she'd requested a graduate this year, if a member of our class with the right training applied for a regional posting. I have it on good authority that I'll be on the next icebreaker south to Davis." Perfect for photos or video. After all, everyone loved penguins.

"But won't it be cold in Antarctica? You're from Perth, right? It doesn't snow there!"

At least the Director of Meteorology knew a bit about weather. Audra replied, "Yes. The coldest place on Earth, actually. And I helped install new equipment at Dome Argus last year, which isn't far from Vostok Station, where the coldest temperature ever was recorded. I'm dying to go back to the South Pole, Director. And this posting would be a full year, including winter. I'm told the winter storms are nothing short of spectacular."

The Director looked stunned. "I didn't think we sent graduates to Antarctica, let alone ones we hadn't fully trained yet. I'll be following your blog with interest."

Video channel, not blog. No one read web pages when they could watch a video. She didn't correct him, though. "Thank you, Director."

The Director moved off to speak to some of the other executive staff who'd turned out for the graduation – or, more accurately, for the free food and drink – and Audra drained her drink, setting the empty glass on a table. She made her way out of the building to her car, sober enough to easily manage the drive home.

Not that it would be home for long. Eight months she'd lived in Melbourne, sharing a house with some other students, but that would change soon enough. Who'd have thought she'd one day call Antarctica home?