Expedition Staff - Leaders

Greg Mortimer - Expedition Leader

Greg co-founded Aurora Expeditions with his partner, Margaret Werner, in 1992 and has been taking visitors to the world's polar regions ever since. A geochemist by profession, Greg lives in Australia and is also one of the world's foremost mountaineers. From 1979 to 1984, Greg worked as a geologist, a survival training instructor, and a Scientific Affairs Adviser for the New Zealand Antarctic Division.

His many achievements in mountaineering include: the first ever ascent of the South face of Annapurna Two in 1983; the first Australian ascent of the North face of Mount Everest, without the use of supplementary oxygen, in 1984; the first Australian ascent of Vinson Massif, the highest mountain in Antarctica, in 1988; the first Australian ascent of K2, the second highest mountain in the world in 1990; and in 2002 an ascent of Mt Manaslu, the world's eighth highest mountain.

In 1988 Greg organised and led the Australian Bicentennial Antarctic Expedition. These journeys have been covered in two documentaries, which have been distributed worldwide - "The Loneliest Mountain", by Film Australia and "Everest - The Australian Assault", by the Australian Television Channel Nine Network.

Greg's remarkable accomplishments have been recognised by the Australian government with the Order of Australia Medal for mountaineering. He is also the recipient of three Australian Geographic Society medals.

Mike Cusack - Expedition Leader

It is a great honour and privilege to have Mike Cusack join us on our Kimberley Coast expeditions. In 1987, Australian Geographic chose Mike and his wife Susan from 500 other couples to spend a year living in isolation in the wild and remote Kunmunya area of the west Kimberley. During their 'year in the wilderness' they overcame many hardships and challenges, including drought, extreme heat, and dehydration. However, the strength of their relationship combined with unbridled enthusiasm, tenacity, optimism and a spirit of adventure, overcame all odds and they rejoiced in their unique experience.

Mike now works as a Ranger with Parks Victoria in the Grasslands Unit, Basalt Plains District. He is also actively involved with Parks Victoria's Environmental Management Group Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - seeking to base park management on sound ecological information - and fire ecology.

"Our year at Kunmunya is with me every day and I'm passionate about its continued existence as a wilderness," he said recently. This will be Mike's eight season working on board Coral Princess on our Kimberley Coast cruise.

Kieran Lawton - Expedition Leader

Kieran has had a varied association with Antarctica over the last decade. A qualified biologist, he has conducted research into the foraging ecology of a number of Antarctic and Subantarctic species. He has spent several seasons on Macquarie Island investigating the ecology of elephant seals and fur seals. Between May and December of 1994 he camped in a small hut beside the Emperor rookery at Auster in East Antarctica, and had the breathtaking experience of spending the entire winter amongst these well-adapted and inspiring birds. Swapping hemispheres, Kieran then worked in the tundra/boreal forest ecosystems of Northern Siberia for a few years.

More recently Kieran has been conducting research on albatrosses, undertaking census and foraging ecology work on the Chilean Islands of Diego Ramirez and Ildefonso, remote islands that lie in Drakes passage south of Cape Horn, and on Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean.

An experienced climber and skier, Kieran organised and led a yacht-based mountaineering expedition to an unclimbed peak on the Danco Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in 1998. He subsequently worked for the Australian Antarctic Program in field safety roles, and joined Aurora expeditions in 1999.

Henrik Lovendahl - Expedition Leader / Dive Master

Henrik first worked with Aurora Expeditions as a dive guide in 1998, when we introduced optional scuba diving program to our Antarctic voyages. This was the first ever dive trip to Antarctica for recreational divers. Henrik soon moved on to become an expedition leader and dive guide in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

Henrik's adventurous spirit and love of travel caused him to leave his native Denmark almost 20 years ago. He has travelled extensively to far and remote corners of the world; scaled Andean peaks, trekked in the Himalayas and dived in many exotic locations, but his greatest passion is the polar regions and ice-diving.

Henrik started his diving career in 1988 on the Great Barrier Reef. He is a qualified PADI Master Instructor and has worked in the diving industry for many years as an instructor and as an educational consultant for PADI Asia Pacific.

Henrik was so taken with Australia's wonderful lifestyle and opportunities for adventure, he decided to stay and now resides in the Blue Mountains with his partner Sue. Henrik has managed to combine his passion for nature, travel and diving. He intersperses his working life with protracted periods of outdoor recreational activities, including hiking, rock climbing and mountaineering. An accomplished climber and diver, he is at home in the world's wild places.

Don McFadzien - Expedition Leader / Mountain Guide

Don is a school teacher and outdoor professional, an experienced mountain and ski guide, and outdoor pursuits instructor. He has worked as an instructor at New Zealand's Outward Bound School, and spent many years guiding skiing and climbing in the Mount Cook region in New Zealand's Southern Alps. He has climbed many of the 10,000 foot peaks in this area.

He has enjoyed several trips to Nepal and Sikkim. In his 'spare time' he has taught skiing in Austria, climbed and skied in Canada and the USA, and windsurfed in Maui (but not on Jaws!). In 02-03 Don spent the summer trekking in Torres del Paine and the mountain regions of Patagonia.

As a mountain guide he enjoys wilderness environments. The wilds of the southern ocean, the subtleties of colour in this harsh region, and the beauty of the ice continue to attract him. The school teacher in him enjoys the learning and awareness that grows rapidly through every voyage to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. One of the features he really enjoys is the variety of attractions in the Antarctic. It is the shared domain of the photographer and climber, the birder and geologist, the diver and the naturalist.

Don and his partner Gill live in the delightful city of Nelson at the north of the South Island in New Zealand.

Peter Malcolm - Expedition Leader

Peter enjoys a richly varied working life, starting as a helicopter pilot for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. From 1984-86, Peter was the ship organiser for the "In the Footsteps of Scott" Antarctic expedition where three people walked 1,400 km to the South Pole. Peter's ship, Southern Quest, sailed 31,000 nautical miles doing three Antarctic voyages before being crushed by ice and sunk, with no loss of life. Peter filmed the sinking.

Two years later Peter worked as helicopter pilot and base resupply co-ordinator for the Greenpeace Antarctic Expedition to Cape Evans in the Ross Sea. In 1992-93 he helped sail the 16-metre yacht Pelagic from Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula for the Greenpeace Antarctic Campaign.

Peter is also part of a syndicate that is building a 19 metre catamaran in the Melbourne Docklands and he works as a part time marine consultant recently assisting Robert Swan's Mission Antarctica.

Father to three boys, boating, sailing, adventure, culture, travel and music are Peter's other main interests.

Eirik Gjessing Karlsen - Expedition Leader

Hailing from Norway, Eirik has always been fascinated by nature and from an early age he has spent as much time as possible in the great outdoors. This interest resulted in studies in biology, geography and outdoor living. He is also a teacher and this background reflects his main interests: nature and humans.

Eirik has spent many years exploring the lands beyond the Arctic Circle. Working on expedition boats, he thrives on introducing visitors to the incredible variety of Arctic landscapes and the unique experiences to be had in these remote areas. From smelling the breath of the world largest toothed whale, the narwhal, to taking in the stunning purple light on the snowy mountains at 79 North, Eirik’s wealth of knowledge and vast range of experiences make him a valued member of our Arctic expedition team.