Rick Schmitter

Station	Year	Season	Job
Davis	1964	Winter	Cook
Macquarie Island	1966	Winter	Cook
Mawson	1978	Winter	Cook
Casey	1980	Winter	Cook

One week ago I visited Rick at his home in Rye- Victoria, he had been suffering from a cancer that had wracked his body for quite some time, last night the 25th of January, he was admitted to hospital where he died.

Ulrich Schmitter , known to most of his Antarctic colleagues as Rick or Rickie, was 4 times employed with ANARE as the station cook, he looked after the well being of a collective of over 82 expeditioners in providing meals for them throughout their year’s service at Davis station 1964, Macquarie Station 1966, Mawson Station 1978 and Casey Station in 1980. He will surely be remembered for his commitment to his job and his companionship as a fellow expeditioner. Rick was awarded the Polar Medal in 1978 and the Australian Antarctic Medal in 1987.

Rich was born in Grabs in Switzerland on the 27th of January 1942, the son of the village baker, a trade he learnt and worked at. He subsequently migrated to Australia and married and continued the family baking tradition in Melbourne and at Rye. Rich had been retired from the bakehouse for several years.
Rick leaves behind his wife Pamela and their 4 children Heidi, Daniel, Daryl and Steve and several grandchildren.

RIP Ulrich.

Email received from Ray MacMahon 26/01/17