An Antarctic celebrity who disappeared in mysterious circumstances is heading south again with the help of Guide Dogs Tasmania.
In 1991 a fibreglass collection dog, belonging to Guide Dogs Tasmania, became part of Antarctic folklore when she was stolen by expeditioners and smuggled south on the icebreaker Aurora Australis.
Given the name Stay, it quickly became a challenge for expeditioners from other stations to try and 'dognap' her and then boast of the heist by radio or more recently, by sending photos of her in her new home.
"The whole ethos around Stay was you tried to steal her and take her to another location," Australian Antarctic Division chef and water craft operator Noel Tennant said.
"She'd be at a station and people there would think 'well this is her home now' but no-one owns Stay and before long she'd disappear and turn up somewhere else.
"I've seen her slung under a helicopter in a cage pallet, I've seen her stashed in the back of a helicopter between Davis and Mawson on a so-called day trip."
Stay visited every Australian Antarctic station, including sub-Antarctic Heard, McDonald and Macquarie Islands and even travelled internationally.
"She fits into an Australia Post bag and that's one of the ways she's been sent from one place to another," Mr Tennant said.
"She lost a leg during the shenanigans and one of our carpenters crafted a beautiful prosthetic wooden leg for her. She's had a lot of adventures."
The battered fibreglass dog was on the final voyage of the icebreaker Aurora Australis back to Hobart and then found her way to Europe.
