Owner Comments:
Husky is a general term for several breeds of dogs ideally adapted to hauling sleds in cold, snowy conditions. Originally from northern regions, huskies were introduced to the Antarctic by the British Antarctic Expedition of 1898 – 1900.
Australia kept huskies in Antarctica for almost 40 years beginning in 1954 with the opening of Mawson Station. As well as proving to be hard-working, reliable forms of transport, they were also loyal companions and much-loved by Australian Antarctic expeditioners.
In 1991, Australia signed an environmental treaty that required introduced species to be removed from the Antarctic. The last remaining huskies left the Australian Antarctic Territory in 1993, the older dogs retiring to Australia, while the younger working dogs began new lives in the United States.
The coin’s reverse depicts a team of huskies pulling a sled with a coloured Antarctic sky in the background. The image, which also incorporates a coloured image of a husky and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark, appears within the shape of the Antarctic continent. The reverse includes the inscriptions 2010 – HUSKY, and ‘Australian Antarctic Territory’.
The coin’s obverse depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the monetary denomination.
No more than 7,500 of these coins will be issued by The Perth Mint.