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Federation and MeteorologyBureau of Meteorology
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Table of Contents

Memories of the Bureau, 1946 to 1962

Foreword

Terminology

Prologue
J. W. Zillman Director of Meteorology
The Seven Stages in the Life and Career of Dr W. J. Gibbs
The Meteorological Legacy of Dr Gibbs
Dr Gibb's Career—An Appreciation

Preface

Chapter 1: The Warren Years, 1946 to 1950

Chapter 2: International Meteorology

Chapter 3: The Timcke Years, 1950 to 1955

Chapter 4: A Year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Chapter 5: The Dwyer Years, 1955 to 1962

Chapter 6: A Springboard for the Future

Appendix 1: References

Appendix 2: Reports, Papers, Manuscripts

Appendix 3: Milestones

Appendix 4: Acknowledgements

Appendix 5: Summary by H. N. Warren of the Operation of the Meteorological Section of Allied Air Headquarters, Brisbane, 1942–45

Endnotes

Index
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The Seven Stages in the Life and Career of Dr W. J. Gibbs

The seven stages in the life and career of William James Gibbs as he identified them in his 1985 interview for the WMO Bulletin (World Meteorological Organization, WMO Bulletin Vol. 34, No. 3 July 1985, pp 183-96) were:
  • First stage, the early years 1916–40;

  • Second stage, the war years, 1940–46;

  • Third stage, the post-war period, 1946–51;

  • Fourth stage, study in the US, 1951–52;

  • Fifth stage, research and development, 1952–62;

  • Sixth stage, Director of Meteorology, 1962–78;

  • Seventh stage, retirement, 1978–.

In the first stage which began with his birth at Bondi (Sydney) on 17 October 1916, Bill Gibbs grew up in the care of his mother and his maternal and paternal grandparents, having never known his father who had left on a troopship bound for Europe to fight in the First World War and was killed at Ypres (Belgium) just before his first birthday. After a happy childhood and early education at Fort Street Boys' High School, he attended Sydney University with the support of a fund endowed by a wealthy landowner to support the education of children whose fathers had been killed in the War. He first encountered meteorology as part of his geography studies at Sydney university but his first job was in the research laboratories of Amalgamated Wireless of Australia. On 6 November 1939 he was taken on by the Bureau of Meteorology's Sydney Divisional Office and in March 1940 he was transferred to Bureau Headquarters in Melbourne to undertake his training in weather forecasting which continued through until August of that year.


Organisations in Australian Science at Work - Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd.

People in Bright Sparcs - Gibbs, William James (Bill)

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Gibbs, W. J. 1999 'A Very Special Family: Memories of the Bureau of Meteorology 1946 to 1962', Metarch Papers, No. 13 May 1999, Bureau of Meteorology

© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
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