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Table of Contents

Memories of the Bureau, 1946 to 1962

Foreword

Terminology

Prologue

Preface

Chapter 1: The Warren Years, 1946 to 1950
Warren the Man
Warren Joins the Bureau
Wartime Perceptions and Attitudes
Return to Civvy Street
Frosterley
People in the Bureau
Re-establishing and Reorganising the Bureau
Reorganisation of Central Office
The Position of Chief Scientific Officer
Post-War Reorganisation
The Haldane Story
Public Weather Services
The New South Wales Divisional Office
The Victorian Divisional Office
The Queensland Divisional Office
The South Australian Divisional Office
The Western Australian Divisional Office
The Tasmanian Divisional Office
Pre-war Services for Civil Aviation
Post-War Meteorological Service for Aviation
Indian Ocean Survey Flight
The Aviation Field Staff
Synoptic Analysis, Prognosis and Forecasting
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Meteorology
A Wider Scientific Horizon
Research, Development and Special Investigations
Analysts' Conference, April 1950
Instruments and Observations
Radiosondes
Radar Winds and Radar Weather Watch
Telecommunications
Climate and Statistics
Training
Publications
CSIRO
The Universities
Achievements of the Warren Years

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 Western Australian Divisional Office (continued)

As in the other Divisional Offices there was an influx of younger meteorologists with more academic qualifications and the advantage of training in the Bureau's Training School in Melbourne.

These included 'Doc' Hogan (1912–1978) whom I first met when I took up my initial operational appointment at Port Moresby in 1940. 'Doc' had served there since 1938 and left to join the Training School at Central Office before moving to Perth where he worked at Pearce RAAF station and the Divisional Office. One of his major achievements was organising meteorological support for the Catalina service between Perth and Colombo. After acting as Deputy Director following the death of A. G. Akeroyd, 'Doc' supervised the provision of public forecasts and warnings. He also worked enthusiastically with the WA Forestry Department on bushfire warning services.

Another interesting recruit to the Bureau who joined after war had been declared in Europe, but before it had broken out in the Pacific, was G. O'Mahony, who will play a prominent role in these reminiscences.

Gerard O'Mahony was born in Perth on 21 December 1915, and was educated at Subiaco primary school and Christian Brothers' College in St. George's Terrace, Perth. When Gerry finished his secondary schooling in 1933 the economic depression had made jobs hard to get;
while searching for employment Gerry enrolled at university.

Gerry's Irish paternal grandfather had been discovered by the English teaching Irish children in what were called hedge schools, a practice which the English deemed unlawful. For this offence he was transported to the Swan River Colony (now known as Perth) where he was engaged as a headmaster in a local school, there being a shortage of educationally qualified people in the colony.


People in Bright Sparcs - Akeroyd, Arthur Gordon; Hogan, John (Doc); O'Mahony, Gerard (Gerry); Warren, Herbert Norman

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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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