The Western Australian Divisional Office (continued)

At 50, Gerry's father was asked by the Premier of Western Australia to become manager of the State Charities Commission. He continued in that position until his death at 60.

Although the economic depression continued, Gerry was lucky enough to be one of the applicants to find employment in one of six clerical positions advertised by the Postmaster General (PMG)'s Department. He was given responsibility for producing the Perth telephone directory, a position which no doubt inspired the attention to detail he later exhibited.

After six years with the PMG's Department, Gerry heard that the Bureau was seeking young people with a good secondary education. Following an interview by Divisional Meteorologist Akeroyd, he was promoted to the position of meteorological assistant in 1940. Another successful applicant was Colin Ramm, who did not continue with the Bureau because Professor Ross persuaded him to undertake other work related to the war effort. Colin later became Professor of Nuclear Physics at an European university and still later was Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne.

When the RAAF Meteorological Service was created in April 1941, Gerry, like the majority of male staff, donned RAAF uniform. He was transferred to Melbourne to take a forecasters' course under L. J. Dwyer before being posted to Parafield Elementary Flying Training School in Adelaide. When not forecasting he persuaded instructors to teach him to fly a Tiger Moth (DH82), using a typical O'Mahony persuasive argument that he could better teach meteorology if he knew more about flying.

Towards the end of 1942, after a brief time at Pearce (Perth), he was posted to Headquarters North-west Area where he served under a succession of Area Meteorological Officers, George Mackey, Henry Banfield, John Lillywhite and Keith Hannay. During this 16 months Gerry's whimsical humour, which emerged during his briefing of senior RAAF officers of NW Area, was apparently appreciated for he was persuaded to fly in Liberators (B-24s) of the 319 USAAC on lengthy operational missions over enemy-held territory in March 1943 and with the US Heavy Bombardment Group in July of that year.

Bureau of Meteorology