The US Weather Bureau (continued)

My passport shows arrival Honolulu from Australia 14 July 1947, admitted to Canada from Seattle, Washington, 22 July, returned Sydney, 13 November 1947. It seems likely that I made visits to meteorological centres in the US before returning from San Francisco by BCPA DC4 to Sydney.

Bursting with the exhilaration of my overseas exploits I returned to the Bureau wearing a bow-tie I had acquired. On the first day at our Central Office after my return one of my colleagues in the Bureau looked up from his desk with the greeting "Hello Bill. Have you been away ?". Undeterred I continued to wear the bow tie for some time and was designated 'Washington Willie' by Mattie Mattingly, the barmaid at the City Court Hotel, a favourite watering hole of Bureau people at that time.

As mentioned in Chapter 1, while busily trying to apply lessons learnt in Toronto and Washington in my work in the Bureau, I had much to do in our new home in Blackburn. I have fond memories of that home where, with Audrey's assistance and indulgence and the help of my dear friend and colleague Ralph Holmes, we had many happy gatherings of friends and colleagues in our back garden where I had built an outdoor fireplace on which Ralph and I barbecued chops and sausages which were consumed with good Australian beer. Some months after my return our son, Gregory, was born. Life was very busy with our small family, our host of new friends, a new house and garden to care for and a developing career in meteorology to occupy much of my time.

Bureau of Meteorology