Services for Aviation (continued)

It is not possible to name all the weather officers whose outstanding service deserves commendation. The few I mention here are those whose names are readily recalled but there are many others whose efforts were equally deserving of credit. Pat Ryan, J. S. J. Maher and Arthur Woolcock were some of the younger aviation forecasters who followed the original aviation forecasters like Arthur White, Jack Nance and Ross Vollprecht.

I will quote some details of the career of J. S. J. (John) Maher to give an example of a typical weather officer. John joined the Bureau in June 1936 as a clerk in the Bureau's Statistical Section in Central Office and later worked as a Junior Meteorological Assistant in the Climatological Section under Akeroyd and Foley.

In 1938 he was transferred to Essendon Airport where he worked as an observer under OIC Jack Nance. In 1939 he was selected for No 2 Weather Officers' course along with Allen Bath, Harold Bond and Jack Johnston. After completing the course he returned to Essendon as a forecaster.

A promising Australian Rules footballer who played for the Melbourne and Canberra clubs, John attempted to enlist for flying training in the RAAF on the outbreak of war in September 1939 but was rejected because he was classified as working in a reserved occupation. In 1941 he received a 'consolation prize' when he donned uniform as a commissioned officer in the RAAF Meteorological Service while seeing old friends like war-ace Bluey Truscott distinguish themselves as pilots in the RAAF.

Bureau of Meteorology