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Table of Contents

Radio Technical Officers

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Early Years

Chapter 2: The Training School

Chapter 3: Equipment Installation Records

Chapter 4: The 'Techs' in Antarctica

Chapter 5: The 'Techs' Tell Their Stories
Trevor Donald Tells It All; Life in the Bureau from 1947 to 1989
Ray Clarke Looks Back
Some Memories from Ralph Bulloch
Peter Copland Works in Meteorological Electronics
Some Titbits from Dave Grainger
A Very Modest Tale from Alf Svensson
Adrian Porter Pulls No Punches
Jack Tait Recalls
Some Stories by Colourful Freddie Soutter
Some Snippets from Noel Barrett
Stephen Courbêt Has His Penny Wworth
And a Flyspeck or Two from Lenny Dawson
Some Interesting Reminiscences from Jannes Keuken
Brief Stories from Phil Black
From Gloria West, Wife of the Late Bob West
The Life and Bureau Times of Graham Linnett
Tales Out of School from Bill Hite
Peter Copland on Cyclone Tracy
Peter Broughton Tells the Story of Maralinga

Appendix 1: 'Techs' Roll Call

Appendix 2: Trainee Intakes

Appendix 3: 'Techs' Who Have Served in the Antarctic Region

Appendix 4: Summary of Major Installation Projects

Appendix 5: Summary of Major Equipment Variously Installed at Sites and Maintained by Radio Technical Officers


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Trevor Donald Tells It All; Life in the Bureau from 1947 to 1989 (continued)

Towards the end of 1953 we returned to Sydney on recreation leave. Whilst on leave I had occasion to be checked out by a Veteran Affairs Medical Officer. After various tests it was recommended that I should seek a more temperate climate. The Bureau agreed with the medical report. I returned to Honiara in early 1954 for two weeks to pack up our personal effects. On my return to Sydney we were advised that we had been transferred to Lord Howe Island.

I travelled to the Island on board VH-AKP, an ex-WWII Sunderland flying boat operated by Ansett Airways. My family followed a month or so later when I had acquired temporary accommodation pending the eventual construction of three Bureau residences.

The meteorological office and the aeradio office shared a two roomed building situated about 200 metres from the edge of the lagoon. All communications to and from the Island were carried by telegraphy. There were no telephones on the Island and most homes used pressure lamps or paraffin lamps for lighting.

Automotive transport on the Island was limited. DCA had an ex-Services' blitz buggie to service their various installations, the Lord Howe Island Board of Control had a post-WWII Bedford flat bed truck, a 1920s Leyland truck and a Fordson tractor. The Island Medical Officer had a small Ford Prefect sedan. Outside of that, there were a couple of horse and buggie outfits and wooden sleds pulled by steers or the tractor. All roads were of sand or gravel.

The Island had a small two bed hospital to cater for its day-to-day medical needs. Urgent medical cases were transferred to the mainland for attention. A retired dentist living on the Island could also be called upon for dental emergencies.

A small two teacher infant/primary school catered for the educational needs of the children. Secondary school studies were usually pursued on the mainland.

During 1954–55 a new meteorological station was constructed on the eastern side of the Island along with three staff residences. The new station was state of the art at the time. It had a 277F S-band radar along with an AWA 72 MHz radiosonde ground station. In addition, a voice radio link was established between Lord Howe Island and Sydney Airport thus allowing the duty Observers to clear their own traffic.

Power, of course, was essential to get the station up and running. DCA had their own works program running concurrently with construction of the meteorological station. Apart from radio equipment upgrading, a new power station was being installed which would meet their requirements as well as Bureau requirements. Surplus power was made available to the Lord Howe Island Board, and within a few short months all homes had electric lighting and were allowed to run a refrigerator.


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Clarke, R. 1999 'Stories of the Bureau's Radio Technical Officers from 1948', Metarch Papers No. 14 February 1999, Bureau of Meteorology

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