Peter Copland Works in Meteorological Electronics (continued)

In 1978, I think, we obtained some solar panels from Melbourne through the normal stores system. We thought this would be the bee's knees and set up a comprehensive test procedure using our spares as a complete AWS station. The tests ran happily for a month or two so we ordered some more panels to start changing the stations over to solar. Great consternation in Melbourne, though, and we had to return all the 'stolen' panels as they were required for some other project. We had to struggle on for another few years with those bloody Y cells and probably would have wasted $10,000 on them.

The more interesting trips were usually the special ones where faults occurred some time before a scheduled maintenance visit. My first experience of one of these expeditions was with Jack Byrne in 1972 to Bathurst Island. It was thought that the AWS had been damaged by a lightning strike, as there were storms about at the time it stopped. We set out by plane with enough gear for a complete station, including wiring loom; also camping gear and food for three days. Arrived at the mission and then taken by truck across the Island to the AWS. Every spare space on the truck was filled with armed hunters after suitable game. We had the AWS operational again in time for the next hunting party to pick us up at the arranged time. Then back across the Island in time for the plane back to Darwin.

One Christmas Eve we chartered a twin-engine aircraft to change the main batteries at Port Keats. This was one long hard day's work. On another occasion I had to hitch a ride in a Nomad of Coastal Surveillance to get to the same station back on the air. They were going down the west coast to do a check on a reported strange boat. Picked me up on the way back; it was noisy, hot and rough most of the way, and usually only 30 metres above the sea. Not even any topless crew on any of the boats that we inspected. On one occasion we borrowed a RAAF helicopter (complete with crew) and Steve Courbêt and I made a satisfactory emergency trip to the Bathurst Island AWS. The only trouble was that they had forgotten the doors; nice and cool but a bit hairy coming back along the beach at a height of 10 metres doing about 130 km/hr. Later, I went with Steve again to the same place in a Navy patrol boat. We did not enjoy it as much; rough, and a one and a half day trip, but they had to make it into a bit of an exercise.

Bureau of Meteorology