Some Stories by Colourful Freddie Soutter (continued)

I had an unwieldy, newspaper-wrapped parcel of a half a dozen of the best and as I greeted Ray said "please accept this in appreciation of ensuring that the replacement batteries were available for collection by the Morton". As if by sleight of hand Ray shot out his arm and said "thanks, Fred, for the cabbages" as he whisked the unwieldy parcel from my arms and quickly secreted it under his feet. It wasn't dry for Ray that night. Ray's sense of smell must have been very astute because the parcel did not look like bottles wrapped up.

I then went with Peter Copland to the Regional Maintenance Centre to discuss the faults in the units that Andy and I had replaced; then for a tour around a devastated Darwin and a close look at the new style houses that were being constructed under the plans laid down by possibly Brisbane's greatest Lord Mayor, Clem Jones. I sometimes wonder what would happen if another cyclone having the same or a greater intensity than that of Tracy was to hit Darwin and the houses which have been built after Clem was virtually forcibly asked to leave by the Administration of Northern Territory at the time. I feel sure that those houses constructed under Clem's guidelines will still be standing while the others will again cave in as so many did when Tracy hit.

I still muse over Ray's astute assessment of the parcel and other interesting happenings on that memorable trip.

Another particularly fond memory took place at the start of the WF44 radar installation on Mount Kanigan. Initially I was scheduled to be part of the installation party but, instead, was asked to go on an AWS trip starting later the same week. The Melbourne party, with Bob West in charge, I think, Colin Maxfield and others arrived in Brisbane in the middle of a cargo handlers strike at all major airports, thus arriving with little of their personal luggage, tools and test equipment.

Bureau of Meteorology