Lynn Mitchell Takes Over the Reins in SA RO Fillerup!

Born at Kellerberrin (midway between Perth and Kalgoorlie). Lynn joined the Bureau in 1949 after gaining a B.Sc. Degree from the University of WA. Following completion of an early postwar Met. Training Course, he began his long career in the SA Regional Office in March 1950.

In the following years, as he rose "through the ranks", Lynn occupied various senior positions in the Adelaide Office. He was promoted to Senior Met. in charge of the Forecasting and Warning Section in 1960, and was then transferred to OIC of the Special Services Section in 1963. He was promoted to Met. Cl. 4 in 1970 .

In addition to his routine duties he has been associated with several special projects. In 1965 he was temporarily transferred to Canberra for nine months to set up the Bureau's Regional Office in the ACT. This also included the inauguration of Australia's first—and only—Meteorological Information Centre (which sadly was closed in May this year due to space limitations).

In 1963 he provided forecasts for "Project Topcat", involving 41 research flights in an instrumented Canberra aircraft from the UK Royal Aeronautical Establishment, primarily seeking Clear Air Turbulence. He flew on several of the sorties.

In more recent years, during several periods as Acting RD SA, Lynn was responsible for providing emergency relief staff in Darwin following cyclone Tracy, arranging maintenance of supplies to Giles during inland floods, and organising the transfer of the SA RO to the new premises in Kent Town. This latter task followed 3 years of close liaison with the architects, engineers and contractors on the design and construction of the new building.

In 1977, as the leader of a 4-man team investigating the optimum means of meeting the staff cuts then being implemented, he visited all Regional Offices, major city airports and sections of Head Office. Prior to this he acted as RD Vic for a brief period.

Lynn is well known to the South Australian public through many appearances on television and radio programs dealing with the weather. He had a leading role in an ABC documentary "Weather and the Farmer", which is still used occasionally for lecture and training purposes within the Region.

He also lectured on synoptic meteorology to final year and honours science students at Flinders University for several years.

As a keen sportsman himself and the father of three boys and two girls, Lynn has found plenty to occupy his leisure time over the years. He has been associated, either as a participant or an official, with tennis basketball, athletics, rowing, and boy scouts' and marching girls' associations.

With his family now grown up, Lynn restricts his sporting activities to occasional social tennis (when home renovations and gardening duties permit!)

Bureau of Meteorology