Many thanks for the kind thoughts in your letter of 4 December and the card and enclosed 1873–1973 medallion. I do appreciate all this which is typical of the friendliness and thoughtfulness that exists throughout the Bureau.

Anything that I might have contributed has been made easier by your able direction and understanding. I would like to acknowledge also the ready cooperation I have received from all members with whom R and D Division has had contact in the other Divisions and in the Regions and the CMRC.

In R and D Division itself I am particularly appreciative of the support and cooperation of the Branch heads and their staffs, many of whom have made and others, I feel confident, are about to make worthy contributions to the outputs of the Bureau and meteorology in general.

I am sorry that I did not have time to say farewell to many people outside the R and D Division but I hope to do this later in the New Year. In the meantime, I intend to spend the next few months combining relaxation with a bit of manual labour.

Again many thanks and very best wishes to all.

In another note he remarked:—

Tomorrow, brother Keith and I will be resuming war on the rabbits, interspersed with a lunch of yabbies and cold beer.

On behalf of all Bureau staff, we wish Mac luck in his retirement, and hope that with such pleasant pastimes he will have a speedy return to health.

Bureau of Meteorology