ADM Retires [Allen Bath]

Joining the Bureau in 1937 as the first met observer, his was one of two positions created to cope with the early problems of the aviation industry after the Federal Government realised the need for met observations when flying aircraft.

Allen's career has been closely involved with the Bureau as it exists today.

War broke out in 1939 and in April 1941, as with so many other meteorologists at the time, he was seconded to the RAAF as a weather officer.

In 1941 he was sent to New Guinea as OIC of met operations in Port Moresby. Later he succeeded former ADR Neil McCrae and took charge of the whole New Guinea met operation. In 1944 New Guinea was split into two areas, Allen taking charge of the northeast section and former ADF Harry Ashton the northwest.

After the war Allen worked in the Brisbane RO and by the mid-1950s was senior forecaster in charge of the TWC.

In 1960 Allen came to Melbourne to head the newly-developed coordination and planning branch.

In 1963 Allen was promoted to ADM and in the last few years has been acting DIR on many occasions.

Allen said he had seen many important developments in the Bureau during his career, not least of which has been its growth in size (from 600 in 1946 to 2000 in 1975). Other major developments included re-equipping the Bureau with modern equipment in 1962, TAST (1963) and the establishment of WWW centres in Melbourne, Washington and Moscow (1967).

WMO Visit

In 1968 Allen went to Geneva with DIR for the first WMO Executive Committee discussions on the cost/ benefit assessment of meteorological services throughout the world. In the same year he went to the Antarctic as the Australian representative for the Antarctic Treaty Powers. He has also represented the Bureau on many inter-departmental committees.

Allen said one of the basic problems facing the Bureau in the next few years is how it will continue to provide a service to the community. Decisions will need to be made on whether more should be charged than at present for services and to what extent those provided free should continue.

Major projects such as FGGE (the First GARP Global Experiment) were of great scientific significance and of high return to the future of international weather forecasting.

Allen said he plans to travel extensively during his retirement and we wish him a long and happy one.

Bureau of Meteorology