Allan joined the Bureau as a Weather Officer in 1942, and served in the RAAF at Mascot (under George Rutherford), Townsville (under Harry Ashton) and Rockhampton (under Arthur Douglas) from 1943 to 1944. He was then transferred as OIC No. 3 Mobile Met. Flight with combined RAAF and Army personnel, serving in New Guinea 1944–46. The flight was attached to 6th Aust. Division and worked mainly in the Aitape-Wewak area on the north coast of New Guinea. He was involved in the provision of forecasts and circulation of tides (without tide tables) for the amphibious landing at Wewak, but most of the work dealt with meteors and sound ranging for artillery in the 6th Division's advance along the north coast.

After the war Allan returned to Mascot, firstly in the RAAF and later as a civilian. For 3 years he worked on the 4-man Mascot roster with fellow forecasters Harold Bond, Andy Garriock and Des Hart.

From 1948 to 1954, he was OIC Met Office at East Sale, instituting met. lectures for RAAF Navigation Courses and also travelling with them on single heading exercises, once to New Zealand.

In 1954 Allan began a long association with the Qld RO first as Senior Met, and from 1964, Supervising Met under Barney Newman and later Arch Shields as RDs. As this was a period of great expansion in the Bureau, considerable effort was made in the extension of hydromet and tropical cyclone services as well as public education on the effects of cyclones. He was the author of a number of technical articles, chiefly in the hydromet area particularly in regard to rainfall associated with tropical cyclones. He was also part-time lecturer in meteorology to Civil Engineers and Agricultural students at the University of Queensland. He says one of the most difficult tasks he remembers as a Met 3 was to try to supervise the work of two very sharp Met 1s, namely Herbie Wittingham (who died in 1970) and Kevin Spillane.

In March 1972, Allan was appointed as RD South Australia, taking over from Doc Hogan. He was instrumental in getting the new Regional Office building in Adelaide, known variously as the Crystal Palace, the Blue Submarine or (by Bill Gibbs) as a cross between the Taj Mahal and the Queen Mary.

Allan and his wife Dorothy have five children, four of them now in Adelaide, so it looks as though they'll be retiring there. They have long-range plans for travel, including a 6-month caravan tour next year round Australia (in an anticlockwise direction to take advantage of prevailing winds).

Through 'Weather News', Allan would like to pass on a message of greetings and farewell to all his friends in the Bureau and those on the retired list.

Postscript:—

Allan Brunt says the best letter of the many he received wishing him well in his retirement came from Mr Norman James-Martin, who previously had written an 'erudite epistle to the Forecaster Supremo' (see 'Weather News' March 1980). On this occasion Mr James-Martin's message was: "In retirement may your libidinal proclivity be reinvigorated prodigiously to be employed. Very best of well-being for the future".

Bureau of Meteorology