Assistant Director (Services) Retires and Tributes Flow In [Bruce Neal]

A CAREER spanning 38 years, numerous operational posts, and four senior executive positions came to an end on 19 May this year, the last working day for Assistant Director (Services) Bruce Neal.

Nearly 60 colleagues and friends farewelled Bruce at a retirement lunch at the Emily McPherson College in Melbourne.

Bruce, who won the Bureau's Excellence Award in 1997, has been, among other things, a Regional Director, Secretary to the Steering Committee and the Working Party for the 1995–96 Review of the Operation of the Bureau, and Chair of the World Meteorological Organization's Commission for Basic Systems Working Group on Satellites.

Bruce said at the lunch that the few weeks before his retirement had been a time of fond reflection and great excitement about the future.

He recalled his school days in the early 1960s, when he was offered a scholarship to do medicine (favoured by his father), a civil engineering cadetship, a BHP cadetship to do metallurgy, and a cadetship with the Commonwealth Government to do meteorology.

He spoke of New South Wales Divisional Director Barney Newman's comment to him that the Bureau offered new challenges and opportunities to move around the country and to see the world. "Young man, from where you are starting, the only way is up."

Bruce also recalled cadet meteorologist Rex Falls (former Queensland Regional Director) taking him on a tour. He said he was fascinated by the charts, the mysterious coded messages, the teletype machines and the instruments. "It was like a toy shop."

In his time with the Bureau, Bruce witnessed a lot of technological change - satellites, regional computing and the communications revolution.

But he said one of the main reasons for the Bureau's success was its ability to retain good, dedicated and friendly people. The Bureau was an extended family that worked well together, he said. In the face of adversity, the bonds only strengthened.

Bruce said he was overwhelmed by the number of well-wishers, and he paid tribute to colleagues and friends.

In particular, he thanked Director Dr John Zillman and Deputy Director (Services) Dr Geoff Love, "without whom I could not have survived in the ADS job for the past several years".

Bruce's retirement plans include travelling around Australia, recapturing his prowess on the tennis court, putting to use his new golf shoes and bag presented at the retirement lunch, and spending more time with his grandchildren.

Man's Job

Bruce completed his meteorological training in 1963–64 (course No.13) at a time when, according to WA Regional Director Len Broadbridge, the course "turned boys into men".

The course also turned out four Regional Directors: Len, Pat Sullivan (NSW), Hugh Hutchinson (Tasmania) and Graeme Furler (South Australia).

Of Bruce, Len said he was a real family man who was besotted with his two young grandchildren. Of Bruce's career, Len said: "There wasn't a job he didn't do well."

Bureau of Meteorology