Seventy-Five Years at Willis Island
Preface
Foreword
Chapter 1: Willis Island Today
Chapter 2: Willis Island is Conceived
Chapter 3: Willis Island is Born
Chapter 4: The Early Years
Chapter 5: Life in the 1930s
Chapter 6: Willis Island at War (1941–42)
Chapter 7: After the War
Chapter 8: Willis Island—1960s Style
Chapter 9: The Value of Willis Island
Chapter 10: The Original Inhabitants
Appendix 1: Willis Island Milestones
Appendix 2: Willis Island Officers
Appendix 3: Log of Willis Island Observations, December 1922
Appendix 4: References
Index
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Peter joined the Bureau of Meteorology as a Technical Officer in 1970 and has served at Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Mt Isa and Williamtown in a variety of positions. He was married in Cairns in 1974, and he and his wife Mary have two children, Susan and William.
Although Peter has not visited Willis Island, he has developed a keen interest in its observations from the time he served in the Tropical Cyclone Section of the Bureau's Regional Office in Brisbane. As a member of the Queensland Field Station Management Committee he has collected reminiscences of some of the inhabitants of Willis Island.
Many years ago I visited Willis Island with the then Regional Director, Queensland, Arch Shields. I remember seeing a journal of former residents dating back many years and now wonder if that is still maintained on the Island. Among the residents of the island listed in Appendix 2 of this issue of Metarch Papers, I have known J. K. Davis, John Hogan (1896–1970), Les Nelson, Leo Day, Joe Radich, Walter Dwyer, Jack Sammons and Paul Ruckert.
Metarch Papers No. 2, in part, contains the account of the term served on Willis Island by Jack Hogan (1896–1970) and should be read in conjunction with this Metarch Paper. Paul Ruckert's reminiscences form Chapter 7 of this Metarch Paper.
There are many stories to be told of life on remote Bureau observing stations. Perhaps this issue of Metarch Papers will prompt other present or former members of the Bureau to write further about life in these remote locations.
W. J. Gibbs
Melbourne
October 1996
People in Bright Sparcs - Davis, John King; Dwyer, Walter Anthony; Gibbs, William James (Bill); Hogan, John; Shields, Archibald John
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© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
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