Forecasts for the General Public (continued)

Arch Shields moved from the position of Deputy Director, Tasmania in 1958 to become Deputy Director Queensland and Jack Johnston was appointed to the position in Tasmania.

Like George Mackey and 'Doc' Hogan (1912–1978), John Hogan (1896–1970), Barney Newman, John Lillywhite, Keith Hannay, Arch Shields and Jack Johnston had all served in the RAAF Meteorological Service during the war years and all had lengthy experience in forecasting and other positions in the Bureau. George, John Hogan (1896–1970) and Barney had gained university science degrees by part-time study pre-war. John Lillywhite, Keith, 'Doc', Arch and Jack Johnston had joined the Bureau with science degrees, the first three in the 1937 forecasters' training course and Arch and Jack soon after.

Their wartime experiences and their long and varied service in the Bureau had produced a group of mature people ideally suited to the important task of leading the team of meteorologists and assisting staff in the Divisional Offices.

I am tempted to give sketches of the interesting personalities of each of the Deputy Directors in the Warren years, and have provided some information in earlier chapters but for those wishing to have more information on their background and careers I recommend the 262 issues of the Bureau's house journal. Weather News, published from August 1956 to December 1982.

After my retirement in 1978 I prepared Metarch Papers No 1 which, with the assistance of Bureau staff, was published in February 1986. This Metarch Paper lists the titles of the 3350 articles in those issues of Weather News. It also contains a comprehensive index of articles on Bureau personalities and activities, and contains references to all of the above Deputy Directors, as well as many other Bureau identities.

In the period 1962 to 1978, as Director of Meteorology, I endeavoured to have the salaries of Deputy Directors (then titled Regional Directors) increased. I argued that they carried a much greater responsibility than other Commonwealth public servants in similar positions. I pointed out that while other public servants responsible for control of State branches could refer to regulations laid down by their Head Offices, Deputy Directors and their staffs, in issuing forecasts and warnings, had sole responsibility for making important judgements at short notice without reference Central Office. At one stage I had a long discussion of this subject with the Hon Clyde Cameron, who was then Minister for Science, but was unable to win his unqualified support.

Of course the Deputy Directors, while maintaining scrutiny of the quality of forecasts and warnings from their offices, depended on their senior forecasting and warning staff who worked shifts to cover 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Reference has already been made to the contributions of senior Divisional Office staff such as Alan Martin in Perth, Errol Mizon in Adelaide, Harold Bond in Sydney, Allen Bath in Brisbane and Jack Langford in Hobart. They in turn had the support of wartime weather officers and the post-war intake of younger meteorologists including cadets. As previously mentioned the cadet meteorologists, first recruited in the early days of the Warren years, were required to gain experience in the Bureau while engaged in their university studies. When they had graduated in Science, many with distinction, they had already had considerable experience of how the Bureau operated. We shall hear more of them later in this chapter.

Bureau of Meteorology