Ray Clarke Looks Back (continued)

My installations, which always included the commissioning stage except for the WF44 radar, varied in team numbers from one (me) up to about a dozen tradesmen/technicians. The WF44 radar used to take four weeks and needed a team of eight, a supervisor (the buck stops here), three installation 'techs', two Regional Office 'techs', an electrician (generally borrowed from a Government Department) and, occasionally, a storeman (Gerry Punt was a good one). Everyone on the team had specific duties and targets to meet. In general, the overall allocation of duties and delegation of responsibilities proved to be very effective. Very experienced and capable installation 'techs' like Bob Brealey, Bruce Duck and Carl Keswick made life easier for the supervisor as their work was fault-free for intents and purposes.

I never found it necessary to motivate the staff that worked with me. They appreciated the challenge and took a pride in their own particular job. There was a time to work and a time to play. Only once or twice in my experience did I ever have the occasion to seriously discipline a staff member over the 16 year period and I guess that shows the dedication and hard work which characterised the 'met techs' with whom I was associated.

When I returned from the Pacific cruise to Lihou Reef, I was brought down to earth with a rush trip putting a WF3 radar into Wagga before Christmas 1970. After the Mount Stuart WF44 radar was installed, I made another trip to the West for the Perth Airport WF44 radar in July 1972, with the usual installation team plus Regional 'techs' Ralph Bulloch and John Prince, a couple of good, dependable workers. At the same time, on the other side of the continent, my old sparring partner, Bruce Duck, was putting an AWS on Gannet Cay, but we had a good team in Perth and RMO Western Australia John Gilbery (Gilburger) also got some hands on experience.

Bureau of Meteorology