Taking the World View [John Zillman]

In particular, the complex and imperfectly-known behaviour of the atmosphere in the southern polar regions.

While the agrometeorologist may study tiny wind eddies around a wheat stalk, and another scientist investigate turbulence near an airport, John's studies have generally involved a global view of meteorology.

His work has earned him a two-year Commonwealth public Service Postgraduate Scholarship to study the energetics of the southern hemisphere circulation at the University of Wisconsin in the United States. He is working for a Doctorate of Philosophy in meteorology.

Before leaving for the USA in August, John headed the Broad Scale Section of Research and Development Division's Synoptic Research Branch. He is pictured opposite.

Despite his absorption with his job—(he has be known to work to 3 a.m.)—John found time to court a colleague, technical officer Dawn Myers. They were married in May.

John grew up at Caboolture, 40 miles north of Brisbane, where his father was a farmer. He had given little thought to meteorology until he met Barney Newman (then RDQLD) at a P.S. lecture. He joined the Bureau in Brisbane as a cadet meteorologist, took a Science degree at the University of Queensland, followed this by a part-time BA degree and an Honours degree in Physics (a year's Postgraduate study) with a thesis on "Lightning discharges and the current-jet hypothesis of whistler generation".

Bureau of Meteorology