Retirement of Walter Dwyer

The cover picture shows what was perhaps the highlight of a full and varied career—his investiture by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Rohan Delacornbe, with the Imperial Service Order at Government House, Melbourne. Walter was awarded the honor by the Queen in this year's New Year's Honors List for outstanding services to meteorology.

Virtually "Mr. Aviation Meteorology", Walter has been associated with this branch of the Bureau's activities, dealing with the application of meteorology to aviation, since the early days of the industry in Australia. The problems he faced during the 1930s when air services developed so rapidly were many and heavy, and he was given the task in 1934 of opening and developing the Darwin meteorological office. In this capacity he was the first meteorologist to provide a direct meteorological service to civil aviation in Australia.

As officer in charge of the Darwin office—during the time when record-breaking flights from England to Australia were a common occurrence—Walter got to know the pioneers of aviation in Australia and the world. Aviators such as Ulm, Kingsford-Srnith, Amy Johnson, Amelia Earhart, Jim Broadbent, Jim Melrose and Jim Mollison were among his acquaintances.

He returned to Melbourne in 1937 where he became the first inspector of aviation met. at Central Office. During the last war Walter joined the RAAF Met. Service and moved around the SW Pacific representing Australia at inter-allies met. conferences. In 1943 he was a member of the Met. Committee of the Combined Chiefs of Staff in Washington. After the war he participated in many international meteorological conferences as WMO representative.

Bureau of Meteorology