Grass Looks Greener for Tony [Powell]

Tony's career with the Bureau commenced in February 1949 following his graduation from Melbourne University and completion of his met training—in the first met course to be conducted following the War.

His first position was as a Met Cl 1 in the VRO 'weather room' where, after a brief breaking-in period (consisting of one shift) he was 'thrown to the wolves' and left to issue forecasts singlehandedly.

He spent two years in the HO Central Analysis office, followed by a similar time in the SA RO. He returned to VRO in 1957 and in 1966 moved to HO where he spent three years as a member of the Research Cooperative Studies Branch, the Agromet and Applied Met Section and later in Techniques Application in the Services Division.

He also acted for varying periods as RD in the NT and ACT regions and in 1971 it was back to VRO for a further six year term as Met Cl 4, followed by 18 months as acting RD.

In 1978 Tony was appointed to the position of Superintendent Meteorologist in the Special Projects Section at HO until his appointment in March 1980 to his present position as Regional Director, Victoria.

WMO

Tony was involved for many years on WMO activities as Australia's representative on the Commission for Agricultural Meteorology. In 1979 he attended the Commission's 7th Session in Bulgaria. He is a member of the Advisory Working Group and as Chairman of an RA V Working Group on Climate-based Cropping Systems, edited the report to the WMO Secretariat.

He prepared chapters on livestock and the assessment of agrometeorological factors in fire risk as a Member of a WMO Working Group on the Agrometeorological Aspects of Land Management in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas with Special Reference to Desertification. He also carried out special WMO missions in relation to agricultural meteorology in Morocco and the Philippines.

Career Highlights

In 1966 Tony spent six months in Christchurch NZ as leader of a team contributing to a world-wide study of clear air turbulence in the stratosphere. The study, code-named 'Operation Hicat', was conducted to assist in the design of supersonic aircraft.

Bureau of Meteorology