Early Years in the Bureau
Introduction
My Early Years in the Bureau of Meteorology
The Formation of the Frosterley Club
Attachment A
Attachment B
Attachment C
Attachment D
Attachment E
Attachment F
Attachment G
Attachment H
Attachment I
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Previously there had been a short term training course for employees from within the Bureau. This was a conversion course to enable them to take charge of some of the aerodrome meteorological offices which were just opening in capital city and other aerodromes. Several of the members of that course had not yet taken up their new appointments and were still in Melbourne waiting to go out. They included Alf Rose who was going to Western Junction Aerodrome, Leo Day, who had been a draftsman in the Bureau and was going to Canberra, and Vance Deering. He was the youngest of that course—about my age and was going to Kurumba to provide forecasts for the Empire Flying Boats which were going to fly Singapore, Darwin, Townsville, Bowen. Because of limited range they had to stop at Groote Island and Kurumba before going on to Townsville and proceeding via Bowen and Brisbane to Rose Bay in Sydney. That earlier course had finished in early July 1937, and the next one (our course) wasn't to start until about the end of August. This was at the end of the academic second term and quite a number of the newcomers either had teaching jobs or were employed at various universities or other tertiary institutions. Before he left Mr Newman had provided a room for me in the Horticultural Hall with was extremely cold. 1937 must have been one of the coldest winters on record with fog almost every day. Mr Newman left various books for me to study, but some people in the Bureau across the road in Drummond Street had their eyes on me for other jobs until the course commenced. Mr Treloar took me back to Mr Timcke who promptly decided I should spend at least the first week working in his room. I worked with Jack Maher sharing a fairly small desk with him. Jack was doing a part-time university course at Melbourne and was unable to become a member of the previous course because of his university commitments. Jack was working on wind statistics from various aerodromes around Australia and preparing wind roses for each of them for various times of the day, and for each month of the year.
One of my jobs was to assist him in compiling these wind roses, but more importantly I spent the week learning the intricacies of pilot-balloon flights. These were done from a small platform on the roof of the Bureau which was reached by ascending a spiral staircase from outside the window halfway up the main staircase in the Bureau. You climbed out through this window carrying a pilot balloon theodolite and a hydrogen filled balloon. The balloon was filled from a cylinder of hydrogen immediately behind the desk I shared with Jack. Fortunately there were no smokers in that room, otherwise it might have been dangerous. Pilot balloons were released at about 9.30 each morning and about 3.30 in the afternoon and these provided the Melbourne upper winds. Soon after pilot balloon flights were transferred to Essendon Airport. The theodolite was orientated with respect to the flag staff on top of Government House tower and after release the balloon (which during the week in July was usually blue rather than white) was followed through a rangefinder until the two or three minutes (or even five minutes) had elapsed after which it was assumed the balloon would be rising at the standard of 150 metres a minute.
People in Bright Sparcs - Hogan, John; Lillywhite, John Wilson; Mackey, George William; Maher, John Vincent (Jack); Newman, Bernard William (Bernie); Timcke, Edward Waldemar; Treloar, Harry Mayne
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© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
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