I believe that this sense of togetherness was the result of the wartime experiences of those who had served in the armed services of the 1914–18 and 1939–45 world wars. I have heard many post-war visitors and new recruits remark on this sense of togetherness. The Bureau was indeed a very special family.

This story would not have been written without the encouragement and support of Dr. J. W. Zillman, Commonwealth Director of Meteorology and President of the World Meteorological Organization, and that of a considerable number of former and present members of Bureau staff who are listed in Appendix 4. I must especially mention Ian Forrest who was most helpful during the four years I spent researching and writing about the Bureau in the years 1946–1962. Ian and an independent reviewer were keen to see that all the facts were correct. As the author of these memoirs I was keen to see this Metarch Paper No 13 published without delay. If there are any factual errors after the efforts of Ian and the independent reviewer I accept full responsibility.

One of those from whom I requested a C.V. responded by suggesting that I had made a mistake in attempting, at my age, to write the story of the Bureau from 1946 to 1962. He felt that I should have given priority to the period 1962 to 1978 when I was Director of Meteorology. I preferred to pay homage to the remarkable foundation laid during this earlier period.

In his M.Sc. thesis Gardner (1996) points out that a complete history of the Bureau would require more resources than those available to a sole writer having limited time and assistance. There are many achievements during the period 1946 to 1962 to which I have not done justice. Others will no doubt write of this and other periods. With Gardner, I hope that sufficient manpower and resources might one day become available to prepare a comprehensive history of meteorology in Australia.

Bureau of Meteorology