Reorganising the Bureau (continued)

My application for the research position was successful but Len's promotion of Walter Dwyer to Assistant Director (Services) was overturned after appeals by a number of less senior staff with superior academic qualifications. Of the appellants, the Promotion Appeals Committee ruled in favour of John Lillywhite, the Deputy Director in charge of the Victorian Divisional Office at that time.

Thus the successful occupants of the research and services positions were announced in 1958 but it was some time before a permanent appointment to the position of Assistant Director (Administration) was resolved.

John Hogan (1896–1970) occupied the position for some time after Len Dwyer's promotion as Director of Meteorology and before his retirement in January 1959. He is recorded in Weather News No 30 of January 1959 (item 198) as occupying the position of Deputy Director NSW from 1948 to 1954.

Many felt that Vic Bahr, who had acted as Len Dwyer's right-hand man for some time after his return to the Bureau following his years at the WMO Secretariat in Geneva might be appointed to the position but Len Dwyer chose to appoint someone from outside the Bureau. Len first promoted B. L. Loughnan from the PMG's Department and when this was cancelled A. V. Atkins took up the appointment on 16 March 1959 at the age of 38.

Allan Atkins had joined the Commonwealth Public Service in Perth in 1939 as a cadet draftsman but enlisted with the RAN shortly afterwards and served in the Atlantic with the Royal Navy for six years reaching the rank of torpedo lieutenant and winning the Distinguished Service Cross.

Bureau of Meteorology