I would like to commend this volume to all Bureau staff, particularly to those having no or little experience of field operations. Its stories are indeed different to what one expects in a Public Service organisation and it is another valuable addition to the Metarch Papers series.

J. W. Zillman
Director of Meteorology

Melbourne
August 1998

Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge, with thanks, the special contributions made by Paul Froude for his all important Training School information, Adrian Porter for his valuable data on installation dates, Antarctic personnel and other input, Bill Hite for his preface for which I was particularly grateful and for much general assistance concerning engineering support, Reg Stout for his unique details of the early years and for many other memories from his 40 years of service, Gloria West for providing so efficiently and promptly details of Bob's service history, Graham Linnett for his general support. My thanks also go to Jack Tait, Jannes Keuken, Steve Courbêt, Len Dawson, Peter Broughton, Noel Barrett, Ralph Bulloch, Phil Black, Dave Grainger, Ray Cox, Peter Copland, Freddie Soutter, Alf Svensson and other Bureau 'techs', both serving and retired, who inconvenienced themselves to provide me with input. Thanks fellas.

Ray Clarke

Brisbane
Spetember 1998

Bureau of Meteorology