Adrian Porter Pulls No Punches (continued)

One event that I found amusing and dangerous during my last winter in Antarctica was struggling against the wind and cold to cross very uneven, rocky, snow-covered terrain to change the sunshine recorder chart. Having recovered the piece of paper, it was not unusual to find yourself slipping over and looking at up to the heaven flat on your back, to find that there was no burn mark to the sunshine card. The absurdity of this observational practice did not escape me as I badly twisted my ankle twice for a no burn result on the card; more fool me. Another interesting event was the time-honoured tradition of shovelling snow from the balloon filling shed doors. The wall presented to the lucky participant can be three metres high. Worse is to follow on the other side if the blizzard that dumped the snow is still raging. All the scene lacks is a judges panel holding up score cards. Bruce Copplestone holds the record for our year with a successful balloon release in an average wind of 122 km/hr; not bad, but he let go of the balloon at about the same distance from the shed.

There are interesting times immediately ahead for 'techs' in the way that our work is evolving, both practically and politically. I do not believe we have adequate representation for the road ahead; our judges in this matter are the meteorologist 'managers' who so far have failed to grasp the fundamentals of the crumbling technology heap that we are all perched on. It's time for the introduction of professional, resource trained managers; current management has had its day in the sun. Unfortunately, the blood has all but oozed from the technical core; this body, once strong and coherent, is aging and will not withstand the immense pressure of change ahead. Without radical changes the remaining core will fragment to dust, to be blown away by the winds of change. It will no longer be able to support the weighty demands of the Bureau.

There is no doubt that technical work has changed for the better. Unfortunately, the Bureau has failed to fully capitalise on new technology, finding itself with a mixture of old and new, using computers and, in some cases, parchment and quill. The way we work tomorrow will also change; it remains to be seen if this can be managed for the betterment of the Bureau and staff alike.

Flowery comments on the future ahead, maybe, but they're my assessment after watching the Bureau's evolution over 27 years.

Bureau of Meteorology