Weather Officers—25 Years Ago

Advertised soon after the outbreak of war, the course began in March 1940 and by the end of September of that year the Weather Officers were "on station".

The picture on this month's issue of "Weather News", taken from the souvenir menu of the dinner, is published as a nostalgic reminder of (dare we say it?) . . . lost youth.

Cover of menu for farewell dinner for members of the 1940 Weather Officers course, held on Friday 23 August 1940 at the Prince of Wales Hotel, St Kilda. The three photographs centre top are, from left to right, Pat Allender, Lennie Dwyer and Harry Newell of the Training staff. Other photographs are of course members. Anticlockwise from top left Ashton, Brann, Brown, Clarke, Forder, Garriock, Gibbs, Greenfield, Hall, Mason, McDonough, MacKenzie, Nettle, Retallack, Rofe, Rutherford, Senior, Shields, Smallman, Wiesner, Williams, Wright.

Among those present who are still with the Bureau are Messrs Harry Ashton (A/ADR), Bill Brann (STIO), Andy Garriock, Bill Gibbs (DIR), Bruce Retallack (SRT), George Rutherford (STAF), Arch Shields (RD, Queensland) and Don Wright of CAO.

Those still associated with meteorology are Messrs Reg Clarke, CSIRO Met, Physics; Brian Rofe, Weapons Research Establishment; Bruce Mason, University of South Australia (whose son is a Met. Class I in the Adelaide RO), and C. J. Weisner, Department of Meteorology, University of New South Wales.

The former DIR, the late Mr. L. J. Dwyer, is at the "head of the table".

Bureau of Meteorology