On the local scene, Don was a member of the 1977 staff deployment team with Lynn Mitchell (SA RO), Kevin Beatty (Personnel HO) and Dal Hamilton (WA RO). The team visited every RO and capital city airport office reporting on the use of Bureau staff. He participated in another 'Cook's tour' in 1981, interviewing applicants for Met 2 and STO 3 positions.

Don was a member of Apex Clubs for 14 years after originally joining the Leongatha branch. He has held the offices of President and Secretary of the Melbourne Apex Club and was Treasurer of the Committee organising an international Apex Conference in Melbourne in 1971. He has been Treasurer of a kindergarten and of the primary school council and now produces a monthly newsletter for his Parish Church.

Don is an avid reader and spends a lot of his spare time undertaking historical research. The hours involved certainly paid dividends when he was a finalist of the ABC's Mastermind contest in 1978 and 1980 and then went on to win the 1982 final. Following this success, he competed in an international Mastermind competition. In 1982, Don also did well out of 'Sale of the Century' which paid for recent home renovations including the addition of a study to accommodate the piles of books that previously occupied a large portion of the dining room.

Don is also interested in astronomy and has been a member of the Astronomical Society of Victoria for about 20 years. He has conducted public demonstrations of telescopes near the old Melbourne Observatory.

Don, 51 and his wife Kath, have two children, Greg 11 and Christina 10

Bureau of Meteorology