In his time with the Bureau, Harry made a number of overseas trips—to Bangkok for a UNESCO seminar, to several planning meetings in Geneva when World Weather Watch was being formulated, to Offenbach for a meeting of the Commission for Synoptic Meteorology (now known as Basic Systems) and to Japan during the preliminary stages of the main trunk circuit installation between Tokyo and Melbourne. His last Bureau trip was the middle of this year, when he visited Saudi Arabia with STEB Keith Henderson on a consultancy basis. An Australian firm has been involved in the planning of a new met. centre for the Saudi government in Riyadh, and the Bureau may be asked to play some further role in this project. Harry ventures the opinion that Australia 'could chase a bit of business' there. Although the Saudi trip was an interesting one, a proposed trip to China early next year with DIR Bill Gibbs excites Harry's imagination and enthusiasm even further. He visited China in May 1972 privately, and during the course of this visit met members of the Chinese Meteorological Service in Peking. He subsequently maintained contact with them, both privately, in his capacity as treasurer of the Committee for Australia-China Relations, and professionally. As a result, five meteorologists from China will visit Australia for two to three weeks in February, and in May, a reciprocal visit is likely to be made by the Director and Harry. Further details of the February trip will be discussed by Harry in Canton later this month, during a visit to Hong Kong to see his daughter Jillian.

We've previously mentioned Harry's interests as sociology, travel and some 'pottering' type research in meteorology (he recently gained his M.Sc from Melbourne University as a result of this), but perhaps in these days of movies like 'Jaws' it's worth recalling a hobby of his younger days: fishing. As Harry tells the story, growing up in Port Lincoln meant good sailing, good living, dredging for oysters and fishing, South Australian style: that is, catching sharks with a length of chain and large, freshly baited hook. It seems a far cry from the shark-rich waters of Spencer Gulf to high-level met. discussions in China or Saudi Arabia, but it's all grist to Harry's mill. He'll be missed by many at the Bureau, and all will wish him and wife Melva well in their busy 'retirement'.

Bureau of Meteorology