Geoff Love said he regarded Bruce as someone way ahead of his time, who always held the conventions of the public service in the forefront of his mind.

Geoff said he first met Bruce in 1975 and noted how tremendously innovative he was. But it was in Darwin in 1976 that Geoff gained more of an insight into Bruce's character.

Geoff was working at the airport and despatched an out-of-hours telex to an Observer, requesting data. The telex contained "about 10 words" that were not strictly official.

Bruce tore strips off Geoff for an "abuse of Government infrastructure" and a waste of Bureau resources. Not much has changed, Geoff said. Bruce has always been conscious of the need to conserve resources.

But it was in the position of Superintendent Program Coordination and Information (STCI) that the Bruce Neal story turned into "legend", Geoff said.

He remembered Bruce and Dr Zillman playing out their bad cop/good cop routine at conferences. Bruce would present the background of financial doom and gloom and impending cuts; then Dr Zillman would take centre stage to detail what needed to be done to keep the Bureau running.

"Bruce had an absolute mastery of figures. He was always on top of the job and was ever willing to consult and talk," Geoff said.

Bruce then moved into the ADS post, regarded by many as the toughest job in the Bureau. Geoff said Bruce's unfailing optimism and a strong belief that problems could be solved helped him over hurdles such as the Basic Product Set, the Sydney hailstorm, the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, and the reorganisation of the Services Policy Branch.

Geoff said Bruce had displayed honesty and intellectual strength, and his legacy would live on for quite some time.

Withering E-mails

Communications chief Mike Hassett said it was a privilege to have been Bruce's colleague and personal friend.

Mike said Bruce would be remembered fondly for his friendly nature, dry wit and withering e-mails.

He said Bruce's success was due to his foresight - be prepared for "when the revolution comes"—his experience and his talent as a meteorologist and administrator, all achieved as a single parent.

Faced with preparing 15 school/working lunches each week, Bruce would assemble the packages on a Sunday night and store them in the bottom of the fridge. Rumour has it, Mike said, that the fillings revolved around a central theme—Pecks Paste.

- Esther Amott

Bureau of Meteorology