PETER Jones has worked rain, hail or shine for five decades.
The 84-year-old volunteer was recently recognised by the Bureau of Meteorology for 50 years of collecting rainfall observations in Tasmania.
Peter said he was “really chuffed” to receive the bureau’s Rainfall Excellence Award for his work. “Now I’m working on the next 50 years!”
He started recording weather observations as an 18-year-old boatswain’s mate in the Royal Australian Navy. It was part of his duties to take four-hourly readings.
Peter continued to take readings after he left the military to work on a farm at Kellatier, inland from Wynyard.
“My father-in-law suggested I get a good gauge by speaking to the Bureau of Meteorology and soon after I was listed as a rainfall volunteer,” he said.
Peter recorded observations in Kellatier from February 1962 until December 1995, when he moved with his wife Valerie to Spring Beach.
He became the volunteer observer for Orford South in early 1999 after the previous volunteer died.
“The work’s virtually nothing,” he said. “Every morning, I lift the lid on the gauge, see how much rain is in it and record it into my diary.
“At the end of the month I send a report to the BOM. It takes about a minute each day.”
He said by itself, his work was just a little dot of information – of about 5500 dots.
“Each dot means nothing in isolation, but thousands of dots together make a picture.
“My daily readings allow the forecasters to verify the accuracy of their forecasts.”
When he isn’t recording the weather, Peter makes chess sets and other wooden items on his lathe.
He encourages others to volunteer their time.
“Whether it’s reading a rain gauge, running a sports team or being involved in local politics, you give and you get back in multitudes.”
