Vale Paul Ruckert

It is with sadness that I inform the ANARE Club of the passing of my father Paul Ruckert passed away on the 18th of July this year

email received from Andrea Ruckert, 1 September 2021

Paul was conscripted during the Second World War and chose to join the Air Force with dreams of becoming a pilot. Poor eye sight and the ability to recognize cloud formations meant that he became a weather observer and served in New Guinea.

After the war he joined the Bureau of Metereology as a weather observer and technical officer.

He accepted posting to many parts of Australia including Willis, Macquarie (1957), Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands before finally settling in Melbourne.

After retirement, he did a 4 month voluntary stint on Misima Island, Papua New Guinea with another BOM retiree Jack Stevenson, training local weather observers.

He left a quirky account of a year spent serving on Willis Island which can be found at:

https://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/fam/0612.html

He retained his interest in all things metereological, musical and nature related until his death at the age of 96.

He is survived by his wife Elvira, and daughter Andrea.