Ric Kern

12/03/1958 – 26/12/2024

Met Tech, Casey 1993, Macquarie Is 2000

I was advised over the weekend on the sad passing of Ric Kern who worked as a Tech in Hobart for many years, based at the old Moonah Regional Maintenance Centre.

Ric joined the Bureau in 1989 and after graduating from Technical Officer training was initially based in Perth in his native W.A. Whilst training for a posting to Casey in 1992, Ric liked what he saw in Tasmania and on return from the ice was successful in a transfer where he was a mainstay of Tas/Ant Engineering Services until his retirement in 2016. During this time he worked all over the state on the upkeep of observations platforms and wintered again on Macquarie Island in 2000.

He was a conscientious technician, always arriving at work early where he would analyse all sorts of diagnostic data and often fix faults and issues remotely long before anyone else had a chance to recognise and report there was a problem. He was very much a character from an era past but displayed good humour and a jovial nature and had a lifelong love of his pet dogs, Toohey and Aussie.

For those colleagues who may have worked with Ric over the years and like to pay their respects there is a memorial service scheduled this Wednesday 15 January 12:30pm at Graham Family Funeral Home Chapel, 73 Risdon Rd, New Town. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Dogs Home of Tasmania will be gratefully received at the service.

John Halford