Of course the news outlets have this wrong. TCN9 had been presenting weather forecasts before ABC TV began, though it is likely Nine didn’t employ actual meteorologists. Certainly, in Melbourne, HSV7 had an actress, Mary Parker, as its first weather presenter, debuting the night before ABN2 in Sydney began.
But even if it was in regard to meteorologists and/or ABC weather presenters, technically, he was not the first. Alan Wilkie was one of a number of meteorologists seconded by the BOM to ABC to present the weather. Presenting on ABC’s first TV bulletin on 6 November 1956 was Allan Rainbird. (note the difference in spelling of first names)
Rainbird, Ron Sheard and Wilkie presented the weather for ABC on a rotational basis. The BOM and ABC soon came to a similar arrangement in Melbourne when ABV2 began.
Sources:
- The ABC Weekly Vol. 18 No. 44 (3 November 1956)
- the book 50 Years: Aunty’s Jubilee, 2006.
- History of the Bureau of Meteorology Federation and Meteorology, Memories of the Bureau, 1946 to 1962, page 1028
By 1955 Allan was a full-time member of the forecasting team which by that time included Alan Wilkie (brother of Ray) and Ron Sheard, who, as mentioned earlier, together with Harold Bond and Allan comprised the team from the Sydney Divisional Office who made history by being the first Bureau weather presenters on the ABC.
Allan recalls that the Sydney ABC TV station ABN 2 was officially opened on the eve of Melbourne Cup day by Prime Minister R. G. Menzies in November 1956. Regular transmissions began on Melbourne Cup day with Allan presenting the weather program immediately following the 7 pm news. It says a great deal about Allan’s self-confidence and ability to communicate that he was chosen by the ABC to be one of the Bureau presenters and that he made history in presenting the very first broadcast by a member of the Bureau.
I heard something about Sophia divorcing Joe on the radio so googled to find out more and then found an explosion of births and splits there.