Richard (Dick) Whitaker

After graduating from Monash University in Science in 1968, Richard Whitaker was conscripted and served two years in the Army, ending his military career as an infantry junior officer with 5th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment.

He joined the Bureau of Meteorology soon after and began a public service career that would last some thirty-one years.

Dick left the Bureau in 2002, but never lost the “weather bug” and came out of retirement to begin his own meteorological consultancy business. He was Chief Meteorologist with Sky News Weather up until 2016 and appeared regularly on radio and television.

He is very interested in history and meteorological education, particularly through television, radio, and books, and has been author, co-author and consultant editor of seventeen books about the weather, including publications for Time-Life and Reader’s Digest.

Dick is an experienced lecturer and has delivered numerous lectures on history and the weather to such groups as Probus, Rotary, Libraries, U3A, bushfire brigades, historical societies, schools and business groups.

He has been married for 51 years, has two children and five grandchildren.