NYAH West sheep and cropping farmer Ian Watson has recently received an individual excellence award for more than 50 years of volunteer rainfall observation.
Awarded by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), the award is for “grateful recognition of exceptional service to Australia’s National Climate Record since 1956”.
Mr Watson said he was shocked and humbled to receive the award as observing the weather was part of his daily routine.
“I measure the rainfall at 9am every morning,” he said.
“It goes onto a chart, it’s what we live by as farmers.”
When asked of significant events in his more than 50 years of observing the rain, Mr Watson said the floods in 2011 were a standout.
“Looking back at the records, it shows that 10 inches of rain fell in February in 1911,” he said.
“I used to look at the old records and think, ‘no, that couldn’t have been 10 inches of rain’, it was utterly ridiculous.
“But then in the month of February 2011, 10 inches of rain fell. And I was convinced it can happen.
“It’s just amazing that it was exactly 100 years.”
Mr Watson said the summer deluge eight years ago was very out of the ordinary.
“It was a huge amount of water, it flooded the road and all around the house,” he said.
“It was like we were on an island with water all around us.”
While the 100-year break was a rare occurrence, Mr Watson said he doesn’t believe in rainfall patterns.
“Some say it’s 10 years, some say its 30 years, but I can’t see those patterns, it varies all the time,” he said.
“But very often after a dry year there’s a good season.
“1982 was one of the worst droughts we’ve seen, but 1983 was one of the best years.
“But anything can happen.”
