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| Sir Charles Todd |
Now you may be thinking, what has Charles Todd got to do with science, particular science of today. Wasn't he that bloke that put up those telegraph poles between Adelaide and Darwin 100 plus years ago? And Yes, you are correct.
It's unfortunate that while the Overland Telegraph Line was a technological feat of its time (1872), it over shadowed Sir Charles Todd's other achievement which in their own right are each significant. More so, his legacy which is continuing to assist scientist answer many of todays questions around global climate change. In terms of current technology, as one speaker at the symposium put it, "Sir Charles should be credited with the first mobile communication device and SMS messaging as he carried around a pocket Morse code key to connected to any telegraph-line to communicate around the globe". That last one is stretching it a bit!
The symposium grew from an idea of the Todd family descendants to celebrating the 140th anniversary of the Overland Telegraph Line completion. It appears that the Wether Bureau was asked to brief the family on the meteorological works of Sir Charles Todd. On reflection, Mac Benoy a volunteer for the Bureau of Meteorology claimed that "Sir Charles meteorological contribution was a result of his breadth of involvement in other fields including surveying, electrical, engineering, telegraphy, post and astronomy". To provide completeness it would require others to showcase Sir Charles works. So the symposium was formed.
