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Tim Colwill is a 22 year old human male who resides in Perth, Western Australia. Inventor of the cardboard toaster and the car-powered car, Tim is also an accomplished author, having penned such notable works as Romeo and Juliet, Clifford The Big Red Dog, and The Bible. In his spare time, Tim directs movies under the nom de plume Steven Spielberg and maintains his own standing army of genetically engineered watermelons. Truly it is said that Tim has had an illustrious career, matched only by its ludicrously unbelievable exaggeration.

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Low Front Moving In

// Filed under: Life on Friday April 21st 2006, 10:36 pm

As you may or may not know, my father, John Colwill, was the weatherman on the nightly TV news at the ABC - was being the operative word. Tonight, the 21st of April, saw the last appearance as the face of the ABC’s weather by a man who has given well over ten years of his life to an organisation, to an institution, that he believes in.

I can’t remember a time in my life when Dad wasn’t involved with the ABC in one way or another. Growing up, he was always hosting one gardening talkback radio show or another. When he wasn’t hosting them he was listening to the gardening advice being dished out on the commercial channels, and hooting with disgust as he pencilled in the last few letters on his daily crossword. I remember on one of my birthdays one year he promised me he’d play a song of my choosing on the radio. Be Prepared from The Lion King, I said. The one thing I don’t remember is what he played instead.

I remember when he moved to doing the TV weather full-time, in 1999. Oh, the jokes.
“Hey Tim, tell your dad to make it rain tomorrow! My plants need waterin’!”
“Hey Tim, make sure your dad doesn’t let it rain tomorrow! I got a golf game!”
There’s only so long you can jovially smile as a hundred baby-boomers crack the same joke.

I remember when he told me he was leaving the ABC.

Seeing your father on the verge of tears is not something that you ever get used to.

When someone’s contract expires - somebody who’s given an organisation over a decade of devoted, inspired service - somebody who has brought answers, information and happiness to hundreds of thousands of people, you’d think you’d be anxious to keep them. Instead, it appears the official ABC policy is to try to rehire them… for less.

An era comes crashing to an end at the hands of incompetent, fearmongering management. A man gives a touching and honest farewell speech, delivers the weather for one last time with flawless precision, shows his leg on statewide television and comes home, to a dinner of microwaved, reheated curry and a bad Friday night movie.

Dad didn’t deserve this.

He’s come to terms with it now, and I honestly believe that the move will be good for him - but he didn’t deserve for it to end like this. He didn’t want to, shouldn’t have had to, go out like this - his dedication and his devotion have been badly abused.

Tonight, a titan lies snoring in my living room chair, and my pride has never been so bittersweet.

God bless you, Dad.

// 12 Comments

12 Comments »

t3h (h4r says:

April 22, 2006 at 9:12 am

Why are you such a goddamned genius, and hugs to yer paw from us crayzee Yankee-Canucks.
Simon says:

April 22, 2006 at 10:58 am

Amen brother. Amen.
Popogeejo says:

April 22, 2006 at 11:22 am

Man,that sucks.Your dad has Wales (well mine atleast) support in whatever he does.
Marymary says:

April 22, 2006 at 4:22 pm

The song was The Mighty Red Baron.
We danced to it in the living room.

His voice over the radio as we waited for him to play it said “I couldn’t get the song he wanted, but I know he likes this one too, Happy Birthday Tim”
Marymary says:

April 22, 2006 at 4:26 pm

Oh it did work.
Doomy says:

April 22, 2006 at 11:07 pm

I think I might cry. I guess I should work for NOAA instead of one of the local (or even national) broadcasting services. Except The Weather Channel. They’re awesome.

What is your dad going to do now?
Chris says:

April 24, 2006 at 7:49 am

Man, that’s government for ya. Same happened to many a person in my family. I’m sorry for him and your familyTim/Simon. May God watch over you, and good fortune be on it’s way.
Gussy says:

April 28, 2006 at 5:51 pm

Wow, i didn’t know you were related at all. So sad to read that, stupid ABC. Hopefully he can move onto bigger and better things. I actually saw that last broadcast, it was sad to see him leave. He was my second fav weather person. Sorry but nothing beats Natalia Cooper, even if she doesn’t know weather inside out.
Watto says:

April 29, 2006 at 7:10 am

Thanks for clearing up that little mystery for me. All the best to your father - he is/was a very good weatherman.

BTW - what has the ABC done, have they contracted the job out to the Bureau of Meteorology now?
Robrt thomas says:

May 5, 2006 at 7:54 am

sorry to hear tim

i remember your dad from back in the day he is a good man
Tricia says:

May 8, 2006 at 9:30 am

I was so sad to hear that John Colwill had left the weather on ABC, and its worse to know that he left in such bad circumstances. He was the highlight of the ABC news bulletin for me and I really enjoyed his wit and humour over the years, not to mention his precise and flawless announcing of the weather. The nightly bulletin is not the same without him, and I am glad I am moving interstate soon!

Please wish him all the very best from me.

Tricia
ScottLorenz says:

May 15, 2006 at 8:23 pm

That sincerely blows. I maintain the funniest thing I ever saw on the weather was when he walked on wearing a Christmas hat.