What's in a Name?

24 Weather and Climate (1990) 10: 24-26 WHAT'S IN A NAME? In March, 1988, Cyclone Bola devastated Greek and Roman mythology and progressed the East Cape hill country and brought wide- to the use of feminine names. Finally he used spread flooding and wind damage over much the names of politicians, many of whom, being of the North Island. The name Bola entered unpopular with Wragge, would find their New Zealand folklore; hardly a week goes by names attributed to a cyclone which 'did not without some mention of the storm in news- know what to do next' or which was 'whooping paper, radio, or television news items or around and making a nuisance of itself as features. Where did the name Bola come from? The Wragge used names for all weather short answer is that Bola was the next name systems, not just tropical cyclones. on the predetermined alphabetical list In his 'Special Forecasts for Australasia' for currently used by the Tropical Cyclone the week ending 9 October 1902 Wragge Warning Centre at Nadi, Fiji, for naming wrote, in his usual hyperbolic style, 'the cyclones which form in their area of Antarctic disturbance Melba, named after the responsibility. Other Tropical Cyclone ,divine songster, will be the ruling factor over Warning Centres at Noumea and Brisbane the southeastern quadrant of Australasia also have similar, but different, lists of names. ,generally. Vessels bound west through Bass The story behind these lists is, I think, an Straits from eastern ports will surely meet interesting one. Melba and some persons will not only have The practice of naming cyclones using per- reason to remember the superb singing of the sonal names goes back many years. It is a original but also recollect the howling and the useful system, providing positive identifica- whistling of the winds of her cognomen tion of severe weather systems in a brief The Antarctic disturbance, James, now south form, readily understood and recognised by of Wellington, will soon have passed into west the public. The risk of confusion between cy- longitudes.' clones occurring about the same time is min- The forecast for New Zealand and the Chat- imised and the name provides a useful ham Islands for that week was 'squally and reference point for news stories or weather wet in the south under edge of James, then bulletins. temporarily finer. Thereafter comes the di- Credit for the first use of personal names vine Melba: shipping look out for her!' for weather systems is generally given to A manuscript comment on this forecast Clement ('Wet') Wragge, Queensland Govern- reads 'James was up to time in feeble form ment Meteorologist from 1887 until 1907. but Melba did not come in time to embrace Wragge himself claimed that distinction. On him.' July 24, 1902, he wrote in his new weekly After Wragge the naming practice appears journal, 'Wragge', that 'The Weather Bureau, to have fallen into disuse for many years only Brisbane, was the first meteorological organ- to be revived again in the latter part of the isation in the world to adopt the method of Pacific War about 1944 in an informal way. naming storms'. At the time there were many forecast centres Support for his claim comes from an his- with probably their own practices. Some Unit- torical note of the Australian Bureau of Me- ed States' Air Force lists allocated female teorology. 'To him (Wragge) must go the names to North Pacific cyclones and male, credit of being one of the first meteorologists names in the South. There is some belief that to give names to cyclones. He began by using the practice was revived following the publi- letters of the Greek alphabet, then drew from cation of R G Stewart's novel 'Storm' in 1942. What's in a Name? 25 The forecaster-hero of this book shared the which they formed but this proposal was lead role with a tropical cyclone. abandoned when it was realised that in its After the war the practice fell into disuse formative stages the cyclone may be less again in the Southern hemisphere although it destructive than later in its development and continued in the North Pacific. The French in this could mean that Tonga, for example, New Caledonia were the first to revive it yet might always suffer from storms with Fijian again from about the 1959/60 season. names, hardly good for international Australia followed in the 1963/64 season but relations! New Zealand, then responsible for Fiji, did not In the end it was decided to throw names adopt the practice until the 1969/70 season. from all over the South Pacific into a melting The first name used by Fiji was Alice, 4 pot and see what we could do. In 1979, as January 1970. Superintendent Training, I was asked to pro- At that time only feminine names were duce four lists, three for routine serial use and used. I have not been able to find any particu- one as a replacement list for when names lar reason for this and would not want to were withdrawn from the main lists because perpetuate the myth that feminine names of the severity of particular storms. were used because tropical cyclones, like At the time we had a Pacific Islands' Ad- women, are fickle, wayward, and vanced Course in residence and Daphne Watts unpredictable. and I collected lists of suitable names from However, International Women's Year in each Course member. The names had to be 1975 saw an end to this sexist naming. In April short, easily pronounced, culturally accept- that year the Australian Science Minister able throughout the Pacific, and not contain ordered that cyclones should now carry both any idiosyncrasies such as the Fijian 'c', pro- men's and women's names. 'I think that both nounced 'th'. The lists were edited for suitabil- sexes should bear the odium of the devastation ity then cross checked with the group for caused by cyclones', he said. New Zealand had acceptability. This proved to be an hilarious already taken a similar step in February that task. The name Baba, perfectly acceptable to year in response to a request from the Fiji some, meant variously a baby, an old man, National Council of Women who considered crazy, or the cry used to call the pigs home. the use of only female names discriminatory. Oni, a nice short name meeting nearly all It was decided not to change the list in current requirements had to be dropped because in use that season but to incorporate men's one language it meant the end of the world! names for the 1975/76 season. The first three Hardly a name to be used in a warning names for that season were Kim, Laurie, and message! Marion, all names which can be used by men Some names were dropped on religious or women and it was not until Norman, the grounds. Some names were dropped for rea- fourth on the list, that the nettle was firmly sons which were never made clear to us but it grasped. Incidentally, 1975 was the year when was obvious from the laughter and embar- the Fiji Meteorological Service was rassment that there were some rude words established (on 1 July) so that the charge of indeed in our lists. sexism in naming cannot be levelled against It was intended that the lists should be that Service. alphabetical with alternately male and fe- Male names did not make the North Pacific male names but it was not always possible to lists until 1978 and the North Atlantic lists find a suitable name beginning with the appro- until 1979. priate letter nor, indeed, was it possible to By then, New Zealand, which was still pre- complete the lists using only ethnic names. paring the lists for use by Fiji, was consider- There is therefore a scattering of European ing the use of ethnic Pacific names rather names. than just European names. There was consid- Acceptable lists were finally prepared and erable discussion on this matter because of have been in use in Fiji since the 1980/81 the difficulties which were anticipated in view season. of the many languages and cultures in the A few ethnic names actually preceded Pacific. One proposal was that cyclones these; the first, I believe, was Meli in March should be named from the country nearest to 1979. 26 What's in a Name? The last updating of the lists was done at the Tropical Cyclone Committee Meeting at Brisbane in July 1988. Finally, will we have another Bola? No, the name has been retired permanently because of the severity of the storm, both in Vanuatu and New Zealand. Ray Smith..

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