After Dinner Speakers: Rob McElwee, Jonathan Dimbleby, John Moulton

BBC Weather Forecaster Rob McElwee was born in Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire. He was educated at Gordano Comprehensive, Portishead near Bristol, Salisbury Technical College, and Reading College of Technology, where he obtained an HNC in Maths, Statistics and Physics. On leaving in 1979, Rob toured the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe for four months on a bulk carrying ship and in 1980 he started training to become a ship broker. The following year he became an assistant manager at a motor parts shop. Rob joined the Meteorological Office in March 1982 and worked as a weather observer at the Bristol Weather Centre, transferring to Netheravon Army Air Corps. base on Salisbury Plain the following year. In 1990 promotion to the position of weather forecaster took him to Marham in Norfolk, the home of 617 Squadron, the "Dam Busters". Later that year he was posted to Wattisham in Suffolk. In May 1991 Rob became member of BBC Television’s weather team, making his first appearance on screen on July 23. A Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, Rob lives with his wife, Rosanne, and sons, Oliver and David, in Buckinghamshire. His hobbies are driving anything (he holds an HGV1 driving licence). He also enjoys DIY and working on his cars. Part-time interests range from Scottish reeling through rally co-driving to parachuting. His next project is to obtain a PCV (passenger-carrying vehicle) licence.