18 July 2026
Hello fellow SA members,
July Meeting. Thanks to everyone who attended last night’s (July) meeting, which included our AGM and a challenging astronomy trivia quiz. The latter featured some nasty questions about the black drop effect, analemmas and OIII filters as well as “Who’s Who” portraits of 12 famous astronomers, some with period wigs! In the end, Andrew Wood’s “Astro Boys & Girls” took home the Milky Way snack bars prize, prevailing over Lachlan Mabbutt’s “Balmy Army”, John Bambury’s “Legends” and Andrew Studer’s “South-West Corner” teams.
New Committee. Among other business, the AGM officially confirmed our new committee for 2026-27: Paul Gwynne (President); Larry Wakelin (Vice-President); Andrew Wood (Secretary); Mark Town & John Gould (Observatory Managers) with Frank Gross, Colleen Duncan & John Bambury. A new Treasurer will be appointed in due course. Thanks to all committee members for their ongoing commitment to our club – it is very much appreciated. A special welcome to new committee members Colleen and John who will be invaluable additions to the leadership team.
New Members. Also welcome to new club members John Jellis, Michael Jellis, Lee Faoroam and Tim Hutchinson. We hope you find SA a friendly, supportive and informative space to share your interest in astronomy for many years to come.
Our outgoing president. At the AGM, Larry gave a fitting tribute to outgoing president, Lachlan Mabbutt, whose energy and vision over the past two years led to many initiatives including the introduction of Facebook and What’s App, the production and sale of some splendid club merchandise and a more organized schedule of monthly presentations. Although he is embarking on a postgraduate degree, Lachlan will remain a club member and continue to present talks, including his current series on the outer solar system. Thanks again Lachlan and good luck with your studies!
Survey. Hopefully all members have received the special survey that was emailed to you by Andrew Wood recently. Please take time to complete it and email it back to Andrew before the next meeting (the survey is attached to this email again). Needless to say, every member’s feedback is vitally important for the future planning and continued improvement of our club.
Next meeting(s). Our next meeting will be Friday August 21 which will feature the usual “This Month’s Sky” followed by two talks: “Shooting Stars” (Gerard Keyzer) and “The Death of Stars” (John Bambury). Down the track, the remaining meetings for the year are:
- 18 September: Uranus and Neptune (Lachlan Mabbutt)
- 16 October: Public Lecture (speaker & topic tba)
- 20 November: Women in Astronomy (Eleanor Hewison) & Astrophotography Show & Tell
- 11 December: End of Year Dinner (at UOW)
Put these in your diary!
Paul Gwynne (SA President)