Astrograph Restoration
We have great news on the Astrographic Telescope Restoration. After many months of toil (and trouble) the Tube is finally done! Our very weary Project Manager, Paul Wadham, has let me know that they are now up to putting the final coat of paint on the mount. Paul says that soon the public will again be able to view the Astrograph as a static display.
After that he says “the brass bits and tubes still need to go back on, then the telescope needs re-balancing to make it usable again”. This restoration has been a massive effort from our volunteers, and we are all excitedly waiting to pull on its string to simulate taking astrophotographs again.
BBQ Picnic Area
February saw the completion of the main works for the Volunteer Barbecue area.
Thank you to Rob Kennedy, Des Criddle, Ken Day, Ned Kelly, Ken Stranger and the many other volunteers that have slaved over getting this area ready. We are just waiting for the weather to cool down so that we can put it in the new surrounding garden.
Photographic Glass Plate Preservation Project
Work is continuing on this marvellous project to scan and catalogue around 23 000 photographic plates dating from 1901 to 1999. Our Honorary Historian, Craig Bowers, heads a dedicated team of 7 volunteers who valiantly slog away at this very precise job each weekday in their tiny scanning room.
They have passed the halfway mark and are going strong. Craig is careful to make sure his crew gets lots of breaks in a bid to avert cabin fever and we all enjoy seeing each weeks edition to their door by an anonymous scanner (who looks suspiciously like Paul Wadham).
