It was great to get away to Parkes again this year for the CWAS Astrofest....my apologies to for not being too chatty at the awards night this year (post surgery has made my voice very weak and croaky)...but congrats to Phil Hart for picking up the "big one" this year. I spent some time talking with David who is finding the standard of entries to be higher each year, thus making his choices evermore difficult, but his eye is as keen as ever.
The quality of the exhibition prints also seemed to go up a notch this year. The framed winning entries looked absolutely fantastic, and it was humbling to still be included in the mix of some very talented photographers.
This year's result is something of a personal milestone for me, as took my tally to 40 "Malins" of one sort or another since the competition started some 14 years ago. Wow, what a change there has been in the standard of entries in that time! The young guns of Astrophotography in Australia are red hot, and I am sure will produce even more superb images in years to come. Might be time for me to retire while the going is still good !