Are you in an astronomy club ?

[Ian Robinson]

If you are in an astronomy club - Which one ? or which clubs if more than one ?

How often do they meet ?

What is the usual turn out ?

How often do you attend meetings ?

[Ian Robinson]

I am not ... but used to be in the Astronomical Society of the Hunter (never missed a meeting , even held a committee office for a few years) and in the BAA (even traveled to Sydney Observatory for some meetings of the BAA when interesting talks were scheduled).

Gave up my astroclub memberships when I became a shift worker and had a young family , and never felt inclined to rejoin . Club politics was also a turn off , I liked ASH more when the meetings were less formal in the early days of the club. This was a lot of years ago.

Is easier and more convenient to go to astronomy orientated webforums , some are better than others. CN is IMO the best one I've come across.

[Darth Wader]

I'm a member of www.macastro.org.au (http://www.macastro.org.au). My main reason for joining was that I've had a distinct lack of social interaction with anyone except my family/work friends for a long time now and I wanted to be able to speak to others who shared my passion. Work/home life has clashed with attending meetings, observing nights etc. I had to leave my first meeting early, but I met two members that night so it wasn't a total write-off.:thumbsup: I haven't had a chance to attend anything since so I hope no-one thinks I've skipped out!:lol: We have an observing night on the 12th of this month so if the universe is so willing I'll make every effort to get there.

Cheers
Wade

[Kal]

I am a member of ASNSW. I am not active in the club, but I do go to the SPSP most years.

[chrisp9au]

I'm a member of the ASV, but it's a waxing / waning relationship, and I think I'm going to save myself $70 next year.
Meetings?, an 85km drive, only to struggle for a parking spot in the heart of Melbourne, then 85km home.
The time and effort turns me off every time.

Iceinspace will do me just fine, I can have a meeting any time I want!
And if I have a question, there are 6,860 members just waiting for the opportunity to respond within minutes!

Plus, I can avoid all the politics by just not browsing 'General Chat' too often! :D

Cheers :thumbsup:
Chris

[astronut]

Don't worry Wade, we don't think you've skipped out!!:lol::lol::lol:

[erick]

If you are in an astronomy club - Which one ? or which clubs if more than one ? Snake Valley Astronomical Association.

How often do they meet ? Once a month club new moon observing night. Twice a year weekend Astrocamps.

What is the usual turn out ? Somewhere between one and a good handful. Camps are up to 50 at busy times.

How often do you attend meetings ? Meetings? We don't have them :D

[rogerg]

I am ... ASWA (http://aswa.info/) :thumbsup:

Turnout?
- Ordinary meetings: 20-40
- Lunatics: - 10 - 30
- Deep Sky: 10 - 30
- Serious Deep Sky Observing: 3 - 15
- Club Nights - unsure.

How often are meetings? Every month there's at least 5 events of various types. Too much to keep up with! :)

I only attend SDSO nights every month (which I run), but occasionally turn up to the others when time permits :)

[leon]

Been there once, all they do is talk about the minutes of the last meeting, :sadeyes: I went twice than built my own scope.

The Ballarat Observatory is run by a group of people that have no idea.

The leader of the group, no names mentioned, ( Female) is clueless, about astronomy.

They have 12 instruments available, but they talk so much no one uses them. :shrug:

The place, The Ballarat Observatory should be put in the care of people that know. ;)

They are all a bunch of twits, :mad2: and I don't want anything to do with them. :sadeyes:

Leon :thumbsup:

[spacezebra]

If you are in an astronomy club - Which one ? or which clubs if more than one ? ASAW (http://www.asaw.org.au) and ASNSW

How often do they meet ? ASAW - once a month (first Wednesday of each month)

What is the usual turn out ? 30 - 35

How often do you attend meetings ? I am Secretary of ASAW so I attend each meeting.

Cheers Petra d.

[Enchilada]

Astronomical Societies are a waste of time on effort. You are better to be an independent free agent!

Done everything from being on the committees, done all kinds of members contributions - ended up just serving others!

Learned one very important thing…. I function infinitely better away from them than being involved with them - being answerable to no one nor having to follow the party line. (Really, most of the time you're just stroking the ego of an elite few, often among those who are more interested in having a power-trip over others or controlling the money box!)

Suggest you use them to gain what you want to do or learn (exploitation before being exploited), then quickly move on.

All societies (astronomical and many other groups) should come with a warning label like cigarette packaging. I.e. Hazardous to your health and well-being.

Stick to the blogs (like this one), and try to stay as anonymous as possible.

Not recommended - even for the strongest hearts!

Note: the only Societies that has ever impressed me (in order) was the Sutherland Astronomical Society, the Canberra Astronomical Society`and ASWA (Western Australia). Mostly a brilliant friendly bunch of people with the right attitude. (A high rarity among Australian social cultural groups!) …but I'm NOT a member of any of them!! Love to visit, though!

[multiweb]

Mr "happy camper"(s) in all their splendour. :thumbsup:

[Darth Wader]

Ah, good to hear John!:thumbsup:

[matt]

Not a member...but have been considering it of late.

I just can't stand club 'politics'. I've attended a few club nights over the years in various towns and citites and eventually there's always some form of it that emerges.

Which is sad...because it's such a great hobby/pastime.

[kinetic]

I was a member of A.S.S.A (a long time ago) and Broken Hill Astronomy Group (even longer ago).

The BHAG was a more informal, friendly group. Very small too.
At it's peak (Halley's Comet return '86/87 we had more that a dozen
paid members! :)
We had FUN. I only have fond memories of it because I think we
didn't (or at least I didn't) try to take things too seriously.
We had barbecue star evenings out in the middle of nowhere and
the occasional meeting at someone's house.
The bulletin consisted of a hurriedly constructed rough A4 photocopy
sheet with some crossword done by the local school teacher (Hi Deb!) :)
or a star chart drawn up by me...or some jokes by the geology professor.
Good times.

Steve

[dannat]

f you are in an astronomy club - Which one ? ASV

How often do they meet ? every month atleast

What is the usual turn out ? good 100 or so

How often do you attend meetings ? not as often as i like (same boat as chris - 65km to drive - but make atleast a couple a year) also been to their ATM club (excell service) & their dark sky site a few times (only 50km away) - even went to a working bee

[Wavytone]

Been there done that and not any more. No reason to.

[Liz]

Townsville Astronomy Group
Meet once a month in 'dry season'
Small but fun low key group, and only about 10-20 turnout for past year
I go to all our viewings if possible
We keep it as a 'group' so no meetings, committes, etc
Very low key - we meet at New Moon and view and enjoy, no stress.
We decided quite a few years ago, that we wanted no part of big clubs.
Its a great group of people :thumbsup:

[Jen]

I wish we had one here :shrug:
I want to get one started im gonna call it S.H.A.G. Swan Hill Astronomy Group :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Any ideas on how to get started :screwy:

:D

[matt]

Well...with a name like that, I'd suggest a few glasses of wine!!!!

[Enchilada]

Liz. Bunch of geniuses. Now if you could teach others that, things would be grand!

★★★★★

[Jen]

:rofl::rofl::rofl:
:drink:

[marki]

Put two or more people in a room and you will have politics :(. If you really want to see it at its worst join a motor racing club, very dirty tactics employed. It is the reason I will not join any more clubs, astro included.

Mark

[AstroJunk]

No politics at the AAQ Matt - they are much frowned upon. Come and play with us, you would be very welcome - and if you detect any politics or cliquieness, tell me and I will sort it out!

Today's word is: INCLUSIVE :thumbsup:

[RAJAH235]

If you are in an astronomy club - Which one ?
The W.A.A.C.ers.
(Wollongong Amateur Astronomy Club.)

How often do they meet ?
On the 1st Thursday of each month for general "club" stuff.
eg; Latest news, Treasurers Report, Ob Officers Report, upcoming ob nights, coffee break.
Then, very short talks by a few willing members on various subjects.
Coffee & bickies break.

What is the usual turn out ?
Around 16/20.

How often do you attend meetings ?
Every month.
They have really great fish & chips across the road. ;)

We try to keep things very informal at the WAACers.
Everyone gets a go at being on the "committee" every 2 years.
Ob nights....We try for 4 per month ~ last ¼ & new moon. (Weather permitting, of course.)
Just wish "they'd" stop buying stuff.

[Enchilada]

Bunch of geniuses. Now if you could teach others that, things would be absolutely grand!

★★★★★

[Enchilada]

Looks like the moderators just gave you a free shot, since they deleted my post! Pity.

[RAJAH235]

Yep.
We've never had any trouble with the set-up.
Besides which, they're all a good bunch of people.
Club runs real smoooooth..
"No politics allowed."

[Enchilada]

Should be written into every single constitution in every astro-society in Australia!!

The biggest problem is cliques. (See article attached, which is free to distribute per the author's instructions!)

Mandatory reading for all groups / blogs of people across the entire nation! :thumbsup:

If you see a clique - do what this guy suggests!!

Also, I do think there should be mandatory restrictions on how long Committees can stay in office, especially for the President, Vice-President(s), Secretary and Treasurer. Once they are entrenched, it is like extracting teeth! Belief in irreplaceability is the number one killer!

[multiweb]

Astronomy is not all about observing or taking pictures of the skies. It's about getting out in the bush, socializing and having fun. So joining a club, any club is always a good idea to start with. I always learnt something new everytime I met new people and I enjoy everytime I go for a new moon night chatting with people and having a good time. I'm with the ASNSW originaly. Lovely bunch of people, very talented and very active imaging group. I also recently joind the MAS and I had an absolute ball at their dark site skies. Everybody was very welcoming and that's the best night I had this year :thumbsup:

[astronut]

Like any human endeavour, nothing is perfect but..............being a member of MAS for 12 years now, I couldn't have found a better group of people to share my hobby with.
The reason that committee's can be corrupted is that the office bearers forget that they are there to SERVE, NOT BE SERVED.
I'm happy to say that politics is NOT served at MAS.
So...........come and join us!!:):)

[Ric]

I've just joined the ASNSW, I've always been impressed with what I have seen and read about them.

As I live about 300km away I probably wont get to that many meetings but I'll time our visits to see the sister in law to coincide with the monthly meetings.

[matt]

Thanks for the kind offer:)

[Omaroo]

Yep - MAS are a really fine bunch of people, with a common interest and no discernable interpersonal politics to speak of. We are all very good friends, in the real sense, and not one member (of 94) would even think to utter a bad word or thought about anyone else in the society. We all really look forward to meetings and viewing/photography nights for a good laugh with great company. It really is a family with a common goal and it shows. Visitors and guest speakers really enjoy coming to our meetings, and we're known as polite and professional hosts that show a speaker how a club should run.

I may be argumentative on here at times, but that is because I tend to quickly react to what I see from time to time as idiocy or unfair/unsubstantiated nonsense. With the MAS there is none of that. We don't have anyone that likes to argue for any cause they think they have to air, so there is no agro and there are no arguments - just fun.

[Terry B]

It's sad that many people have had bad experiences with astro clubs.
I am a member of UNENTAS (http://www.unentas.armidale.com/)
We are a very small club with less than 20 active members. I don't think politics has ever been discussed.
Our meetings consist of a short time arranging any sort of event like school or national park visits or our upcoming talk by Fred Watson.
We then take a look through our 14" scope weather permitting and go home.
Soemtimes a member will give an astro related talk.
All very low key.
It is a nice way to meet other people with on interest in astronomy.

[matt]

Not politics in the sense of the ALP Vs Libs etc, Terry.

More personality 'politics' and Us Vs Them rubbish. Human politics, if you like.

[Rob_K]

If you are in an astronomy club - Which one ? or which clubs if more than one ? Bright Astronomy Club, and Snake Valley Astronomical Association (I think, if my subs are up to date - sorry Ken if they aren't! :P ).

How often do they meet ? For Bright, once a month, no 'meeting', just a viewing night under the stars. Don't even know what many of the members look like! :lol: With Snake Valley, I just try to make it to the twice-a-year camps.

What is the usual turn out ? At Bright, say 3-12 people would cover it.

How often do you attend meetings ? Meetings? We don't have them (hehe, thanks Eric!)



007 :D


Cheers -

[Ian Robinson]

I got together with Irene Towers (who'd I met when she was an doing astronomy talk at the Newcastle branch of The Store) and she befriended me (she's a nice lady) and encouraged me to follow through when I suggested to her that maybe there should be local club, as the BAA was not doing it for either of us , so I asked dad to pay for a series of adverts in the Newcastle Herald (I was 14 so I had no money of my own) . Matty Morel , George Elliot and Mrs Towers and I formed what eventually became The Astronomical Society of the Hunter and our first get together was at my home.

For the first year or two we met at each others houses (bring a plate style) , bringing spouses if we had them , and this was done on a rotation , eventually we become affiliated with Newcastle Tech College and started meeting there on a monthly basis.

If a kid of 14 can start a club , anyone can do it . Would be even easier now to get the word out than it was in the 1970s (no internet then).

My advice , keep it very informal , friendly , and unstructured as long as possible , and when you find people who are interested ask them to bring a plate or something (bikkies, a cake, cold cuts etc) , and maybe a folding chair) when the come along to check out the group , so the person who is hosting the get-together (at their home) isn't out of pocket more than brewing some tea or providing cordial for people to drink.
If you meet at night , ask them to bring their telescope , and set your's up too , and ask them to bring their spouse and kid too , to make it an enjoyable family orientated gathering.
Most important is to not be judgemental about other's (lack of) knowledge and gear when you form a club.
Also when the club starts making decisions on things they want to do , make sure everyone who is present at the meeting gets to vote on it. KEEP IT INCLUSIVE and AVOID FORMATION OF AN ELITE.

[ngcles]

Hi Ian



Yep, I'm in one club -- Sutherland Astronomical Society at the Green Point Observatory Oyster Bay, Sydney about 12km from my home at Engadine. I grew up less than 1km from our Green Point Observatory at Oyster Bay.



Every week, Thursday 8pm. We have an invited speaker on the first Thursday of the month and a technical meeting on the 3rd Thursday. The other weeks are generally not formal.



On 1st Thursdays, maybe 60-80 depending on how "popular" the speaker is and how topical the talk is. 3rd Thursdays 40-odd and on other weeks anywhere between 30 and 60-odd I'd reckon.



I'm usually there about a dozen times a year off and on. I observe at one of our two "observing spots" (Bargo and Waterfall) whenever it is clear on the designated night.

http://www.sasi.net.au/

No astronomy club is perfect. They have, without going into all the rights and wrongs of individual cases, hurt a lot of people in the past mainly due to internal cliques and politics. I'd love to see this all disappear but it is simply part of the human condition and while the astronomy clubs are inhabited by people it will happen from time to time. This is not to defend that, but to simply acknowledge an almost self-evident truth. Is it restricted to "astronomy" clubs? No, you can find it in almost any sort of association and work organisations.

In my experience, politics are found more often where the society has (1) A large membership (2) A lot of corporate possessions and (3) Money. Small clubs on this front usually don't have politics/cliques because 1 2 and 3 are not present. In particular, if you don't have 2 or 3, there isn't a lot to fight over. But if 2 and 3 are present and 1 is also there, politics factions and cliques are probably to be expected. I'm not defending that, but it is an almost self evident fact.

When I say "politics", I don't mean Labor -v- Liberal, I mean (in the main) factions forming within the membership with a view to dominating/controlling/regulating society assets to the detriment or exclusion of others; dominating the decision making process about how and when corporate money is to be spent and the perennial favourite: who gets the credit/thanks/acclaim for this, that or the other achievement or work done and exclusion of an individual (s) from decision making processes. Most society "politics" revolve around these issues.

Balanced against that Astronomical clubs/societies do a heck of a lot of good to "grow" amateur and professional astronomy in Australia and worldwide and (like most clubs) provide a lot of facilities for members that are usually not within reach of individuals. I've watched our society grow from a total of 15 adults plus a handful of junior members (I was one) to 200-odd members. Of that 200 members probably over 100 are fairly regular attendees which is a pretty high percentage (50%) on that count compared to other clubs of our size. We have a membership limit of 200 for ... various reasons that are nowadays mainly related to the size of our premises.

At Sutherland, we have generally had a culture of the committee and the executive being turned over pretty regularly. I have been on the committee and have been its President for two years (1998-2000). I stood down because I firmly believe in that culture that it should be rotated regularly. The three presidents before me held office for two, two and one years each. Beside, holding office or being on the committee is quite a bit of (unpaid) work, and that ought to be shared around. There has been the odd instance of disagreement among the membership over our 45 year history but "politics" (as I've defined above) is generally very much frowned on. We have a reputation (rightly or wrongly) of being a very friendly society.

Sutherland isn't perfect in every way but I'm very proud to be there and it may well be one of the best clubs in Australia. I was a member from 1973-1983 and then 1992- present. I dropped out for a while (1984-1992) while the marriage, mortgage and maternity thing got in the way -- you know how it is. I was still a practising amateur but not in a club, that's all. But even in that time I was out, I toddled along to the odd meeting every year or so to see old friends. No present plans on leaving anytime soon.


Best,

Les D

[Louwai]

When living in Melbourne I was a member of MPAS & Snake Valley.

MPAS was mostly good, but I decided not to go back, mainly because of 1 twat who thought he knew it all, actually knew nothing & couldn't keep his mouth shut.:mad2:

I miss the guys at SV.:( Great bunch. I wish I lived closer. Loved being a member of that club. :thumbsup:


Here in Brissy I'm a member of SEQAS. Only been to 1 committee meeting. No actual observing meets yet.
Can't comment yet. We'll see.

[RAJAH235]

Jen...
As no-one has mentioned it yet, please don't forget the
Public Liability Insurance aspect.
You'll need to have "The Club", covered....JIC.
(AFAIK, no claim has ever been made by/against an Astronomy club/society.)
All astronomy clubs/societies are covered by an Australia wide policy for any
authorised event.

From memory...We, W.A.A.C.ers, use the brokers, Webster-Hyde Heath in South Aus.
Not sure if all clubs/societies are through them though.

I'm sure that others will have more info on the subject.
As an example of premium/s...
Before the Aussie wide cover, most clubs were paying over $1,100 per.
Now it's capped to a more reasonable sum. (bit involved to explain here.)
We pay ~$110 per year for our 30 odd members.

HTH.

Regs, L..

[Ian Robinson]

That's probably why it pays to become affiliated with a tech college , you are then covered by their insurance.

If meeting at people's homes , the house insurance covers people getting injured on your property. What's the worse thing that can happen ?.... most sitting and talking.

[Enchilada]

Over the many years, my experience is that every club I've been involved with (30+) this is exactly what doesn't happens.

Perceived power, influence and money are always the catalyst. Such sub-groups then cement their position either by 'superior' knowledge and putting in place the means of reinforcing their influence.

What you say is absolutely true, but it is a little naive to happen naturally. as I've stated previously, prevention of elitism has to be put in black ink and not on the hope it won't happen. Human nature will kick you in the butt every time.

As a broader comment; Why does happen everytime, that when you mention the word clique out comes the 'warm and fuzzies' and then trying to justify their little group of people? I.e. We're not like this or that.

Are those who do this. Are they more susceptible to being part of the clique, of which they might be accused?

(Wish I took up sociology!)

[Enchilada]

Good luck to you!!

[multiweb]

Thanks mate. One of the best society in NSW. :thumbsup:

[Enchilada]

Actually, this is the first good sign of a healthy society. In one or two societies, which I shall not name, Committee members might exist for eight to ten years on average. Yet when this is pointed out to them, they closed ranks, and started to form a dynasty. The more power or the more finances available to control, the more ruthless the executive becomes. You know this is happening in how the membership communicates with the executive or the executive/clique. In my view, the cause is because the executive is organised and the rest of the membership is fragmented. This wedge, is what the executive to maintain their control - forming the "us" and "them" attitude. After a while, the executive then gripes about the lack of support from the members, while the members feel on on lookers instead of participants.

Perhaps all this is acceptable and the way it is, but everyone in every one within group should change the whole paradigm. The key is not make the executive more fluid and this involves participation. Sitting on the fence as a member and expecting everything to be handed to you is actually just as bad as not participating at all. In the end, it means you will only get what you deserve.

Have the gumption (and discard the temerity) and destroy the clique formations at every possibility. This is the only way all members will get a level playing field.

Note: As for being a 'member' of one society - I didn't know that (my apologies on the assumption.) They, of which you are a member, have always been friendly to me for more years than I care to imagine! :thumbsup: Good stuff!

[stephenb]

I used to be in the ASV. I received a lot of help in my younger years, but these days I cannot justify the membership price. When I get off my backside, perhaps SVAA in March.

The "politics" mentioned is in every club, no matter which hobby. You should see what it's like in model railways clubs :lol: Les has explained the "politics" aspect perfectly.

My advice for anyone thinking of forming a group or club? Keep to an informal group and meet amongst yourselves. No presidents, no treasurers, no bank accounts, no model association rules, no AGM's, no auditing the books at the end of the financial year. Do not try to create a formal incorporated club unless you are really, really ready for it.

If you all get along, then each person throws in $5 every time you meet (or $1 or $2, whatever) for refreshments, consumerables, end-of-year bbq or whatever. I do this with five others in my area in another hobby, where we used to be a part of an incorporated club, but we all left because we wanted to spend the club nights enjoying the hobby, not having meetings. Now we meet at someone's home every fortnight and enjoy the hobby.

[Enchilada]

As one of its past Presidents and as a member since 1979, it probably is.

From your seemingly long experience with it, perhaps you know better? :thanx:

[multiweb]

I've been there only two years so I haven't had the privilege of experiencing your presidency but I'll take your word for it. Having said that they're the most helpful and talented bunch of people and they helped me a great deal in every aspect of the hobby. :D

[Enchilada]

You may be right. However, the problems with forming a group is public liability and the need for insurance.

Legally, the difficulties in forming groups is to basically protect its members from being sued. To do this, you need to be incorporated, by a government authority. This requires registration and a legal constitution. In turn, it allows you to hold money in an account, which required books and financial statements.

If you do as you suggest, you need to be auspiced by a group that does have public liability insurance to meet together at some 'meeting', and also that any finances the group possesses are held by the auspice body.

Not doing this finds the danger is an accident happening and one person suing the members for damages, in which each individual is liable. You might have good intentions, but a $2 million dollar debt to a couple of people tends to ruin one's life.

Years ago, doing such things was fine. Not anymore. I, personal, would not be involved in such a ad-hoc group. :thanx:

Best idea is to probably to stick to blog sites like this one...

[stephenb]

I understand what you are saying about the public liabiliy etc. but I am simply saying... invite people to your place and enjoy the hobby.

I wouldn't (and don't) take out public liability insurance if I'm going to have a Christmas BBQ in my backyard with friends and family. If you fall over at my place.. too bad so sad, you should have looked where you are walking. That's all I'm am saying. I am not talking about public events, or anything involving the public. Just a group of like-minded people catching up at someone's house for a few hours and sharing the hobby.

If I want to drive to the bush and meet up with a few astro friends, at the end of a dirt road, I don't need public liability insurance for that.

People can have just as much fun in small personal, informal groups without all the crap. You don't need public liability insurance to meet at someone's house.




I have been doing this with many hobbies for some years. It is not an outdated concept, you know. People can interact without forming official clubs. I don't consider ourselves "members" just locals getting together for a drink , a chat, and exchanging ideas within the hobby.

Remind me not to invite you to my place. If you stub your toe, you'd probably sue me.

Perhaps a topic for another thread.

[Enchilada]

Two points.

Yes, you can interact with people without forming official clubs. However, my response was in light of you saying "My advice for anyone thinking of forming a group or club?" I'd assumed you were NOT talking not about a "group of friends" but of slightly more "official" engagements. The transition between the two hazy definitions is the problem. The problem you have is being exposed to people you don't know is the real issue with needing insurance.

As for the "outdated concept", I think you misunderstand me. I'm referring to is slightly more formal regular meetings of members in public places. I.e. If you have a get together on a local council premises, where you would be asked about PL insurance before using one of there venues, halls, etc. (In this case, the Council itself is protecting themselves from the possibility of being sued.) Thirty or forty years ago doing things like this was not a problem, sadly these days it is!

Secondly I don't believe in litigation on a matter of principle, and feel a bit hurt by the suggestion that I would not like to talk to someone who is equally passionate about their interest. You would always be welcome at my house, especially with a telescope and some interesting astronomical conversation. Hell. I'd even give you a biscuit with tea or coffee!!! I do that with others at least once a week or so now! :thumbsup:

[Zaps]

Ain't that the truth. :rolleyes:

[Wavytone]

Anyone else here had their application for membership of a society declined ?

I have, for a start.

[Ian Robinson]

No .... not wanted to join one for a great many years.

Did they say why they'd declined you a membership ? that's very odd.

I however come across into a bunch of guys who had a few telescopes set up on the grass near the Pilot Station at Newcastle recently , and other than my old friend George Levanis who was there , I took the time to park and wonder over and say gday to and to have a bit of a chat with (had been several years since I'd seen him), the other guys came across very frosty , wouldn't even engage in any interaction at all (with me) , so I just left them to it.

For an outreach session , they were not very outreaching .

Nor did they hang around very long , I drove back past the area about an hour later when it was actually night and they were gone. But I'll concede the lighting in the area they had set up in very bad for stargazing , and they may have packed in because of the lighting.

[erick]

Perhaps I should qualify by saying that the club executive manage everything just fine without asking me - probably just as well. So club meetings aren't currently required. :)

[star1961]

i am a member of ASSA in adelaide. their monthly bulletin is really good and i used to love doing the crosswords but haven't seen one of those for a while. i haven't been to any meetings. they're too hard to get to. every time i plan on going to the observatory nights the weather is really bad and it's too far to drive in bad weather.
i've spent quite a bit of time at the university planetarium with some interesting speakers and professional lecturers.
i dont think i'll keep up my membership it's pretty expensive at $55 per year.

[AdrianF]

No not a member of any club. Sent emails to 1 of the clubs in SE QLD and didnt get a reply so I assumed I wasnt needed/wanted so didnt try again.

Adrian

[AstroJunk]

Adrian, try again. I refuse to believe that any of the SE Queensland clubs maliciously failed to answer - they all could not be more welcoming.

Email has become far from reliable now with spam filters doing their worst. Maybe they didn't get yours, maybe you didn't get theirs.

If it was the AAQ, you can PM me with details and I will investigate.

[seanliddelow]

I had problems joining my groups email lists because all the emails i got from them had been put in spam filters, i fixed the problem howeve.

[Esseth]

Been looking into a few S/E QLD ones, but have never attended yet... just a matter of time and working out when and where... and remembering lol

But i do want to get involved.