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Hi all, just to throw my two bobs worth in (yes it was called a florin, I know, I used to spend them).
We all seem to know that there are forums (none better than right here on IIS), there is the net at large, and of course Societies and clubs. These will be and should always be the first port of call on the astronomy voyage of a beginner.
However, given that societies by-and-large seem to be associated with large population areas, and that it's possible for many people these days in remote or small population areas to purchase their first telescopes via mail-order out of a catalogue.
In those cases, if there was a reputable register of suitably qualified people to contact who could drop in and show the beginner how to perform the most basic functions, plus a couple of nifty semi-advanced tricks (Colimination comes to mind, as well as focusing, cleaning, storage and handling), it would be a good thing.
There could even be a need just to talk to a real person about astronomy in general, there doesn't need to be a problem per se.
I guess when your car breaks down you like to go to a mechanic that is accredited and has a tick or badge to say he is part of some association or that he has undergone some basic form of training, up to a certain level.
In the realm of amateur astronomy there is sense of people helping other people for free and in the main that is a good thing, however should you jump in your car, drive across town, take several hours to fix some minor problems and generally give of your experience and then drive back, should you at the very least be compensated for your expenses, such as fuel and time?
There is not a profit motive herein, it's not about making money, there are other far more profitable paths to tread, if you were depending on earning a living from aligning peoples new telescopes you would soon starve. The question of compensation is an important one however and IMHO does not fly outside the general sense of giving freely of ones self to others simply because it's astronomy.
Probably the greater majority of people reading this remember the free help they got and have no problem helping out others, that just might be the thing that made you a long term amateur astronomer.
However, it might also be true that many people who were more-or-less on their own and didn't land in the right forum or meet the right people and did not have an easy entry into astronomy, dropped out after awhile and are lost to us. It wasn't that they lacked passion or enthusiasm, it might just be that they felt frustrated because in their isolated place they felt there was no hope - no help. There are a lot of lonely people in the world, who don't live in cities.
So in summary, If the right checks and balances were in place, and the help were given for the right reasons and a small but modest fee given in return to recover your personal expenses, I see nothing wrong with Barry's plan, in fact I think it's great.
As a last thought, most amateur astronomers after awhile get to know who's who, and what's what, so if someone on the list was discovered to be doing the wrong thing, it's wouldn't take very long for everyone to find out. In a way, the tight knit amateur astronomy scene in Australia is self regulating, so a register of volunteer people (with the possibility to recoup expenses), seems like a very good idea.
Disclaimer: I have no vested financial interest whatsoever in this project, I honestly and sincerely think it's a good idea and the work I am doing with Barry is because he is a great bloke and I am pleased to help him if I can.
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