As a child, I was obsessed with military history. I built scale model ships from plans I scrounged up, but I also hated clutter, so I incorporated explosives for the day I ran out of room in my bedroom. Many ships sunk in blazing glory in the local creek.
Then, when my 11th christmas came along, a 40mm refractor appeared under the tree courtesy of my mother. First night out I saw craters on the moon, gasped with delight and my obsession with ships evaporated in an instant.
Six months later, my first job had resulted in a 200%+ increase in light gathering. A 60mm refractor. First night out, I saw a bright yellow star at 30 dregrees above the horizon. When I focused..., it had rings... and I screamed, cried with delight... and stopped sleeping.
2 years later, I built a 12in F7 newtonian and began to realise how small I was. I also learned how to be at peace during turbulent teenage times. Getting lost amongst amongst the starts on warm Summer nights was a great place to find myself.
In my early 20's I managed to visit the 200inch Hale reflector, met Clyde Tombaugh at the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference and camped 50m from the AAT with my first serious love.
Apeture fever took hold and in my mid 20's I bought one of Coulter Optics' 29 inch F4.5 newtonian mirror sets before they went broke trying to do it consistently.
I owned one of the largest privately owned telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere. I taught classes through my community college in central Victoria when comet Halley came past.
Many hundreds of converts...
A little old man turned up one night at 1:00am with his great, geat grand son... climbed slowly up the ladder and looked at Halley's nucleus, (I didn't think he would make it... but he did). When he climbed down again he looked at me and said, "Thankyou son, I've waited along time to see that comet again". I cried with him.
Life got in the way after that. All the scopes went.. uni, job, family... Motor bike smashes left me a wreck in many ways but I never lost the sense of peace that astronomy gave me.
Now I am a teacher and recently rejoined the observing club. I drive a C11 on a G11... and I dont sleep much. My children look in awe at Saturns rings, Jupiters moons, craters on the moon and many other things.
My seven year old son is about to drive a Megrez 90...
Oh... what have I done!!
Mum is gone but the legacy of christmases past lives on
I collect telescopes... and I collect memories...