Hi folks,
I just wanted to add weight to this thread by expressing my dissappointment at losing our two astronomers. I'm a recently inducted volunteer and Host for the Star Viewing Nights at the PO, and I think that the miniscule savings of two salaries is a backward and short-sighted decision, clearly made for other political trade-offs that the GP will never know the truth about.
As others have said, there's an important legacy to be protected at PO, and the future is very uncertain. I hope reason will eventually prevail, and some arrangements will be put in place to continue at least the valuable public outreach offered by the PO.
