I was very fortunate in that a family member knew the then Director of Perth Observatory, Dr Ivan Nikolov. When I was twelve I got to spend some time at Perth Observatory and from this the spark began a small brush fire, which was later to grow into my passion. Without the influence of Dr Nikolov and another astronomer, I may never have found my passion, as I was too stupid, as a kid, and as a young man, to realise that I actually had one.
Having come from a relatively poor background I couldn't even dream about owning a telescope. At the age of 15, I used to go to the only place in Perth that sold telescopes; John Vann Optical, I think it was called. I used to be one of those kids who would lean against the window drooling on the window wishing I could have bought the 4" Unitron refractor. It was about $1300 in 1968 and well beyond even the realms of possibility. And, it seemed so large then. At that time I was only earning $22 a week! I simply couldn't afford that, or indeed, the 2.4" refractors either which were around $125 with an alt-az mount, as that too seemed a small fortune too.
It was around this time that I met another old astronomer, whose name escapes me now, and he encouraged me to continue with observing the sky. He gave me a pair of binoculars that he had from WWII. I cherished those binoculars and would lay on the lawn for hours each night just watching the sky, which was so dark, in those days (I lived in the hills at the back of Kalamunda) and tried to imagine space just going on forever. I had those binoculars for many years, until they were stolen. I was crushed, as they had a lot of sentimental value.
After about a year the old astronomer gave me a 2.4" telescope for my birthday. I remember being a very happy boy, it just meant so much to me. I can clearly see that man's face, but for the life of me, I cannot remember his name. I used that telescope for quite some time until its capabilities, or lack of, saw me lose interest. I know, from first hand experience why some kids lose interest when they get 'crappy' (at least by today's standard) telescopes and expect to see everything.
Then, life got in the way; motorcycles, rock and roll, women and drink, in that order, took me in a different direction. That was a bit of a wild period in my life, which lasted about three years. Then work took me to the country and it renewed my interest. Then life got in the way, again, when I got married. I can never understand why I married that women
Probably ego, as she was the most desireable women in town, she was gorgeous, by anyone's standard. We never had much in common and she just couldn't understand why I would want to lay outside, in the dark, just watching the stars. She thought I was loony......and she be right
That marriage failed, as she left me for a mate. Later, I remarried and bought my first decent telescope, an 8" reflector. I completely rebuilt the telescope and mount at work; I am a machinist by trade. I even built a small planetary gear, which was fitted to one side of my focuser. I had fine focus on my telescope in the mid 70's, so nothing is new. I got the idea from an English astronomy magazine or book; I can't quite remember where, but I made one. It was crude, but it worked well and had a 7:1 ratio.
Then a move back to Perth and saw me renew my interest in astronomy and it was about this time that I started to go up to Perth Observatory again. After some years, they began to trust me and I was allowed to use some of their equipment. It was during this time that my passion truly grew. The brush fire finally caught alight and became a wildfire.
Eventually, I graduated to bigger instruments at Perth Observatory and through hard work and, particularly, dedication I got to use most of their equipment and got to do some science at the observatory. The level of trust that they extended saw me using their equipment unassisted and the quality of my data was such that it was included in scientific papers. Not too shabby for an amateur. Actually, I was the original volunteer and from that the volunteer program was expanded.
During my second marriage I had to, very reluctantly, sell my 8" reflector, as we had just built our home, so money was tight. I didn't buy another telescope until after my wife left me, for another mate. This sucks....I am running out of mates!
It all finally come together in 1995 when I bought my SCT and since then have accumulated a number of scopes. Must be overcompensating for the lack of optics in my marriage. Well, that's my story and I am sticking to it. Actually, it is more like I have much more money now that I don't have a wife and no one to tell me I can't have it
It was a long, and often, painful journey, but the night sky is now my life!
