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Introducing your Volunteer Hosts
2027 OzSky "Classic" Star Safari
In addition to the amazing range of large telescopes which we provide for your use at these events, the OzSky Star Safari is further enhanced by a core team of dedicated and experienced volunteers who will be generously donating their own time during the OzSky week to help make the OzSky Star Safari a very special and unique event for you. Following is a brief biography on each of the Volunteers who will be assisting at the 2027 OzSky "Classic" Star Safari.
Like many star parties around the world, the OzSky Star Safari is a highly social event where lifelong friendships are forged. Closer to the event, we will circulate a similar document to this, containing summarized profiles of everyone attending the 2027 OzSky "Classic" Star Safari to help you get to know everyone better before your big trip to Oz.
Last Updated: 30 Oct 2026
| Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald (NSW, Australia) | OzSky Co-Founder & Event Coordinator | ||
| Astronomical Affiliations: | Co-Founder and Volunteer of the OzSky Star Safaris; Co-Founder of 3RF Australia; Board Member of 3 Rivers Foundation (3RF) in Texas; Member of the Astronomical Society of NSW (ASNSW), and proud recipient of the ASNSW's most prestigious award, "The McNiven Medal" for volunteer services to the astronomical community. |  | |
| Professional Background: | Data Engineering and Data Visualisation. | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | I spend most of my spare time planning and co-ordinating the OzSky Star Safaris and have been volunteering with the OzSky Star Safari trips since co-founding this event in 1993.
Astronomically, I'm a mostly Visual astronomer using large-aperture telescopes, with a passion for outreach & showing off all the "Eye Candy" in the Southern night sky.
I also enjoy dabbling in wide-field astrophotography and "NightScapes", and occasionally building home-made telescopes. | ||
| Observing Instruments: | Custodian of 3RF's 25” ƒ/5 Obsession, 18” ƒ/4.2 UC Obsession, 25x150 Giant Fujinon Binoculars and Coronado PST plus my own 11” SCT and a 10” ƒ/5.6 Home-made solid-tube Dobsonian which I built at age 16.
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| Tony Buckley (NSW, Australia) | OzSky Co-Founder and Volunteer | ||
| Astronomical Affiliations: | Co-Founder of the OzSky Star Safaris; Co-Founder of 3RF Australia; Former President of the Astronomical Society of NSW; |  | |
| Professional Background: | Prior to his much-earned retirement, Tony was appointed as a Commissioner in the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW, and was President of the Astronomical Society of NSW for 10 consecutive years. Tony has been the primary point of contact for countless numbers of astronomical visitors from abroad for well over 25 years, and continues to spend his time demonstrating to astronomers from the northern hemisphere what they have been missing out on in the South all this time. Tony has been co-ordinating these trips in their various forms since 1993. | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | Visual observing using big dobsonian telescopes. | ||
| Observing Instruments: | 20” ƒ/5 Obsession, 14½” ƒ/7 dob, several smaller instruments | ||
| Anne Adkins (TX, USA) | OzSky Core Volunteer | ||
| Astronomical Affiliations: | Astronomical Society of NSW; Volunteer with the OzSky Star Safari and 3RF Australia; Board Member of Three Rivers Foundation (3RF) in Texas; Austin Astronomical Society; Texas Star Party; Eldorado Star Party; McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors. |  | |
| Professional Background: | A freelance Volunteer, Anne is very active in numerous non-profits in Texas USA and is also heavily involved in organizing the famous Texas Star Party.
Anne has been volunteering with these OzSky trips since 2002, co-coordinating the Deepest South Texas Star Safaris from 2004-2009, during which time she used her expertise to transform these ad-hoc events into a highly popular "must-do / Bucket List" event for amateur astronomers around the world, applying significant improvements and successfully marketing these events to the wider astronomical community across Texas and the USA.
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| Astronomy Pursuits: | Observational astronomy, and turning kids, and adults, onto astronomy and the big science set to happen on next generation 30-meter telescopes. | ||
| Observing Instruments: | 15” and 20” Dobsonians | ||
| Andrew Murrell (NSW, Australia) |
OzSky Core Volunteer and Telescope Steward, Visual Observer and Astrophotographer |
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| Astronomical Affiliations: | Volunteer with the OzSky Star Safaris and 3RF Australia; Member of the Astronomical Society of NSW |  | |
| Professional Background: | Professional Wedding & Event Photographer | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | Deep Sky Visual Astronomy with a specialty in ”Faint Fuzzies” and ”Horror Lists”. Andrew is well known in astronomy circles, particularly following his discovery of a faint planetary nebula which has since been confirmed and named “Murrell 1” | ||
| Observing Instruments: | Custodian of 3RF's 18” ƒ/4.5 & 25” ƒ/5 Obsessions, plus my own 10” and 20” ƒ/5 home-made dobs | ||
| Gary Kopff (NSW, Australia) | OzSky Core Volunteer and Telescope Steward | ||
| Astronomical Affiliations: | Volunteer with the OzSky Star Safaris and 3RF Australia; Member of the Astronomical Society of NSW |  | |
| Professional Background: | A fully qualified Electrical Engineer, Gary is the Managing Director and co-founder of Wildcard Innovations Pty Ltd and co-developer of the Argo Navis™ Digital Telescope Computer (DTC). Gary is a proud recipient of the Astronomical Society of NSW's most prestigious award, "The McNiven Medal". Gary has been volunteering with these trips since June 2004. | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | Deep Sky observing and development of the Argo Navis™ Digital Telescope Computer (DTC) | ||
| Observing Instruments: | Custodian of 3RF's 18” ƒ/4.5 Obsession | ||
| John Bambury (NSW, Australia) | OzSky Core Volunteer and Telescope Steward | ||
| Astronomical Affiliations: | Volunteer with the OzSky Star Safaris and 3RF Australia; Member of the Astronomical Society of NSW |  | |
| Professional Background: | CFO of an Australian beef and lamb company, which is a large exporter of Beef and Lamb to the USA | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | Visual Astronomy with a specialty in "Eye Candy" objects
I have been a keen amateur astronomer for many years, and am a well-known and highly respected contributor to many of the online astronomy forums. I have been volunteering with these trips since April 2006. | ||
| Observing Instruments: | Custodian of 3RF's 14” ƒ/4.5 SDM and 3RF's 18” ƒ/4.5 Obsession, plus my own 10” Dobsonian | ||
| Donna Burton (NSW, Australia) | OzSky Field Volunteer and Telescope Steward | ||
| Astronomical Affiliations: | Volunteer with the OzSky Star Safaris and 3RF Australia; Member of the Astronomical Society of NSW |  | |
| Professional Background: | Donna runs her own astronomy business in Coonabarabran (The Astronomy Capital of Australia) after many years working for one of the world's most respected observatories. A flying instructor, passionate amateur astronomer, and post-graduate student at the University of Southern Queensland, Donna is also a keen sidewalk astronomer and is the Australian representative for the global astronomy community, "Astronomers Without Borders". Donna has been volunteering with these trips since March 2013. | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | Comet Hunting, Sidewalk Astronomy, Extra-Solar Planets and ”Spotty Stars” | ||
| Observing Instruments: | Custodian of 3RF's 12” ƒ/5 binocular telescope | ||
| David Batagol (NSW, Australia) | OzSky Core Volunteer and Telescope Steward | ||
| Astronomical Affiliations: | Volunteer with the OzSky Star Safaris and 3RF Australia; Member of the Astronomical Society of NSW |  | |
| Professional Background: | A Doctor and father of five | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | Observational astronomy with a particular interest in planetary observing. I have been a keen amateur astronomer since my early teens.
Other random interests include guitar, karaoke, aviation, and anything radio-control, but particularly radio-control submarines and ships. | ||
| Observing Instruments: | Custodian of 3RF's 18” ƒ/4.5 Obsession, plus my own 12½” Newtonian reflector which I built in 2012. Built my first telescope at age 16 | ||
| Matt Bielski (MI, USA) |
OzSky Field Volunteer, Visual Observer and Astrophotographer |
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| Astronomical Affiliations: | Michiana Astronomical Society; Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) |  | |
| Professional Background: | Hailing all the way from Niles, Michigan, Matt owns and runs a mechanical contracting business and is a grandfather of seven.
Non-astronomical interests include sunset and landscape photography. His favourite telescope is a very portable 22" ƒ/4 Ultra-Compact Obsession. Matt is a member of the Michiana Astronomical Society and Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. Matt has been volunteering with OzSky since March 2023. | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | Deep Sky visual observing - I especally enjoy "Challenge Lists" like the Herschel 2,500, Herschel I, Herschel II and Herschel III lists. I am currently working on the NGC list - now about 93.9% complete | ||
| Observing Instruments: | 22" ƒ/4 Obsession UC, 16" Meade Lightbridge | ||
| Vello Tabur (ACT, Australia) | OzSky Field Volunteer and Visual Observer | ||
| Astronomical Affiliations: | Canberra Astronomical Society (CAS) |  | |
| Professional Background: | With a PhD in Astrophysics and a background in Computer Science, Vello truly lives and breathes astronomy. In addition to having multiple professional publications and prestigious awards to his name, Vello has also discovered at least three comets and three novae, including:
Vello has been actively volunteering with OzSky since March 2023. | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | Observing deep-sky objects & comets, and writing astronomical software to support those interests | ||
| Observing Instruments: | 18” Obsession Classic | ||
| Ash Singh (NSW, Australia) |
OzSky Field Volunteer, Visual Observer and Astrophotographer |
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| Astronomical Affiliations: | Volunteer with the OzSky Star Safaris; Former Bintel employee; Former Vice-President of the University of Sydney Astronomy Society |  | |
| Professional Background: | Market Research Consulting | ||
| Astronomy Pursuits: | Visual and Astrophotography. I enjoy Photographing SNRs, Abell Clusters and Arp galaxies, but never had a scope large enough to observe any - until now! | ||
| Observing Instruments: | 8" Dobsonian; RC6 and 50mm for widefield imaging | ||
Previous Editions:
- Overview, Trip Planning, Bookings & Logistics
- Observing Expectations at OzSky "Classic"
- "Eye Candy" and Suggested Observing List Resources
- Weather & Climate Expectations
- Suggested Day Trips & Activities
- Driving Directions & Guides
- Optional Train Bookings
- Introducing your OzSky Volunteer Hosts
Next Editions:
- Pre-OzSky "Meet & Greet" Dinner in Sydney
- Optional On-Site Catering & Meal Options
- Schedule of Events & Activities
- OzSky Solar & Lunar Astro Almanac
- Last-Minute Reminders & Packing Lists
- Final Wrap-Up Report
