Who's Who at the OzSky Star Safari?

The OzSky Star Safari is hosted by a group of volunteers affiliated with 3RF Australia (Three Rivers Foundation, Australia), a not-for-profit organisation based entirely on the generous assistance of a group of dedicated volunteers. To help you get to know each of your volunteer hosts a little better, a brief biography of our team of volunteers appears below.

The "Classic" OzSky Star Safaris (March / April) will usually have the full complement of our volunteer hosts available on-site, however the much smaller OzSky "Alumni" Star Safaris (September / October / November) will generally have only one or two volunteer hosts on-site due to the nature and size of those events.

Lachlan MacDonald

Working for the NSW Government in Data Analytics and Visualization during the day, I spend most of my spare time planning and co-ordinating the OzSky Star Safaris and managing the volunteer operations of 3RF Australia.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual astronomy using large-aperture telescopes, with a passion for outreach & sharing astronomy with the public and showing off all the “WOW” objects (aka “Eye Candy”) in the Southern night sky. I also enjoy dabbling in wide-field astrophotography and “NightScapes” and building home-made telescopes. I am a proud recipient of the Astronomical Society of NSW's most prestigious award, “The McNiven Medal” for services to the astronomical community and have been volunteering with the OzSky Star Safari trips since co-founding this event in 1993.

Tony Buckley
Retired Commissioner, Industrial Relations; President of the Astronomical Society of NSW for 10 consecutive years
Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual observing using big dobsonian telescopes.

John Bambury
Finance Manager for the Australian Beef and Lamb Company
Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual Astronomy with a specialty in ”Eye Candy” objects

Gary Kopff
Electrical Engineer - Managing Director and co-founder of Wildcard Innovations Pty Ltd and co-developer of the Argo Navis™ Digital Telescope Computer (DTC)
Primary Astronomical Interests: Deep Sky observing and development of the Argo Navis™ Digital Telescope Computer (DTC)

Andrew Murrell
Professional Wedding & Event Photographer
Primary Astronomical Interests: 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”

David Batagol
Doctor and father of five
Primary Astronomical Interests: Observational astronomy with a particular interest in planetary observing

Donna Burton
Flying instructor, passionate amateur astronomer, and post-graduate student at the University of Southern Queensland
Primary Astronomical Interests: Comet Hunting, Sidewalk Astronomy, Extra-Solar Planets and ”Spotty Stars”

Anne Adkins
I am a freelance Volunteer, am very active in numerous non-profits in Texas USA and am also heavily involved in organizing the famous Texas Star Party. I have been volunteering with these OzSky trips since 2002, and I co-coordinated the Deepest South Texas Star Safaris from 2004-2009, helping to transforming these OzSky events into a highly popular ”must-do” event for amateurs around the world.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Observational astronomy, and turning kids, and adults, onto astronomy and the big science set to happen on next generation 30-meter telescopes.

Matt Bielski
Service Manager (Mechanical Contractor)
Primary Astronomical Interests: Deep Sky; General Interest

Velo Tabur
Computer Science & Astrophysics
Primary Astronomical Interests: Observing deep-sky objects & comets, and writing astronomical software to support those interests

Ash Singh
Work at Bintel
Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual and Astrophotography. I enjoy Photographing SNRs, Abell Clusters and Arp galaxies, but never had a scope large enough to observe any.

OzSky "Alumni" Star Safari (read more...)

Can't make it to the next OzSky "Classic" Star Safari in March? Or perhaps you have already been to several OzSky "Classic" Star Safaris and you are now looking for a different time of year to explore the other half of the Southern night skies?

Why not consider the next OzSky "Alumni" Star Safari instead, for your next Southern Skies observing trip!

	Lachlan MacDonald Working for the NSW Government in Data Analytics and Visualization during the day, I spend most of my spare time planning and co-ordinating the OzSky Star Safaris and managing the volunteer operations of 3RF Australia. Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual astronomy using large-aperture telescopes, with a passion for outreach & sharing astronomy with the public and showing off all the “WOW” objects (aka “Eye Candy”) in the Southern night sky. I also enjoy dabbling in wide-field astrophotography and “NightScapes” and building home-made telescopes. I am a proud recipient of the Astronomical Society of NSW's most prestigious award, “The McNiven Medal” for services to the astronomical community and have been volunteering with the OzSky Star Safari trips since co-founding this event in 1993.

	Tony Buckley Retired Commissioner, Industrial Relations; President of the Astronomical Society of NSW for 10 consecutive years Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual observing using big dobsonian telescopes.

	John Bambury Finance Manager for the Australian Beef and Lamb Company Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual Astronomy with a specialty in ”Eye Candy” objects

	Gary Kopff Electrical Engineer - Managing Director and co-founder of Wildcard Innovations Pty Ltd and co-developer of the Argo Navis™ Digital Telescope Computer (DTC) Primary Astronomical Interests: Deep Sky observing and development of the Argo Navis™ Digital Telescope Computer (DTC)

	Andrew Murrell Professional Wedding & Event Photographer Primary Astronomical Interests: 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”

	David Batagol Doctor and father of five Primary Astronomical Interests: Observational astronomy with a particular interest in planetary observing

	Donna Burton Flying instructor, passionate amateur astronomer, and post-graduate student at the University of Southern Queensland Primary Astronomical Interests: Comet Hunting, Sidewalk Astronomy, Extra-Solar Planets and ”Spotty Stars”

	Anne Adkins I am a freelance Volunteer, am very active in numerous non-profits in Texas USA and am also heavily involved in organizing the famous Texas Star Party. I have been volunteering with these OzSky trips since 2002, and I co-coordinated the Deepest South Texas Star Safaris from 2004-2009, helping to transforming these OzSky events into a highly popular ”must-do” event for amateurs around the world. Primary Astronomical Interests: Observational astronomy, and turning kids, and adults, onto astronomy and the big science set to happen on next generation 30-meter telescopes.

	Matt Bielski Service Manager (Mechanical Contractor) Primary Astronomical Interests: Deep Sky; General Interest

	Velo Tabur Computer Science & Astrophysics Primary Astronomical Interests: Observing deep-sky objects & comets, and writing astronomical software to support those interests

	Ash Singh Work at Bintel Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual and Astrophotography. I enjoy Photographing SNRs, Abell Clusters and Arp galaxies, but never had a scope large enough to observe any.