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
Volunteer Event Co-ordinator & Co-Founder of the OzSky Star Safaris
Working as a Public Servant during the day, in Data Engineering and Data Visualization, Lachlan spends most of his spare time planning and co-ordinating the OzSky Star Safaris. Lachlan is also a proud recipient of the Astronomical Society of NSW's most prestigious award, “The McNiven Medal”, for volunteer services to the amateur astronomy community. Lachlan has been co-ordinating these trips in their various forms since 1993.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Sharing the amazing Southern Skies with folks from the north, visual astronomy using large-aperture telescopes, showing off all the “WOW” objects (aka "Eye Candy") in the Southern night sky, as well as dabbling in wide-field astrophotography and composing "NightScapes" when time permits.

Tony Buckley
Co-Founder of the OzSky Star Safaris
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.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual observing using BIG dobsonian telescopes and sharing the southern skies with folks from the north.

John Bambury
On-site Volunteer & Visual "Eye Candy" Specialist
Finance Manager of an Australian beef and lamb company, John has been a keen amateur astronomer for many years, and is a well-known and highly respected contributor to many of the online astronomy forums. John has been volunteering with these trips since April 2006.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual Astronomy with a specialty in ”Eye Candy” objects.

Gary Kopff
On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky + Argo-Navis Specialist
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.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Deep Sky observing and development of the Argo Navis™ Digital Telescope Computer (DTC).

Andrew Murrell
On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky "Faint Fuzzy" Specialist
Running his own wedding and event photography business on the Central Coast of NSW, Andrew loves getting out to enjoy both astronomy and photography. Andrew is a former committee member of the Astronomical Society of NSW, and is well known in astronomy circles, particularly following his discovery of a faint planetary nebula which has since been confirmed and named “Murrell 1”. Andrew has been volunteering with these trips since June 2004.
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
On-site Volunteer & Planetary Specialist
A Doctor, and father of five, David has been a keen amateur astronomer since his early teens. He built his first telescope at the age of 16, and currently operates a 12½" reflector which he built in 2012. Other random interests include guitar, karaoke, aviation, and anything radio-control, but particularly radio-control submarines and ships. David has been volunteering with these trips since April 2014.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Observational astronomy with a particular interest in Planetary Observing.

Donna Burton
Volunteer & Local Outreach Specialist
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.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Comet Hunting, Sidewalk Astronomy, Extra-Solar Planets and ”Spotty Stars”.

Anne Adkins
On-site Volunteer & Star Party Specialist
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.
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
On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky Specialist
Hailing all the way from Niles, Michigan, Matt owns and runs a mechanical contracting business and is a grandfather of six. 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.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Deep Sky Visual Astronomy and also enjoys "Challenge Lists" like the Herschel 2,500, Herschel I, Herschel II and Herschel III lists.

Vello Tabur
On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky Specialist
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:

C/1996 Q1 Tabur (August 19, 1996)
C/1997 N1 Tabur (July 2, 1997)
V4744 Sgr (October 25, 2002)
V2573 Oph (July 10, 2003)
DZ Cru (Nova Crucis 2003) (August 20, 2003)
C/2003 T3 Tabur (October 14, 2003)
Vello has been actively volunteering with OzSky since March 2023.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Observing deep-sky objects & comets, and writing astronomical software to support those interests

Michael Prochoda
On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky Specialist
Hailing from Maunaloa, Hawai'i (previously Colorado), Michael is a retired physician and passionate Deep Sky observer. Michael has been an active veteran of the OzSky "Classic" Star Safaris since 2018 (our 25th Anniversary of OzSky) and we are proud to welcome him to the ranks as an official volunteer starting with us in March 2026.
Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual observing of Deep Sky Objects, Planets and Double Stars, with a passion for going even DEEPER into the southern skies each trip to OzSky.

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 Volunteer Event Co-ordinator & Co-Founder of the OzSky Star Safaris Working as a Public Servant during the day, in Data Engineering and Data Visualization, Lachlan spends most of his spare time planning and co-ordinating the OzSky Star Safaris. Lachlan is also a proud recipient of the Astronomical Society of NSW's most prestigious award, “The McNiven Medal”, for volunteer services to the amateur astronomy community. Lachlan has been co-ordinating these trips in their various forms since 1993. Primary Astronomical Interests: Sharing the amazing Southern Skies with folks from the north, visual astronomy using large-aperture telescopes, showing off all the “WOW” objects (aka "Eye Candy") in the Southern night sky, as well as dabbling in wide-field astrophotography and composing "NightScapes" when time permits.

	Tony Buckley Co-Founder of the OzSky Star Safaris 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. Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual observing using BIG dobsonian telescopes and sharing the southern skies with folks from the north.

	John Bambury On-site Volunteer & Visual "Eye Candy" Specialist Finance Manager of an Australian beef and lamb company, John has been a keen amateur astronomer for many years, and is a well-known and highly respected contributor to many of the online astronomy forums. John has been volunteering with these trips since April 2006. Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual Astronomy with a specialty in ”Eye Candy” objects.

	Gary Kopff On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky + Argo-Navis Specialist 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. Primary Astronomical Interests: Deep Sky observing and development of the Argo Navis™ Digital Telescope Computer (DTC).

	Andrew Murrell On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky "Faint Fuzzy" Specialist Running his own wedding and event photography business on the Central Coast of NSW, Andrew loves getting out to enjoy both astronomy and photography. Andrew is a former committee member of the Astronomical Society of NSW, and is well known in astronomy circles, particularly following his discovery of a faint planetary nebula which has since been confirmed and named “Murrell 1”. Andrew has been volunteering with these trips since June 2004. 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 On-site Volunteer & Planetary Specialist A Doctor, and father of five, David has been a keen amateur astronomer since his early teens. He built his first telescope at the age of 16, and currently operates a 12½" reflector which he built in 2012. Other random interests include guitar, karaoke, aviation, and anything radio-control, but particularly radio-control submarines and ships. David has been volunteering with these trips since April 2014. Primary Astronomical Interests: Observational astronomy with a particular interest in Planetary Observing.

	Donna Burton Volunteer & Local Outreach Specialist 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. Primary Astronomical Interests: Comet Hunting, Sidewalk Astronomy, Extra-Solar Planets and ”Spotty Stars”.

	Anne Adkins On-site Volunteer & Star Party Specialist 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. 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 On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky Specialist Hailing all the way from Niles, Michigan, Matt owns and runs a mechanical contracting business and is a grandfather of six. 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. Primary Astronomical Interests: Deep Sky Visual Astronomy and also enjoys "Challenge Lists" like the Herschel 2,500, Herschel I, Herschel II and Herschel III lists.

	Vello Tabur On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky Specialist 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: C/1996 Q1 Tabur (August 19, 1996) C/1997 N1 Tabur (July 2, 1997) V4744 Sgr (October 25, 2002) V2573 Oph (July 10, 2003) DZ Cru (Nova Crucis 2003) (August 20, 2003) C/2003 T3 Tabur (October 14, 2003) Vello has been actively volunteering with OzSky since March 2023. Primary Astronomical Interests: Observing deep-sky objects & comets, and writing astronomical software to support those interests

	Michael Prochoda On-site Volunteer & Deep Sky Specialist Hailing from Maunaloa, Hawai'i (previously Colorado), Michael is a retired physician and passionate Deep Sky observer. Michael has been an active veteran of the OzSky "Classic" Star Safaris since 2018 (our 25th Anniversary of OzSky) and we are proud to welcome him to the ranks as an official volunteer starting with us in March 2026. Primary Astronomical Interests: Visual observing of Deep Sky Objects, Planets and Double Stars, with a passion for going even DEEPER into the southern skies each trip to OzSky.