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Should you wish to contact the
society or require general information please contact ASTRA
using the following Email address: Should you encounter any problems
with this Web
Page please
email: Jan.21.
Anniversary meeting and dinner at Hull Branch, attended by
London, Glasgow and Airdrie members, Queen's Hotel, George
Street. Feb. Storm
damage to Airdrie
Public Observatory;
members mount successful hunt for missing slit
door. Mar.11. Every
so often ASTRA faces a major crisis. This one was brought on
by clashes of personality within the Council, including the
refusal of two members to cooperate with the auditors, who
had therefore resigned. Failure to produce audited accounts
for 1987 had resulted in notice of prosecution of the
Council by the Companies Office. In addition, a major act of
sabotage by 'person or persons unknown' had caused the
Waverider
project to collapse. Stewart Liddell (Treasurer),
Duncan
Lunan
(Secretary), Bill
Ramsay
(President) and Richard Newlands resigned from the Council
and an Emergency General Meeting was called in the Fairfield
Room, Pearce Institute, attended by members from Glasgow,
Airdrie, Ayrshire, Hull and London branches, to elect an
entire new Council: Iain
Girdwood
became President, Stuart
Geddes V-P
(later replaced by Danny
Kane),
Willie
Fleming
Treasurer, Sheena
MacIntosh
Secretary; Danny
Kane,
Chris
O'Kane, Kenny
Bradshaw, Stuart
Geddes,
Matthew Webb (of Hull branch), Jim
Steel,
Oscar
Schwiglhofer
ordinary members. Mar.31. Martin
Heath, 'Io', at Airdrie Library. Apr. West
Country (Truro) branch of ASTRA closed by Andrew
Douglass. Apr.9-12.
ASTRA exhibition at science fiction room organised by
Duncan
Lunan for
First Edinburgh Science Festival Book Fair, Heriot-Watt
University Building, Chambers Street. Speakers' programme
included Prof. Malcolm Longair, Dr.
Archie Roy,
Alasdair Gray and John Brunner, who proposed the memory of
Yuri Gagarin after the toast to spaceflight, sponsored by
the Glasgow Herald, on the 12th. (John Brunner had met Yuri
Gagarin.) The quiz team (Duncan
Lunan,
Willie
Fleming,
Jim
Steel) were
in the final of L'Academie's quiz that night, back in
Glasgow, but came second. Deaths of
Steven
Prosterman
and David
Proffitt
announced. May 6. AGM,
Pearce Institute. Oscar
Schwiglhofer
becomes Honorary Member, Danny
Kane
Vice-President. Iain
Girdwood and
Willie
Fleming
initiate reform of ASTRA finances, centralising funds and
raising annual subscription to £10. A first attempt was
made to put all ASTRA accounts with the Girobank, but they
would not cooperate and the accounts were eventually lodged
with the Royal Bank of Scotland, moving to the Clydesdale
Bank in Jan. 1993. Followed by Annual Dinner, Koh-i-Noor
Restaurant, North St.. May 19. Iain
Nicholson, Hatfield Polytechnic, 'Active Galaxies and the
Structure of the Universe', Airdrie. June 10.
Airdrie
Public Observatory
Open Day, Monklands Festival, with telescope display by
John
Braithwaite. July.
Duncan
Lunan
co-opted to Council as Acting Treasurer while Willie Fleming
on Skye. Iain
Girdwood
produces second version of Waverider T-shirt. July 21-23.
ASTRA exhibition in memory of Steven
Prosterman at
Princes Square, Buchanan St.. Apollo anniversary lecture by
Chris
Boyce.
Moon-buggy and large lunar painting created by Airdrie
members including Alex
MacIntosh for
future Open Days. Aug.18. Dr.
Russell Eberst, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, at Airdrie,
'Answering Public Queries'. Aug.25-28.
Scottish Rocket Weekend at Kelburn Country Centre, not under
ASTRA auspices: John Bonsor informs Iain by letter that he
has closed the Ayrshire branch and taken over the
event. Summer.
Richard Newlands stages first radio-controlled free flights
of Waverider built by Gordon
Dick (now
known as Gordon Ross). A friend of his reversed the control
settings and on the next flight the glider crashed
spectacularly. After being rebuilt, it became an exhibition
model - see 'Urban Spacemen'. Sept.22.
Martyn Fogg, 'Terraforming', Airdrie. Sept.29.
Glasgow University stages 'A Lad o'Pairts', a one-day
programme of lectures to celebrate Archie Roy's 35 years
with the University. Oct.14.
Unsuccessful attempt by Andy Ramage to launch an Edinburgh
branch, Hotel de France, South St. Andrew's
Street. Nov. Airdrie
branch organises schools poster competition. Nov.10. Hull
branch EGM, votes to form separate society. Nov.18.
Duncan
Lunan at
David
Proffitt
Memorial Concert, New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.
(John
Braithwaite
had previously represented ASTRA at the funeral.) Nov.22.
Gregory
Beekman
co-opted to Council. Dec.16. ASTRA
anniversary and David
Proffitt
memorial day: trip to planetarium at Jewel & Esk
Nautical College, by courtesy of Dave Gavine, then to
Visitors Centre, Royal Observatory, followed by Anniversary
Dinner at Tudor Hotel, Airdrie. Dec.29. Death
announced of Prof.
Hermann Oberth. 1990
1988
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Website Author: Nick Portwin (portwin@easynet.co.uk)
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Date Last Modified: 31 07 1999