Maggi Barnard

Well-known local Janet O’Donoghue was 13 when Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon.

This incredible feat captured her imagination, and she made a scrapbook of clippings which has become a prized icon of this momentous event.

“Mum and Dad didn’t buy the papers often, but I hounded them if I saw any Apollo 11 headlines. I pestered the neighbours as well,” said Janet. Her persistence paid off with page after page of extraordinary clippings kept from that era, including President Nixon’s prediction of Men on Mars by the year 2000!

When Janet’s grandchildren asked her to buy the 50-year souvenir booklet Janet was surprised to see those famous images of her original Sydney Morning Herald lift-out on the front cover. And when she showed the scrapbook to her grandchildren they were fascinated.

Janet recalled watching the moon landing from the school quadrangle. “At 13 it all seemed so scientific, so space-age for back then. We used to watch the Jetsons – but that was all imaginary. It was little more than 20 years post-war and they were putting men on the moon. It was almost beyond comprehension.”

“Back then life was so simple,” Janet recalls. “Dad was the breadwinner, Mum stayed home, milk and bread were delivered, and I remember being truly amazed at how those photos got from out in space down to our little black and white television screens and into our newspapers.”

Janet relished the events of the 50-year anniversary last weekend with her highlight watching The Dish movie in the great atmosphere of sitting under The Dish and chatting with Roy Billings.

Janet wouldn’t part with her scrapbook and says her youngest grandchild will be 53 at the 100-year anniversary. She hopes that the scrapbook will be passed down and still treasured.

By Beth Thomas

The Post Master Generals (PMG) department was asked by NASA to establish connections to the Parkes Radio Telescope for use in the Apollo 11 space mission.

In 1969 there was minimal infrastructure to implement diversity, so a system was devised to commandeer trunk and junction circuits. Besides the well documented bearers for TV and S band data from the maintenance tower east of the telescope to Mount Coonambro near Cookamidgera thence to West Orange, and the normal bearers to Sydney, there was also data, voice bearers and order wires for technicians and NASA over the cable and trunk network.

Junction circuits were released from Parkes to Beargamil to the telescope and from Parkes to Alectown to the telescope.

From Parkes the circuits were diversified by the existing broadband system to Sydney or via an open wire trunk system to Orange thence to Blayney to meet up with the western cable system to Sydney. Existing equipment was utilised and modified to enable  a smooth running of the mission.

The team (as seen in photo) took shifts for weeks to ensure it was all ready. Many PMG families had an absent father for six to eight weeks. Two staff members worked at the telescope tower in live in as it was in lock down. Geoff Foote and the radio branch from Sydney manned the maintenance tower. A crew was also on monitor at Parkes telephone exchange and at Mount Coonambro.

PMG staff were also involved in the Apollo 13 mission when an explosion occurred on the space craft and the astronauts had to turn off the power and live in the lunar module for the journey to the moon and back. The telescope was not used during this mission, but because the signals from the space craft were so weak they instigated the NASA circuits to Parkes CSIRO.

By Brian Symonds

As our town is recovering from a huge weekend celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Pink Up Parkes is getting ready for the next big event.

The town will be going Pink in October and businesses are invited to sponsor this initiative.

In order for Parkes to retain our own Breastcare Nurse, Di Green, it is essential to raise funds. This is what Pink Up Parkes aims to do. With statistics predicting that one in every eight women in our Shire will be impacted by breast cancer, it is crucial that Parkes maintains this vital service. Parkes Stationery and Office Furniture was welcomed as the first business to register with Pink Up Parkes, with owner Gregor Paul presenting the committee with pink folders.

Contributions can be as simple as making a donation to wear pink at work, holding a pink cupcake day, guessing the number of pink lollies in a jar, or just having a donation box on your counter. Ideas can be as limitless as your imagination.

So come on Parkes businesses, get behind this great cause. Contact Carolyn Rice carolyn@jhrice.com.au or Marg Applebee cwllpo@hotmail.com to register.

 

Visitors Centre Manager Tricia Trim had good support from her daughter Ashlee to help things run smoothly over the weekend of celebrations at the Parkes Radio Telescope.

The CSIRO team did a stellar job last weekend at the Parkes Radio Telescope. They are at the back Karin Unger and Alex Abbey. In front are Maggie Sarkissian with Margaret Marshall.

The opening of the ‘To the Moon and Back’ exhibition at the Cedar Café last week was one of the many events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Young artists participated in a weekend workshop with Leanne Wilson to produce some outstanding art works for the exhibition. Mayor Ken Keith opened the exhibition with Hannah Dunn providing background music. On the left is Suzanne Smith with her painting, and Danielle Goodrick on the right with her art work.