Honorary members

Membership categories

As related elsewhere, the AAQ has three categories of membership:

  • Associate Members: Anyone who is desirous of becoming a member of the Association, but whose qualifications do not meet the conditions laid down for Full Members.  This is generally the entry level for most members of the Association, and for some is sufficient for their level of interest.  In addition, any society, association, school or group desirous of becoming a member of the Association, may be designated as an Associate Group and each Associate Group shall be deemed the equivalent of an Associate Member in all respects with the exception of grants from the Research Funds.
  • Full Members: This level of membership is available to any person over the age of 18 and who:
    • are contributing to research in astronomy or a closely allied science,
    • are engaged in observational work on behalf of or in conjunction with a bona fide astronomical organisation, or
    • in the opinion of Council, have demonstrated a commitment to amateur astronomy and have been active Associate members of the Association for a minimum of two years immediately prior to the date of nomination for full membership, or have had other experience that is considered by Council to be equivalent.
  • Honorary Members: Honorary Membership may be conferred by the Council upon a person who, in the opinion and judgment of the Council, has rendered exemplary service to astronomy and/or the Association.  Only a handful of honorary memberships have been conferred, and these are listed below.

List of honorary members

Conferred Name Information
17 May 1971 Frank M. Bateson OBE (1909-2007) In 1927, at the age of 18, Bateson founded the Variable Star Section (VSS) of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand. He remained as director of the VSS until 2004.

Under his lead, the VSS observed variable stars and collated reports on stars from both professional and amateur observers throughout the world and was known worldwide for its work in the field of variable stars.
1978 Professor L. H. Aller (1913-2003) Professor Aller was a member of the Dept. Of Astronomy, UCLA, LA California, and his principal interest was the study of chemical compositions of stars and gaseous nebulae and in the atomic and radiative processes involved therein.  He gave a lecture to the AAQ in October 1978 titled ‘Exploring Gaseous Nebulae’.
May 1981 Katherine (Kitty) E. Kent ((1895-1989) Unlike many amateur astronomers, Kitty did not take a serious interest in astronomy until she was in her 40s. Because in those days there were no commercial telescopes available to amateur observers, she joined the ASQ’s telescope making class and eventually succeeded in completing her own four inch reflecting telescope. Kitty took an interest in variable stars and joined the Variable Star Section of the ASQ. She became a dedicated variable star observer and for many years she contributed observational data on the brighter long period variables.

The Kitty Kent Award is named in her honour.
1987 Robert (Bob) Owen Evans, OAM Bob is a minister of the Uniting Church in Australia and an amateur astronomer who holds the record for visual discoveries of supernovae (42). In 1986 he received the Berenice and Arthur Page Award from the Astronomical Society of Australia for visual discoveries of supernovae.
1992 Dr Colonel Arthur Anthony Page (1922-2011) Arthur Page was a physiotherapist by training and enthusiastic astronomer by inclination.  He found the Astronomer’s Association, Queensland (a predecessor of the current AAQ).
10 March 2001 Peter Anderson
2008 Dr Anthony (Tony) Duttun
2008 John Salini
2011 Harold Powell (1929-2014)
March 2015 Peter Hall (1934-2018)
2018 David Moriarty
2018 Terry Cuttle