During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Aziz Bhatti’s son and daughter came across an astronomy book at the local library which left them “itching to know more about star gazing”. So he bought his kids a telescope.
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Now, Mr Bhatti and his 9-year-old son Hamza, and 8-year-old daughter Taqweer, are calling for the opening of an astronomy club in Shepparton. The family has contacted City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Kim O’Keeffe and Astronomical Society Victoria (ASV) about the project.
It all began with Hamza’s idea of sharing the experience of star gazing through the $2000 Dobsonian 8-inch Go-To telescope with his classmates at Bourchier St Primary School.
“It gave me an idea of having an astronomy club in Shepparton where kids from all backgrounds ... can go and watch the sky and its objects freely,” Mr Bhatti said.
And it seems there is community support for the idea in the Shepparton area, with plenty of astronomically-inclined people excited to see the emergence of an astronomy club.
Cr O’Keeffe has responded positively to the idea; she has corresponded with Mr Bhatti extensively via email, and intends to meet with the family to discuss opening a club.
In the meantime, Mr Bhatti and his children have met with Michael Goodwin and his wife, both of whom are members of ASV. Cr O’Keeffe’s husband Brendan — also an avid astronomer who owns his own telescope — was in attendance as well.
The ASV is keen to green-light the project.
Mr Bhatti spoke over the phone with ASV president Chris Rudge, the man responsible for bringing ASV to the regions, and said the conversation was positive.
“He was really enthusiastic and happy that I called him ... I felt it was like he was kind of waiting for this call. It's just everything started falling in line,” Mr Bhatti said.
Mr Bhatti will be attending the ASV’s Deep Sky event on November 27 at its famous Leon Mow Dark Sky Site (LMDSS) to meet with officials to discuss the opening of an astronomy club in Shepparton.
At the LMDSS site is a 40-inch telescope that was built by volunteer astronomers who, according to Mr Bhatti, live in and around the Shepparton area.
Mr Bhatti would like to see the club open before Christmas, as a gift for the community. But even if it opens next year, the Bhatti family is excited at the prospect.
“What I’ve seen on this journey is that if we follow our kids’ passions and support them, what they want to do and what they want to achieve ... they will be a lot more interested in the subject than we can imagine,” Mr Bhatti said.