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The Sod turning ceremony

The opening ceremony for the Australia Telescope Compact Array upgrade took place on 31 March 1998 when The Chief Exectutive of CSIRO, Dr Malcolm McIntosh, fired a volley of fireworks to symbolise the breaking of the ground as the start of the project.

A few photographs of the day's proceedings can be seen on this page.


OIC of the Paul Wild Observatory, Dr Dave McConnell, welcomes the guests.


Director of The Australia Telescope, Prof Ron Ekers, outlines Australia's part in radio astronomy and introduces Dr Malcolm McIntosh.


Dr Malcolm McIntosh addresses the gathering at the Paul Wild Observatory.


Dr Malcolm McIntosh prepares to initiate the fireworks.


Fallout from the fireworks causes the tinder dry grass to ignite and allow the site fire team to demonstrate their skills of fire fighting.


Dr Malcolm McIntosh, the Australia Telescope Steering Committee and guests enjoy a meal during the ceremony.

Original: Tim Kennedy (1-Apr-1998)
Modified: Robin Wark (6-Apr-1998)