Terrestrial Trevor: the retiree with stars in his eyes
How did a former mine worker from the outback become a celebrated astronomer? By following the adage that it’s never too late to follow your dream.
At a sprightly 71 years of age, former miner Trevor Barry considers himself “pretty ordinary”.
But “Terrestrial Trevor”, as he’s known around Broken Hill, NSW, has done some extraordinary things – not just underground in the mines, but by turning his eyes to the skies.
In fact, he’s just won a prestigious global award for excellence in astronomy.
In recognition of the work Trevor does from his home-built backyard observatory, the US-based Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) has named him the winner of the Walter H Haas Observer's Award.
The award is bestowed annually on an amateur astronomer for excellence in observing the Solar System. Trevor’s particular interest is the planet Saturn.
After 30 years working in the local mines as an electrical machinist and fitter, Trevor turned his interest in stargazing in a serious hobby in the early 2000s. It’s become a passion.
He enrolled in an online program at Swinburne University of Technology and graduated in 2005 with a Graduate Certificate of Science in Astronomy.
Using his trade skills, he designed and built his own observatory using materials including a rainwater tank and a second-hand washing machine motor.
It took him about a decade to complete.
His equipment is homemade but his observations and the data he has collected is world class, having been used by NASA, particularly for its Cassini space-research mission studying the gas giant Saturn, which is more than a billion kilometres from Earth.
He’s already received Australia’s highest honour for an amateur astronomer, and his findings have been published in several prestigious international science journals.
Now he can add winning the Walter H Haas Observer's Award to his list of accomplishments.
“Honestly, it brought a tear to my eye,” he told the ABC. “I thought, ‘Is it a mistake? I'm a pretty ordinary person.’
"It's incredibly humbling that an ordinary person out here could receive that level of recognition.”
However, that international award will have to share Trevor’s trophy wall with recognition from someone closer to home.
His eight-year-old neighbour, Audrey Peetz, presented him with a plate of cupcakes and her hand-drawn award.
“I laminated it and I’m pinning it up in my observatory and I actually printed out a stunning image of Saturn and Jupiter, annotated it [and] framed it for her,” he said.
Audrey's a big fan of Trevor’s work and has expressed her own interest in astronomy.
Her dad Jamie said it was a great opportunity for Audrey to live next door to Trevor and be a part of his work.
“This most recent accolade is just another demonstration of somebody who’s doing it himself out here in the outback and contributing to astronomy worldwide,” Jamie said.
Related reading: Trevor’s website, Swinburne University, ABC
Photo courtesy of Swinburne University
