2020-03-01_Cosmos_Magazine

1964 Sydney Astrographic

Catalogue is completed

1961

PARKES TELESCOPE OPENS

1955

VIETNAM WAR STARTS

were extraordinary, but even more remarkable are

her letters to the observatory director HB Curlewis,

where she championed the rights of the women.

In 1913, through her letters, and with the

support of the Government Astronomer, Williams

managed to gain a stepped increase in wages for

the women, which effectively meant their wages

doubled within a few years. She also successfully

argued for her level of responsibility to be

acknowledged financially and by title as Librarian

and Astrographic Supervisor. Her demands that

the women become permanent public servants was

never granted, however.

In 1914 a male astronomer reported the women

for spending too much time talking. Williams wrote

to Curlewis that “...Mr Nossiter must have a vivid

imagination when he states that some days we talk

almost incessantly; he is evidently judging us by

himself, as for about two months... he and Mr Whitby

talked almost incessantly”.

Williams explained that the four women had

twice measured, calculated and prepared for

publication 21,221 stars within a six-month period,

ending pithily: “...I am afraid he cannot show a

corresponding amount of work for the same period.”

Curlewis supported the women.

Williams and the other women were identifying

not only star positions and brightness, but also unusual

images of double stars and anything that seemed out

of the ordinary. Their double-star observations were

published by an astronomer without recognition of

their work in identifying and measuring the stars.

Williams left the observatory in 1918 to care for

her brother, who was returning from the Great War.

She is not mentioned again in astronomy.

WHEN MELBOURNE OBSERVATORY closed in 1948,

Sydney Observatory undertook the completion of the

AC and a new group of women, including Winsome

Bellamy, then 20, were employed. Like the women

who’d preceded them, they had no higher education

in astronomy.

“I finished my training as a children’s nurse,” says

Bellamy. “And my mother got very sick and I had to

be home decent hours. We had three small children at

home... So, I got a job with the public service. They

didn’t tell me what I’d be doing.... I

had not experienced anything to do

with astronomy before and I found

it boring.”

Although she was employed

temporarily, Bellamy stayed on

Photographed in 1949 by
their 21-year-old colleague
Winsome Bellamy, star
measurers (above, from
left) Verlie Maurice, Renee
Day, Patricia Lawler, Jean
Campbell and Margaret
Colville enjoy lunch in
Observatory Park, Sydney.

Bellamy became dedicated to the project, bringing

in spiders from home so their web-silk could be

used for the cross hairs in the measuring machines.

1962

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS

GRANTED RIGHT TO VOTE

42 – COSMOS Issue 86

ASTROGRAPHIC CATALOGUE