Club’s talk about late astronomer (From Cotswold Journal)

Club’s talk about late astronomer

2:00pm Monday 7th January 2013 in News

EVESHAM’S Probus Club members were given a topical talk on one of the world’s most famous astronomers when they welcomed a guest speaker from the Vale.

Sir Patrick Moore, who died last month, featured prominently in Douglas Whittaker’s account of his experiences while working for the BBC at Wood Norton, near Evesham.

Mr Whittaker spent more than 40 years working for the BBC and remembered a number of amusing incidents such as the painting of a huge bulls-eye on the concrete roof of their bomb shelter.

He worked on a number of outside broadcasts ranging from Songs of Praise to Match of the Day, but said his most treasured memories were the times he was chief sound engineer for Sir Patrick Moore on his famous programme, The Sky at Night.

He recalled many dangerous and exciting experiences filming the programme all over the world, especially in the old Soviet Union, America, and the Canary Islands.

He described the late astronomer’s quirky sense of humour and love of garish Hawaiian shirts. He added that he had ‘almost single-handedly instilled a fascination for stargazing in generations of people’.

Chris Donough, member of the Evesham Probus Club, said this particular talk could not have been more timely, as Sir Patrick’s death had only just been announced and people across the globe were talking about his life.

“We considered ourselves very fortunate to have had this speaker and, judging by the number of our members’ questions, the timing and content couldn’t have been better,” he said.

The club celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and a highlight will be a celebration dinner at Dumbleton Hall Hotel on Sunday, May 12.

For more information on the club, call Chris on 01386 446180.