We joined the WYCOMBE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY as a family back in 1991 after our daughter aged 11 at the time was talking to Dr. Heather Couper (WAS’ first president) at an ASTROFEST
EVENT in London. Chris already had an 81/2 inch Newtonian reflector telescope and was interested in meeting other people with families to share the hobby. We helped build the Society’s observatory at Woodrow and had enjoyed the lectures and Perseid meteor watch events with the friendly members. I was unsure whether my young son aged 9 at the time, would enjoy and understand the topics but was re-assured when he asked me afterwards whether gravity travels at the same speed as light after a talk at Woodrow!
We have been members for 30 years with a gap of a few years when I couldn’t make the evening meeting due to work commitments. During my ”membership gap” years the Society shifted its focus towards photography and image processing and that took care of the cold live observing and made it a more comfortable hobby. My personal interest is in cosmology, planetary atmospheres and space travel generally, and I share this profile with some other members, so we are well served by the lectures on offer. Recently the society’s membership has expanded to attract younger members so we now have at least three generations represented.