Join us for the December 2023 meetup of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 11 December 2023 Time: 6:30 - 9:00 pm Venue: Bentleigh RSL, 538 Centre Road, Bentleigh, VIC Note: This is an in-person event taking place in Melbourne only, there will be no livestream. The usual RSL sign-in rules apply (e.g. scan driver's licence) to enter the venue. There is off-street car parking behind the RSL building — enter from Arthur Street. The entry from the car park is for members only. The public entry is from Centre Road. Alternate off-street parking may be found in front of the Woolworths next door — enter from Centre Road, or behind the Bentleigh Library — enter from Jasper Road. The Bentleigh RSL is a few hundred metres east of Bentleigh Station on the Frankston Line. Also, smart buses run along Centre Road. Download the bistro and gluten-free menus from here. Please RSVP for the night by booking a free ticket below:

Join us for the November 2023 meetup of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 13 November 2023 Time: 6:30 - 9:00 pm Venue: Bentleigh RSL, 538 Centre Road, Bentleigh, VIC Note: This is an in-person event taking place in Melbourne only, there will be no livestream. The usual RSL sign-in rules apply (e.g. scan driver's licence) to enter the venue. There is off-street car parking behind the RSL building — enter from Arthur Street. The entry from the car park is for members only. The public entry is from Centre Road. Alternate off-street parking may be found in front of the Woolworths next door — enter from Centre Road, or behind the Bentleigh Library — enter from Jasper Road. The Bentleigh RSL is a few hundred metres east of Bentleigh Station on the Frankston Line. Also, smart buses run along Centre Road. Download the bistro and gluten-free menus from here. Please RSVP for the night by booking a free ticket below:

Join us for the October 2023 meetup of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 9 October 2023 Time: 6:30 - 9:00 pm Venue: Bentleigh RSL, 538 Centre Road, Bentleigh, VIC Note: This is an in-person event taking place in Melbourne only, there will be no livestream. The usual RSL sign-in rules apply (e.g. scan driver's licence) to enter the venue. There is off-street car parking behind the RSL building — enter from Arthur Street. The entry from the car park is for members only. The public entry is from Centre Road. Alternate off-street parking may be found in front of the Woolworths next door — enter from Centre Road, or behind the Bentleigh Library — enter from Jasper Road. The Bentleigh RSL is a few hundred metres east of Bentleigh Station on the Frankston Line. Also, smart buses run along Centre Road. Download the bistro and gluten-free menus from here. Please RSVP for the night by booking a free ticket below:

Join us for the September 2023 meetup of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 11 September 2023 Time: 6:30 - 9:00 pm Venue: Bentleigh RSL, 538 Centre Road, Bentleigh, VIC Note: This is an in-person event taking place in Melbourne only, there will be no livestream. The usual RSL sign-in rules apply (e.g. scan driver's licence) to enter the venue. There is off-street car parking behind the RSL building — enter from Arthur Street. The entry from the car park is for members only. The public entry is from Centre Road. Alternate off-street parking may be found in front of the Woolworths next door — enter from Centre Road, or behind the Bentleigh Library — enter from Jasper Road. The Bentleigh RSL is a few hundred metres east of Bentleigh Station on the Frankston Line. Also, smart buses run along Centre Road. Download the bistro and gluten-free menus from here. Please RSVP for the night by booking a free ticket below:

Join us for the August 2023 meetup of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 14 August 2023 Time: 6:30 - 9:00 pm Venue: Bentleigh RSL, 538 Centre Road, Bentleigh, VIC Note: This is an in-person event taking place in Melbourne only, there will be no livestream. The usual RSL sign-in rules apply (e.g. scan driver's licence) to enter the venue. There is off-street car parking behind the RSL building — enter from Arthur Street. The entry from the car park is for members only. The public entry is from Centre Road. Alternate off-street parking may be found in front of the Woolworths next door — enter from Centre Road, or behind the Bentleigh Library — enter from Jasper Road. The Bentleigh RSL is a few hundred metres east of Bentleigh Station on the Frankston Line. Also, smart buses run along Centre Road. Download the bistro and gluten-free menus from here. Please RSVP for the night by booking a free ticket below.

Join us for a social night – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 24 July 2023 Time: 6:30 - 9:00 pm Venue: Bentleigh RSL, 538 Centre Road, Bentleigh, VIC Note: This is an in-person event taking place in Melbourne only, there will be no livestream. The usual RSL sign-in rules apply (e.g. scan driver's licence) to enter the venue. There is off-street car parking behind the RSL building — enter from Arthur Street. The entry from the car park is for members only. The public entry is from Centre Road. Alternate off-street parking may be found in front of the Woolworths next door — enter from Centre Road, or behind the Bentleigh Library — enter from Jasper Road. The Bentleigh RSL is a few hundred metres east of Bentleigh Station on the Frankston Line. Also, smart buses run along Centre Road. Download the bistro and gluten-free menus from here. Please RSVP for the night by booking a free ticket below:

Join us for the June 2023 public meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 26 June 2023 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEST Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm AEST Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Venue update: We are back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease any social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. We will still have dinner downstairs and no food is to be consumed upstairs. How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:   

Join us for the May 2023 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 22 May 2023 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEST 2023 AGM: 7:00 - 8:00 pm AEST May Meeting Time: 8:00 - 9:30 pm AEST Venue update: We are back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. We will still have dinner downstairs and no food is to be consumed upstairs. How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best on Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a dinner from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the AGM and the monthly meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the 2023 AGM and May public meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:

Join us for the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the Space Association of Australia Inc. (Registration No. A0000295B). The 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of members of the Space Association of Australia (the Association), will be held in the Coventry Room, Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, Victoria on Monday, 22 May 2023 from 7.00 pm (AEST). Financial members of the Association are entitled to vote in the AGM and stand for election to the Committee at that meeting. The May Public Meeting, Skylab: 50 years since America's first space station, will follow the AGM.   Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEST Annual General Meeting: 7:00 - 8:00 pm AEST May Public Meeting: 8:00 - 9:00 pm AEST If you are unable to attend the 2023 Annual General Meeting or the May Public Meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:

Join us for the April 2023 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 24 April 2023 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEST Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm AEST Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Venue update: We are back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease any social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. We will still have dinner downstairs and no food is to be consumed upstairs. How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:

Your SAA Committee has been in discussion over recent months (and years) with regard to the average age of members of the Space Association of Australia getting older, and how that trend affects the ongoing viability of the Association. Despite the multiple efforts to attract and retain new and younger members, this has largely been unsuccessful. We have been successful in recruiting new members around various special events, only to see a number of non-renewals in the following year. On the other hand, while the in-person meeting attendance has declined post COVID, (to an average attendance of around 12 to 14 at our Golden Gate Hotel meetings) with an occasional increase for guest speakers, etc to 20+, our actual long-term financial membership average seems to hover around 50 (today’s number is 48). This means that ~50 people do value and enjoy what we do, be it our meetings (live and virtual), the radio show (live and podcasts), YouTube channel etc., which means all our efforts are not for little or nothing. Personally, I get a great deal of satisfaction out of creating and presenting SAA and Australian Space News each month and plan to do so as long as I am able, but it is a lot of work. For an illustration of what goes on behind the scenes, some of the work done by your SAA committee members: Monthly meetings • Arranging & coordinating speakers • Presentation content research & presentation (a very large effort) • Audio / Visual setup, monitoring & tear-down for remote experience (another very large effort) • YouTube editing & uploads Weekly radio show • Interviews • Production • Weekly podcast • Editing & uploads Special events • Development, organisation, content, administration (logistics and financial) and delivery. SAA General • Treasurer • Membership and SAA administration • Social media administration. We suggest that it is now time to create some kind of succession plan for these roles and tasks. Would someone like to step into a permanent, temporary or occasional role (e.g. bimonthly, etc)? Due to the average age (and ageing) demographic of our members, should we start to contemplate winding up the SAA at some point? Perhaps triggered by some metric (membership number down to say less than 10 or other?), whether this be in the short, medium or long term? Future directions? • Our members are getting older • Fewer make the trip to meet in person • The committee members are getting older • A number of the presenters are getting burnt out • What happens if current volunteers are no longer willing or able to continue? The Committee has decided to hold a members-only Zoom meeting, on Monday, April 17 from 8 pm, to discuss these matters, gather thoughts and suggestions, and possible directions. We believe that this is the ideal time, in the lead-up to the AGM, which is now scheduled for May 22, 2023. Zoom meeting details are as follows: Space Association of Australia Inc. is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: SAA - Future Directions Zoom Meeting Time: Apr 17, 2023, 20:00 (AEST) Australia/Melbourne Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82157211765?pwd=akd1TU1mdWI4dGg3NGkwOU45UXM5UT09 Meeting ID: 821 5721 1765 Passcode: 091327 Dial by your location: +61 2 8015 6011 +61 3 7018 2005 +61 7 3185 3730 +61 8 6119 3900 +61 8 7150 1149 We intend to record the meeting (with participant approval), and upload to our YouTube channel as ‘unlisted’. In case you are unable to attend, and would like to see the discussion, simply make contact and we will send you the link. We look forward to seeing you on the 17th! Best regards, Peter Aylward President - Space Association of Australia Inc. space.asn.au meetup.com/AusSpaceNet/

Join us for the March 2023 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 27 March 2023 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEDT Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm AEDT Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Venue update: We are back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease any social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. We will still have dinner downstairs and no food is to be consumed upstairs. How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:

Join us for the February 2023 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 27 February 2023 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEDT Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm AEDT Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Venue update: We are back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease any social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. We will still have dinner downstairs and no food is to be consumed upstairs. How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:

Join us for the January 2023 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 23 January 2023 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEDT Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEDT Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Venue update: We are back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease any social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. We will still have dinner downstairs and no food is to be consumed upstairs. How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:

Join us for the final meeting of the Space Association of Australia for 2022 – Social Night and Apollo 17 – all welcome! Date: Monday, 12 December 2022 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:30 pm AEDT Meeting Time: 7:30 - 9:30 pm AEDT (note different start time) Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Venue update: We are now back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease any social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best on Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm upstairs in the Coventry Room followed by the meeting at 7:30 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there!  If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here: