PERTH OBSERVATORY VOLUNTEER GROUP Strategic Plan 2020-2030 Prepared by: Perth Observatory Volunteer Group Inc. 337 Walnut Road Bickley, WA, 6076 ABN: 14 565 272 536 [email protected] +61 8 9293 8255 Approved by the Perth Observatory Volunteer Group Inc. Board of Directors at their March/April 2020 meeting Image Credit: Roger Groom Cover page and back cover image credit: Roger Groom | 3 Executive Summary The Perth Observatory is located on crown land and the Our vision is to be recognised as a leading astronomical and infrastructure is owned by the Western Australian State space experience in Australia. Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. The Perth Observatory Volunteer Group has run Our Mission is to: the Observatory since 2015 through an agreement with the ,Department. ֑ Offer outstanding experiences in astronomy, education nature, culture and tourism run by knowledgeable volunteers This strategic plan presents the direction for the Perth Observatory Build upon our status as the oldest operating scientific ֑ Volunteer Group, in the operations and management of the Perth observatory in Australia through excellent research, Observatory for the coming decade to 2030. As a not-for-profit Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and registered charity organisation, our volunteers operate and educational programs, onsite and offsite tours and events manage all aspects of the historical, fully operational astronomical observatory located in Perth, Western Australia, by means of ֑ Conserve and provide access to Perth Observatory’s history donations and income from educational and tourism programs. and heritage collection In addition to providing educational and experiential tours, our volunteers continue to observe the night skies and carry out ֑ Manage and maintain an environmentally sustainable research in partnership with other academic organisations. heritage listed site. Our values are passion, commitment, fun, accountability, boldness and inclusivity. In an ever-changing global world and field of expertise, we must recognise trends, embrace new technology and improvements, Our objectives embrace both external and internal perspectives. and master the political and social landscapes that dictate our Our external objectives focus on STEM through astronomical and future. A detailed discussion of these factors is presented in the space science educational programs and tourism experiences Strategic Context section. that provide the public with a greater knowledge of the planets, galaxies and universe; astronomy and space science conservation Our purpose is to provide education and tourism experiences to and history; and scientific research and academic publications. In stimulate public interest and research in astronomy and space, order to achieve these objectives, we also recognise the internal and its history. factors that make this possible – a dedicated volunteer force that Image Credit: Andrew Lockwood is well-trained and acknowledged by visitors as knowledgeable; | 5 strong financial management; effective internal operations and processes; capital works, repairs and upgrades to our assets and infrastructure; and finally corporate social responsibility in our operations and actions. Key strategies to make each of these objectives possible are offered, and these form the foundation for the more detailed business plan that presents an implementation road map for our tactical and operational initiatives over the foreseeable future. The factors that we consider critical to our success embrace the areas of leadership, finance, products and services, processes, people, assets and the planet. In concluding, we recognise that we are still a young organisation, and as such we must work together, be agile, cognisant of trends, learn from our experiences, embrace continuous improvement and keep moving forward. Image Credit: Andrew Lockwood | 7 Contents Executive Summary 5 ֑ Introduction 11 ֑ Strategic Context 15 ֑ Strengths and Vulnerabilities 21 ֑ Competition 27 ֑ Purpose, Vision, Mission and Values 29 ֑ 賈 Purpose 29 賈 Vision, Mission and Values 31 Objectives and Key Strategies 33 ֑ 1. Education 35 2. Experiences (Facilities, Tours and Events) 35 3. History, Conservation and Accessibility 37 4. Research 37 5. Volunteers 39 6. Financial Management 39 7. Internal Operations and Processes 39 8. Capital Works, Repairs and Upgrades 41 9. Corporate Social Responsibility 41 Key Success Factors 43 ֑ Image Credit: Roger Groom ֑ Conclusion 45 | 9 Introduction This document presents the Strategic Plan for the direction and ֑ Produced 10% of all ground-based positions for Comet activities of the Perth Observatory Volunteer Group at the Perth Halley using our Astrographic telescope Observatory for the decade commencing 2020. This strategic Discovered 30 supernovae using our Automated Supernova ֑ plan follows from the Perth Observatory Volunteer Group, Search Strategic Intent 2017. Discovered 29 Minor Planets between 1970 and 1999 ֑ Originally established in 1896 at Mt Eliza, the Observatory ֑ Helped discover the super-earth exoplanet OGLE-2005- moved to its current location in Bickley, 30 kilometres east of BLG-390lb Perth in 1966. Perth Observatory is Western Australia’s oldest observatory and was the last of the observatories established Through the contribution of dedicated, well-trained and highly in the colonial era to cease as a government run institution. In valued volunteers, our future focus is manifold, aiming to: recognition of its scientific, cultural and historical significance, the Observatory was entered on the State Register of Heritage 1. be recognised as Australia’s premier astronomical and space Places in 2005. Since 2015 the Observatory has been run education experience for visitors and students of all ages, under a community partnership agreement between the Western Australian State Government Department of Biodiversity, 2. maintain our heritage, cultural history and artefacts and Conservation and Attractions and the Perth Observatory provide inspirational interpretations by passionate and Volunteer Group Inc. knowledgeable volunteers, 3. remain a working observatory, building on our scientific Some of the important research completed at the Observatory status with research and publications, as well as sharing our include: scientific data, and Co-discovered Uranus’s ring system 4. provide and manage a leading tourist destination for the ֑ public to enjoy. Published numerous Meridian Catalogues ֑ Contributed to the NASA International Planetary Patrol in The operations of the Perth Observatory are financed by income ֑ Image Credit: City of Kalamunda partnership with the Lowell Observatory derived from night sky astronomical tours and our education and | 11 other outreach programs, supported by significant volunteer time with minimal State Government funding. Our rapid development has already drawn praise from the wider volunteering community, and in 2017, we were the winner of the Volunteering WA Community Volunteer Organisation of the Year award and in 2019 were joint winners of the Premiers Science Outreach Award. The implementation, budgeting and detailed tasks are not addressed in this high-level strategic plan. The detailed operational plan, presented in the Business Plan deriving from this Strategic Plan, establishes an implementation road map and budget for the organisation aligned with the vision and mission. The remainder of this document discusses the strategic context of our organisation, the Perth Observatory’s purpose, vision, mission and values, our objectives and key strategies to achieve those objectives and finally our high-level action plan for the future. A detailed business plan will expand on each of the key strategy areas with a range of initiatives and key performance indicators. Image Credit: Matt Woods | 13 Strategic Context In order to achieve our goals over the next decade we must be continued optical telescope viewing for education and research. cognisant of the issues and trends that shape our thinking about the future. These topics include the happenings, trends and issues Political Support for Radio Astronomy faced at an industry level by all organisations in the astronomy, astrophysics and space science domains. The issues include In recent years there has been increasing political support for not only formal scientific and technological matters, but also radio astronomy, with substantial funding for development of encompass education, entertainment, tourism, citizen science, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) precursors and associated cultural - particularly Aboriginal cultural beliefs and practices in deep space research using radio wave observation facilities. astronomy, and inter-generational aspects. Although radio astronomy is providing substantial progress in our knowledge of the history of the universe, NASA has long Light Pollution and Threats to the Dark Night Sky embraced research and observation using input from a variety of wavelengths including radio, infrared, optical, x-ray and One of the most prominent issues currently facing astronomy is gamma ray emissions. NASA believes a major impediment to the increase in light pollution resulting in the loss of the dark integrated research is the social mind-set of scientists who are skies needed to view our solar system and deeper into space. trained in only one segment of the electromagnetic spectrum, In addition to the increasing light pollution, visual obstruction of and encourages