John Gorton’s visit

Prime Minister’s visit menu | Main Apollo 11 menu | Apollo 11 TV menu

Prime Minister John Gorton visits Honeysuckle Creek

Around 8:20 to 9:15am Monday 21 July 1969

Photos

Hamish Lindsay's medium format photos were scanned in 2018.

At short notice, Hamish was given the job of photographing the Prime Minister’s tour, and he grabbed the only camera he had to hand.

Station Director Tom Reid, who apparently only learned about the visit the previous evening, did not tell staff, so as not to distract them from preparations for EVA support.

As can be seen from the second image below, the negatives have been cut to two images per strip, for storage. They negatives are not individually numbered, so it is possible some others were taken, but are not represented here. (The second on this page may be among them, though it may have been taken by the other still photographer present – at left in this photo – working for the Australian News and Information Bureau – later renamed the Australian Information Service.)

Here’s the path taken by the Prime Minister and his entourage.

Rough locations of shots in the motion footage are also noted.

PDF file by Colin Mackellar, 2018.

Here’s a key to the photos listed individually below.

PDF file by Colin Mackellar, 2018.

Hamish Lindsay preserved this photocopy of a memo from Ian Homewood to Bob Leslie.

Scanned and enhanced by Colin Mackellar.

01. Front steps.

On the front steps at around 8:00am, Australian Prime Minister John Gorton (back to camera at left) is introduced to Tony Cobden, STC Company Manager by Station Director Tom Reid, who is hidden behind the Prime Minister.

Bernard Scrivener, Honeysuckle’s Administration Officer, is in the white shirt, behind Tony Cobden.

On the right is Allan Cooley, Secretary, Department of Supply.

Company Administration Officer Bruce Hamilton is partially visible at far left.

Note the small microwave dish on the tower – used to relay Apollo 11 television a few hours later.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

02. USB section.

Australian Prime Minister John Gorton (left) in the USB area at the antenna servo console with Station Director Tom Reid.

Behind, at left, is Frank Campbell (APP), Tony Salvage (USB Supervisor) and Mike Evenett (USB Engineer).

On the right is Allan Cooley, head of the Department of Supply.

The Prime Minister’s private secretary, Ainsley Gotto, is on the right, wearing sunglasses.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

03. USB section.

Prime Minister John Gorton (left) at the antenna servo console with Station Director Tom Reid.

Behind, at left, is Frank Campbell (at the Antenna Position Programmer), Tony Salvage (USB Supervisor) and Mike Evenett (USB Engineer) just visible over the PM’s shoulder.

On the right is Allan Cooley, Secretary, Department of Supply.

To the right of the PM’s head on top of the APP are the paper tape reels used to convey the instructions generated by the 1218 computer to point the antenna.

The time on the clock above Allan Coolley reads 8:37am.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

04. USB section.

Prime Minister John Gorton is shown the Receivers.

Left to right:

Tom Reid, Tony Salvage (background), John Gorton, Alan Cooley, Lloyd Bott (Deputy Secretary, Dept of Supply), Tony Eggleton (Prime Minister’s Press Secretary), Willson Hunter (NASA Senior Scientific Representative to Australia), speaking with Ainsley Gotto.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

05. USB section.

Prime Minister John Gorton walks past the Receivers.

Len Litherland is at right.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

06. Telemetry section.

At the Video console, Station Director Tom Reid explains something of the Fairchild Slow Scan TV monitor as Honeysuckle’s Video Tech, Ed von Renouard, sits in front of the Scan Converter.

Just four hours after this photo was taken, Ed, and this equipment, relayed to the world the pictures of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the lunar surface.

Channel 7 journalist Peter Martin looks on. Lloyd Bott is at far left.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

07. Telemetry section.

The Prime Minister speaks with Ed von Renouard at the RCA Scan Converter.

Note the inverter toggle switch above and to the right of Ed’s head. It is this switch (now on display at CDSCC) which was used to turn to TV the right way up when the camera was upside-down in the MESA.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

08. Telemetry section.

Prime Minister John Gorton in the Telemetry area. Station Director Tom Reid has his back to the camera.

Andrew Tupalski (wearing headet) and Bill Perrin are on the right, at the M22 recorders.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

09. Into the Computer section.

The Prime Minister’s entourage arrives in the Computer section after walking through the door from the Telemetry area.

The computers and their drive units are behind the camera. The Operations Console of out of field at the left. The door to the Conference Room is behind Tony Eggleton. On the left is the Australian News and Information Bureau still photographer, possible Bill Peterson.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

10. Computer section.

Computers: Univac 1540 tape drives.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

11. Computer section.

Computers: Univac 642B computer.

The clock on the wall tells us it is 8:47am. See below.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

11. – detail.

The clock on the wall in photo 11 tells us it is 8:47:18am.
(This is a 24-hour, dual time zone NASA clock.)

12. Operations Console.

John Saxon (foreground) and Ian Grant (seated next to him) are surprised to discover that the Prime Minister is standing behind them. Channel 7 journalist Peter Martin stands behind Station Director Tom Reid.

Mike Dinn has just arrived for his shift, and is looking through the window from the Computer section. The ABC film cameraman is at far right.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

13. Operations Console.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

14. Comms Area.

Prime Minister Gorton walks into the Comms area.

In the foreground are Teletype operators Vic Burman (left) and Fred Hill junior. Fred Hill senior is standing at the rack in the left background.

The window on the right allows messages to be passed through to the Operations Console.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

[ 15. Flash did not fire. ]

16. Conference Room.

Alan Cooley opens the Honeysuckle Creek Visitors Book for the Prime Minister to sign. Tom Reid and Lloyd Bott watch.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

17. Conference Room.

Prime Minister Gorton signs the visitors book.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

18. Press statement.

In the car parking area opposite the entry steps, the Prime Minister speaks with the ABC Chief of Staff Ray Atcheson prior to reading his prepared statement.

Channel 7 journalist Peter Martin is on the edge of the frame at right.

Honeysuckle’s antenna appears to to pointing to the collimation tower to aid in checking out all systems before the Moon rises.

The Australian News and Information Bureau photographer walks into frame at just the wrong moment.

At this stage of the morning, the weather has not yet turned.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 2018 negative scan by Colin Mackellar.

Other photos taken during the visit:

Another shot of Prime Minister Gorton with Tom Reid.

Photo supplied by Ed von Renouard.

Back to the main Apollo 11 section.

Back to the Apollo 11 TV section.