Thomas Reid MBE

Thomas Reid

Tom Reid MBE
Honeysuckle Creek Station Director 1967–70

Photo: by Hamish Lindsay.

Tom Reid video tribute

Tom died in early October 2010. See above for a brief video tribute on Vimeo – or download a smaller version (22MB mp4 file) here.

See also:

1.) An 11MB mp4 file (right-click to download) of Tom being presented with the NASA Public Service Award and Medal by US Vice-President Dan Quayle in April 1989. (See Award below.)

2.) An 18MB mp4 file (right-click to download). Tom reminisces about Apollo 11 on the 20th anniversary, at the Lakeside in Canberra. (Also on Vimeo.)

Micro-Bio Thomas Reid
1940–44	Morrison’s Academy, Crieff, Scotland – HSCert
1944–48	Royal Navy – Petty Officer Radio Mechanic
1948–52	Glasgow University – 1st Cl. Hons. Electrical Engineering Citation as top graduate 1952
1952–57	Royal Australian Navy – Electrical Officer
1957–61	WRE Woomera, South Australia – Senior Scientific Officer Range E and Red Lake (NASA Project Mercury)
1961–64	SA Inst. of Technology – Senior Lecturer, Electronic Engr.
1964–67	STDN – Orroral Valley, ACT – Station Director
1967–70	MSFN – Honeysuckle Creek, ACT – Station Director
1970–88	DSN – Tidbinbilla, ACT – Director CDSCC
Post 1969	Presented MBE by HM Queen Elizabeth II, NASA PS Medal by Vice President of the US
Personal:	Married to The Hon Dr Margaret E Reid AO, former President of the Australian Senate. Four children and their families.

Tom Reid, left, apparently discussing equipment for Orroral Valley in mid 1965. The blackboard has lists of equipment and carriers (such as PAA – Pan American Airways) with expected arrival dates.

From left: Tom Reid, Station Director; Dick Collins, WRE; unknown; Lance Sharp, WRE.

Photo thanks to Joe Damiano at Goddard Space Flight Center, who discovered this photo in 2014, and to Rob Garner who scanned it.

Tom Reid farewells astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. after his visit to Honeysuckle Creek on 9th September 1968.

Photo: by Hamish Lindsay.

On 7 February 1969, Tom Reid hosted Ozro M. Covington and Dale W. Call from the Goddard Space Flight Center during a visit to Honeysuckle Creek.

From left: Willson Hunter (NASA Senior Science Rep in Canberra), Tom Reid, Ozro Covington, Dale Call, and Bob Leslie (Australian Space Office).

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. Scan: Colin Mackellar.

Monday 21 July 1969 – the day of the Apollo 11 landing and Moonwalk.

Australian Prime Minister John Gorton visits Honeysuckle Creek as the station prepares to receive the first live television from the lunar surface.

L-R: Lloyd Bott (Dep. Secretary, Dept of Supply), PM John Gorton, Allan Cooley (Sec. Dept of Supply) Station Director Thomas Reid.

Photo: Australian News and Information Bureau.
Preserved by Hamish Lindsay.
2019 scan and image restoration: Colin Mackellar.

Tom at his desk at Honeysuckle Creek.

Large, Larger.

Scan by Colin Mackellar.

Tom speaks with Brian Bell at the Servo console at Honeysuckle Creek.

Large, Larger.

Scan by Colin Mackellar.

Tom at the Honeysuckle Creek Receiver/Exciters.
Standing: Tom Reid, Seated L-R: Eric Gadd, Alan Foster, ??.

Large, Larger.

Scan by Colin Mackellar.

Tom at the Honeysuckle Creek Receiver/Exciters.

Standing: Tom Reid, Seated L-R: Alan Foster (edge pf picture), Eric Gadd, Paul Hutchinson.

Large, Larger.

Scan by Colin Mackellar.

Tom Reid received this MSFN award as Station Director of Honeysuckle Creek in 1969.

Tom was awarded the NASA Public Service Award in 1989.
The award was presented by US Vice-President Dan Quayle during his visit to Tidbinbilla on 27th April 1989.

An award from NASCOM Chief, Vaughn Turner.

This award recognises Tom’s service at Orroral Valley, Honeysuckle and Tidbinbilla.

For much more, see Andrew Tink’s 2018 book “Honeysuckle Creek: The Story of Tom Reid, A Little Dish and Neil Armstrong’s First Step”.

With thanks to Tom Reid for the images (unless indicated) and the information.