| 1st of June 2017 |
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| Vale Neil "Fox" Mason, 1934 - 2017 |
| by John Sarkissian (CASS) |
| It is with great sadness that we note the passing away of Neil "Fox" Mason, a former Parkes Observatory staff member. Along with his colleague, Denis Gill, Neil was in control of the Parkes telescope during the historic Apollo 11 moonwalk on 21 July 1969.
Fox was a stalwart of Parkes Observatory, having worked there from the mid-1960's to the early 1990's, when he retired to look after his ill wife. Neil was a fitter and mechanical technician and, as with many of his colleagues, also served as a telescope driver. He was especially proud of his role in the Apollo 11 and 13 missions. During Apollo 11, the Observatory Director, John Bolton, wouldn't allow Fox to watch the moonwalk live as it was being received, lest the wind picked up and disrupted the signal reception. Fox enjoyed recounting how John wanted him to concentrate on driving the dish, even though the TV was being received and displayed just metres away from him. Fox had to wait until later that night, when he went home and watched the replay on ABC TV. In recent years, following the premier of the film "The Dish," Fox enjoyed a new career recounting his Apollo experiences in TV interviews, documentaries and newspaper and magazine articles. Neil is survived by his sister Robyn, and his numerous nephews, nieces and their families. For more pictures of Fox, please see: here. Image caption: The Parkes Control Desk during the Apollo 11 moonwalk on 21 July 1969. Fox is on the right with Denis Gill on the left. (Image courtesy CSIRO.) |