William A. Bradfield

He grew up on a dairy farm, where his interests in rocketry and astronomy first developed, and when he was 15 he got his first small telescope.

[2] When Bradfield discovered a comet and communicated it to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), it kicked off worldwide action.

[9] Apart from the 100-year-old lens and modern eyepieces, the remainder of his telescope was homemade, but perfectly suited for hunting comets.

He did not use photographic or computerized detection equipment, relying instead on purely visual sweeping across the skies.

[7] Having joined the Astronomical Society of South Australia (ASSA) in 1970, Bradfield served as its President from 1977 to 1979.