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Joseph Ward: Pioneer New Zealand Telescope-Maker

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Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 422))

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Abstract

During the first quarter of the twentieth century Joseph Ward was one of New Zealand’s leading amateur astronomers, and he is best remembered as the founder of the Ward (Wanganui) Observatory, for his Ward double stars, and as a pioneer telescope-maker. Over the years he manufactured many reflectors and small refractors, and some of these were acquired by astronomical societies and by other well-known New Zealand astronomers (including Ronald McIntosh and Albert Jones). For many years the 52.1-cm Newtonian reflector that he completed in 1924 remained the largest telescope made by a New Zealand amateur astronomer.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As well as being a noted Wanganui solicitor, Thomas Allison has another claim to fame: he was associated with the introduction of the Chinese gooseberry (Arguta deliciosa)—better known as ‘kiwifruit’—to New Zealand:

    In January 1904, Isabel (Miss M I) FRASER, who was the headmistress of Wanganui Girls’ College, returned to New Zealand after visiting her sister Katie, (Miss Catherine Graham FRASER) a missionary teacher at the Scottish Mission at Yichang, China.

    History records that after Isabel tasted the “Ichang gooseberry” she brought seeds back with her and gave them to Thomas ALLISON, a noted Wanganui solicitor and orchardist. He passed them on to his brother, Alexander ALLISON, also a noted horticulturist. By 1910, Alexander ALLISON had plants producing fruit at his property Letham, at Marangai, State Highway Three, [about 10 km] south of Wanganui. These were probably the first kiwifruit plants grown in New Zealand. (History of the Kiwifruit Industry 2004).

  2. 2.

    This later became the Dunedin Astronomical Society.

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the following for their assistance: the late Ken Adams (Auckland, NZ), the late Dr Frank Bateson (Tauranga, NZ), the late Doug Berry (Auckland, NZ), the late David Calder (Wanganui, NZ), the late Robert Campbell (Oamaru, NZ), Clive Collier (Richmond, NZ), the late Tony Dodson (Upper Hutt, NZ), the late Don Glass (Hawera, NZ), the late Peter Hingley (former RAS Librarian, London), the late Albert Jones (Stoke, NZ), the late Ray Lee (Wanganui, NZ), the late Graham Loftus (Auckland, NZ), the late Jackie St George (Sydney), and in particular the late Garry Nankivell (Wellington, NZ). I also wish to thank Dr Grant Christie (Auckland, NZ) and John Drummond (Patutahi, NZ) for reading and commenting on the first draft of this chapter, and Max Pow (through Grant Christie) and the Wanganui Astronomical Society (through the late David Calder) for kindly supplying Figs. 12.2, 12.3, 12.5, 12.6 and 12.10.

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  1. National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand

    Wayne Orchiston

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Orchiston, W. (2016). Joseph Ward: Pioneer New Zealand Telescope-Maker. In: Exploring the History of New Zealand Astronomy. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 422. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22566-1_12

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