Don Mathewson's Last Wish
Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue67 1–31 October 2025
Don’s Last Wish
My father loved Stromlo. He described it as a “Swiss Chalet” and it was his “Universe”. He loved the Director’s residence (also known as Observatory House) where we lived for fourteen years. He affectionately called the house “a gracious and very beautiful lady”. He admired the house’s “solid jarrah floors, sweeping staircase, high ceilings and large fireplaces”. The house resided in the perfect setting with a sweeping green croquet lawn and thoughtfully planned flower beds, hedges and a mixture of English deciduous trees such as oak, ash, silver birch, poplar and willow.
The Director’s residence enabled my father to entertain chancellery, ANU officials, government ministers including Science Ministers, the Prime Minister, and high-level NASA officials and engineers, to promote Don’s beloved astronomy and gain funding with various projects, “dragging Australia into the space age.”
So, it was very understandable that my father’s last wish was to have his ashes scattered around the Director’s residence and the observatory where his legacy began and lives on. On Friday 11 July at 10:00 am an informal memorial ceremony was held outside the Director’s residence followed by a tree planting of an English oak accompanied by scattering of his ashes. A generous and delicious morning tea was provided inside the house. We are so grateful for the kindness and support from Stuart Wyithe, Cate Pickering, and Howard and the Campus Environment team for making this memorial service possible.
Friday 11 July was a sunny winter’s day, with a very cold wind chill factor, as light snow dusted the surrounding Brindabella ranges to the west. A group from the “old guard” and some of Don’s PhD students gathered to remember him. The gathering included: Stuart Wyithe, Brian Schmidt, Ken and Margaret Freeman, Gary Hovey, Jan van Harmelen, Geoff Bicknell, Gabe and Vera Bloxham, Agris and Leslie Kalnajs. Special mention goes to Peter Quinn, one of my father’s amazing PhD students who had flown over from Perth to attend the service. Peter Quinn remarked that “Don was a strong father figure” to all students. My father was eternally grateful for the July 1995 Heron Island workshop that Peter was integral in organising in honour of Don’s work and 65th birthday. Peter remarked that the workshop attracted the world’s leading cosmologists and it was quite spectacular seeing them all on a boat heading for Heron Island! Martha Cleary recounted her experiences with Don as a PhD student whose first year project was working on the discovery of the Magellanic Stream. Don described her as “a stroke of good fortune”, “vivacious” and “a great asset”. Sadly, Vince Ford was unable to attend, but he was there in spirit. Don and Vince were a brilliant team as is clearly evident from the huge trail of published papers. Also, Vince started our love of Lord Howe Island which continues to this day.
At the end of the memorial service an extract from Don’s children’s book was read as a parting tribute:
“The universe has no rhyme or reason. It’s merely the roll of the big roulette wheel in the sky. We’re all dependent on probability, chance and all that. Even the creation of the universe is a matter of probability.” (The Adventures of Sammy Swamphen of Lord Howe Island)
Tania Mathewson
Image: Tania and family scatter Don's ashes with the oak tree ready to be planted.
