About NACAA XXIX (Parkes 2020)

NACAA XXIX — Parkes, 2020: “The Non-Event”

Due to the unprecedented situation with the global COVID-19 pandemic, the NACAA Inc Committee decided reluctantly, with due consideration to the safety of all concerned, to cancel the 2020 NACAA in Parkes, just one month short of the event. This was a difficult decision to make, given the enormous amount of work that had already been done. As it turned out, all of our venues were in lock-down by Easter 2020, so no physical event could have occurred. There was no time available to organise a virtual event.

For those who are interested in what was missed, please see the Programme page. It would have been a great convention.

With the cancellation of NACAA XXIX, the Secretariat thanked all those involved with the organisation of the Parkes convention. The CWAS LOC went on to host the 2024 event instead, so those who wanted to visit “The Dish,” the Astronomical Trail, and the wonderful countryside were able to do so at the 2024 Easter break.

Venue (as planned)

The Services Club, 9-17 Short St, Parkes was the planned venue for NACAA XXIX, with sessions to be held in the Starlight Lounge.

Accommodation (as planned)

Parkes has around 1500 “bed spaces” including B&Bs and caravan parks. The LOC had booked a number of rooms at some motels, and general advice at the time was to book directly with the chosen provider (mentioning it was a NACAA booking), avoid up-front, non-refundable payments, and consider sharing accommodation. Two motels near the venue — All Settlers Motor Inn and Henry Parkes Motor Inn — offered accessible rooms with direct access to the convention venue.

Activities

As the event was cancelled, no on-the-ground activities took place. A travel-help bulletin board had been set up to help coordinate transport/car-pooling among attendees ahead of the (ultimately cancelled) event.

Transport

No transport arrangements were finalised or required, given the event’s cancellation.