London activities and desired to meet in their own areas. The first of these was the Northwestern Branch which served members in the Northwest of England, centred on Manchester. The Branch was formed in 1892, in 1903 it seceded from the BAA to form the Manchester Astronomical Society. North Western Branch Presidents Samuel O’Kell 1892-1895 Prof. Thomas Hamilton Core 1895-1903 In 1891, a group of amateurs in Australia began discussing the idea of setting up branches of the BAA in their own country. What would become the New South Wales Branch was established in 1895 and would be the only one to survive for more than a brief period. This branch became the second oldest astronomy organisation in Australia and is still in existence. It is an affiliate organisation now called Sydney City Skywatchers to better reflect its location and membership. New South Wales Branch Presidents John Tebbutt 1894-1896 George Handley Knibbs 1896-1898 Rev. Thomas Roseby 1898-1900 Walter Frederick Gale 1900-1902 William John MacDonnell 1902-1904 George Denton Hirst 1904-1906 Charles J. Merfield 1906-1907 Hugh Wright 1907-1909 James Nangle 1909-1911 Rev. Thomas Roseby 1911-1914 Walter Frederick Gale 1914-1923 Rev. Edward F. Pigot 1923-1925 J. J. Richardson 1925-1927 Walter Frederick Gale 1927-1929 James Nangle 1929-1930 Walter Frederick Gale 1930-1932 & 1932-1933 Rev. William O'Leary 1933-1934 & 1934-1935 Walter Frederick Gale 1935-1936 Alan Patrick Mackerras 1936-1937 Walter Frederick Gale 1937-1938 & 1938-1939 Henry Herbert Baker 1939-1940 Harley Weston Wood 1940-1942 Walter Frederick Gale 1942-1943 Alan Patrick Mackerras 1943-1945 Horace Edgar Frank Pinnock 1945-1946 Alan Patrick Mackerras 1946-1947 W. H. Robertson 1947-1950 D. Coleman-Trainor 1950-1951 Alan Patrick Mackerras 1951-1954 Harley Weston Wood 1954-1956 Rev. Thomas Noël Burke-Gaffney 1956-1958 W. Kemp Robertson 1958-1960 F. J. Bannister 1960-1962 Alan Patrick Mackerras 1962-1964 W. H. Robertson 1964-1966 Noel James Halsey Bissaker 1966-1968 W. Swanston 1968-1971 W. E. Moser 1971-1974 K. Sims 1974-1976 R. Giller 1976-1978 T. L. Morgan 1978-1979 F. N. Traynor 1979-1981 S. J. Elwin 1981-1982 F. N. Traynor 1982-1984 J. Jackson 1984-1986 Colin Bembrick 1986-1988 D. Alan Yates 1988-1990 George Smith 1990-1994 Monty Leventhal 1995-1996 Ralph Buttigieg 1996-1998 Michael Chapman 1998-2000 Dr. Wayne Orchiston 2000-2001 Elizabeth Budek 2001-2003 Michael Chapman 2003-2016 Monty Leventhal OAM 2016-2019 Dr Toner Stevenson 2019-2021 Ann Cairns 2021- current A West of Scotland Branch was established by an inaugural meeting held on 23 November 1894, to be based in Glasgow. In 1905 authority was granted to enrol members from the whole