To celebrate the life of the Starman, a mass sing-along will be held on January 21 beneath the dome of the historic Linden Observatory.
The event will be staged by the organisers of last year’s re-enactment The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever, in partnership with the Linden Observatory Trust.
January was the month of David Bowie’s birth and January 10 was the one-year anniversary of his death.
Organiser Miriam Williamson said she was inspired by the more than 500 choral singers that gathered at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, Canada, shortly after Bowie’s death to pay tribute to him in a rendition of the iconic Space Oddity.
“As the sun goes down and the stars come out we will stand amidst a blue fog, look up to the night sky, and sing a Space Oddity,” Ms Williamson said.
“It’s a nice opportunity for the community to come together and do something light-hearted and inclusive and fun.”
Local musician Dave Garner will lead the singing and there will be a special performance on the Theremin by musician/composer Jon Drummond, and a playlist of Bowie songs from guest DJ Noel Burgess. People are encouraged to wear their Bowiesque finery and make-up.
The evening will also be an opportunity to look at the observatory, which is rarely open to the public.
Engineer Ken Beames built and funded the entire Linden observatory himself, including a magnificent telescope. He finished the telescope in the 1940s, and his final apprentice in the late 1970s was then 18-year-old Ian Bridges, now a Linden Observatory Trust member.
“He [Ken Beames] had an extraordinary energy,” Mr Bridges said.
“He had a reputation that he could do things other people couldn’t.”
Ken Beames died in 1989 and the observatory was granted State Heritage status in 2010.
At the time of his death he was still working on building a planetarium at Linden. Mr Bridges doubts the planetarium will ever be finished as the full plans were still in Mr Beames’ head.
Mr Bridges said his mentor was always keen for people to learn about astronomy and would have liked to have seen the site used for educative purposes, so to see people making connections with the site via the Bowie tribute night was a really good thing.
Located at 105 Glossop Road, Linden, gates open at 5.30pm for 8pm. Bring food and drink. Tickets are limited, book at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/space-oddity-blue-mountainsgreater-western-sydney-tickets-29013257434
A shuttle bus will meet trains arriving at Linden station between 5.30-7.30pm. It is $5 return and people are encouraged to use this service as there is limited parking on site. A donation of $5 on entry to the Observatory site is also suggested.
