The Director’s Commendation is an award made by a Section Director to a member for making and reporting useful observations considered worthy of an advanced certificate of merit. The criteria are to be left to the discretion of the Section Director, but could include dedication, persistence despite challenging circumstances such as a disability, quantity, quality, value, uniqueness, and so on. This certificate may be awarded more than once to a member provided it is for a different reason each time. The Section Director will write the citation to go with the Commendation, which is to be presented at the recipient’s local Centre AGM or at the ASSA AGM. Council is to be informed of all recipients before the Society’s AGM and their names will be published in MNASSA and on the ASSA website. The Commendation will be signed by the Section Director and the ASSA Observing Director. The Commendation was formally establish in July 2014.

Director’s Awards (prior to 2014)

Prior to the 2014 July decision by Council, a Director’s Award certificate was awarded to members making and reporting observations considered worthy of an advanced certificate of merit.

Recipients of Director’s Awards

Amateur Telescope Making: Rodney Hyman – Long-term support to ASSA in particular to the Amateur Telescope Making fraternity, ScopeX and 26.5” refractor at Johannesburg Observatory.
Exoplanets: José da Silva – international colaboration in the search for habitable exoplanets and co-authoring a paper on transit timing variation of exoplanet WASP-4b.
Comets & Meteors: Tony Jones, Magda Streicher, Cliff Turk.
Deep-sky: Magda Streicher.
Occultations: Francois de Jager, Hugh Lund, Magda Streicher.
Solar: Jacques van Delft.
Variable Stars: David L Blane, Fanie De Villiers, Brian Fraser, Cliff Turk, Pieter Wedepohl, John Vincent and Simon Walsh.