Mount Stromlo’s fifth Director, Olin Eggen, was a ‘scientific nomad’ who worked in Observatories in the United States, England, South Africa, Australia and Chile over his illustrious career.
Bill Rimmer, ex-engineer and WWI captain, led the Commonwealth Solar Observatory during the 1930s, overseeing the Heliostat's construction amidst financial challenges.
Harvey Butcher came to Mount Stromlo in 1970 as a PhD student, lured by the prospect of studying the Southern Sky with the 74” telescope’s Coude Spectrograph.
Duffield was the natural choice for the first Director of the Commonwealth Solar Observatory – he had spent almost twenty years lobbying for its existence.