Post by Doug Burbidge
An A5 publication, made of A4 folded. Front cover sheet is blue; remainder of pages are buff. Front cover says
Festival of The Imagination 1996
in small caps; and some art including the TARDIS, Judge Dredd, a dragon, some chess pieces, Zaphod Beeblebrox and a Starfleet logo. Below this:
This Issue Featuring
Details on:
| Our New Guests | Quiz Night |
| The Programme | Supporting Businesses |
| The Art Competition | The Short Story Competition |
| And nomination forms for the Ditmars and ASFMAs | |
December 1995 Newsletter
GPO Box G429 Perth WA 6948
http://www.iinet.net.au/~mjl/festival/
So now I know how long we’ve had that PO box.
Inside cover is a colophon titled “the FACTS”, listing guests, membership rates, venue, etc.
Page 3 (evidently the front cover was page 1) is titled
Apologies
Why we’re so late, and what about Bruce?
in which they reveal that Bruce Sterling is no longer one of their guests, but Jack Dann now is, and Neil Gaiman still is.
Page 4 is a bio for Jack Dann. Page 5 is bios for “Additional Guests” Stephen Dedman and Dr. Janeen Webb. Page 6 is a programming blurb. Page 7 is “Video Programme”. Page 8 is “The Hotel” and “Gaming Programme”.
This brings us to the centre of the newsletter, where we find inserts. The first is a blue “Foldalope”, with folding instructions and the con mailing address on one side, and a everything-you-could-want-to-buy form on the other side, allowing purchasing of memberships, hotel rooms, hucksters’ tables, and t-shirts. The second is a white copy of the exact same foldalope. The third is an A4 flyer, with the Shaun Tan logo and a list of guests on one side, and the same stuff we saw in the colophon on page 2.
Page 9 is “Fundraiser Quiz”, which is details for a quiz afternoon; and “Freeform Report”, which is a report about freeform roleplaying events, and not a report written in a freewheeling style.
Page 10 is headed “COMPETITIONS”, with sub-heads for “Short Story Competition” and “Art Competition”.
Page 11 and 12 are in a different style. Page 11 is “THE DITMAR REPORTER”, December 1995, Volume 1 Issue 2″, describing the categories. Page 12 is the nomination form.
Page 13 resumes the style of the rest of the PR, and is titled “The Dealers Room” (no apostrophe). Page 14 is titled “Advertising”, and does not contain any advertising. Nor even a list of advertising rates. Rather, it says “Members purchasing their memberships at the following supporting businesses can receive a $5 discount off a full membership if they present a receipt from the sponsor with their payment.” Listed are: A Touch of Strange, Infinitas Bookshop, Quality Comics, Gaslight Books, Valhalla Games & Hobbies, Super Nova Books, Next Generation TV & Film, Slow Glass Books, Intergalactic Trading Co, and Galaxy Bookshop.
Page 15 is a membership list with about 110 members. Page 16 is the back cover, with the mailing address, a “Postage Paid Australia” mark, and “The Accreditations”, listing who is on committee, who is responsible for this newsletter, etc. It also says “The next newsletter will be published in January 1996.” and “Silliness is the last refuge of the doomed. — Opus the Penguin”