SwanCon 18 (1993) Souvenir Book – The Best Bits

by Chris Creagh 

The first page contains words from the Con Chair (Dave Luckett):

For reasons that nobody can ever explain, words from the Con Chair have always been thought essential for the Program book of a SwanCon. I don’t know why, either. Nobody ever gives them the slightest attention, and rightly so, because all the ChairThing can ever say is “Welcome”, and “Enjoy”, usually in that order. Sometimes this can be augmented by sentiments along the lines of “We worked our butts off to get this thing going, and you’d all better appreciate it and not complain, or I am going to come all over peculiar”, but this is almost never stated outright. Still less is heard the straightforward “I’ve had it up to here with the whole sorry mess and my ego had better be assiduously stroked or else it’s the rabid rottweilers for everyone” Whilst hark! far away in the lonely glens and borrans, can we not discern the lorn cry of the Trufan, “If they don’t like it, waste ’em all. Roscoe will sort out His own…”

I’m sorry, I’m feeling better now. Can anyone smell smoke?

Sounds somewhat familiar to me.

For Roscoe read God, those of you who were not around at the time.

There were some interesting character sketches of the guests created by Craig Hilton (the sketches not the guests). As follows…

Guest of Honour: Terry Pratchett (sketch of a bespectacled shaggy dog)

Fan Guest of Honour: Craig Hilton (bespectacled white rat)

Other Guests: Robert Jordan (bear), Paul Kidd (white Chipmunk in a Musketeer outfit with a red rose), Lucy Sussex (sleek otter), Roman Orzanski (retriever), Nick Stathopoulos (ram).

The Committed – ConCom: Mark Bivens (not so shaggy bespectacled dog), Gigi Boudville (bespectacled panda), Doug Burbidge (Llama), Rod Coate (curly haired 5 o’clock shadowed guy hiding behind a palm frond), Peter Cooper (Comrade cat), Guy Dyson, Tom Edge, Dave Luckett (moustachioed dragon), Tara Smith (lioness – with teeth), Mark Suddaby (possum).

By page 12 we are into info about the fan funds FFANZ, GUFF, DUFF and ASFF.

Page 14 promotes Damien Broderick’s latest book “The Sea’s Furthest End”

On page 19 we find the Eidolon (WA’s Own Genre Semiprozine) Update i.e. it had been around for 3 years and was on to the 12th issue and 60 stories by 30+ writers, 18 of which were first-timers. It was even self-supporting and paid authors and illustrators.

There were videos and Anime and info about fannish organisations like the CIA (Curtin Imagination Association), UniSFA (Uni SF Association), Network 23 (the most transient club in Perth’s Fandom) and West Lodge (Dr. Who Fan Club).

Also info about overseas Fanzines, gaming info (Giant Killer Robots)(Shadow Laser Games)(Harnmaster II)(Pirates LARPG)(Star Fleet Battles Tournament)(Wacky Races)(Adventurers).

The book finishes with Filk Lyrics, a short Story by Andrew Davey called “Rock Stubble and The Kitsch Monsters of Mars”, Panels and Discussion, Membership List and Craig Hilton’s “Rats of the Underworld”

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