Transcribed with some commentary by Elaine Walker.
This is the first Progress Report for SwanCon 18, which certainly seems a long way down the track now. I mean, we haven’t even had 16 yet (and a great con it promises to be). Why are we worrying our pretty little heads about an event that’ll take place at Easter (April 8th-12th) 1993?
Artwork on the right hand side of the next paragraph of what looks like an android swan by Craig Hilton
Well, if we are to host the Australian National SF Convention in 1993, we have to bid at SunCon, which, in case you haven’t noticed yet, takes place over Easter 1991, no more than six months away. And if that bid is to be successful, we have to have a Committee, a Con hotel, and one each of a professional and fan GoH.
To be unbearably smug about it, we have all three. Or four; whatever. The Bid Committee consists of Dave Luckett, Tara Smith, Gigi Boudville, and Sally Beasley, so far. Greg Turkich has agreed to do something or other; Julia Bateman something else.
We have a hotel, and are in the act of negotiation. It will be five-star, outside the Perth city block, with excellent convention facilities. (What hotel this was I don’t know, as while ‘outside the Perth city block’ describes the Ascot where the convention was held, and it was a reasonable enough place to have a convention but I don’t think ‘five star’ would be what I described it as.) The details will be announced when we have a complete deal, and have it in writing. (By the Lord Harry, we’re being businesslike about this.) We have a professional GoH who is an extremely well-known author who shoes a touching interest in fandom in general and Australia in particular. We have a fan GoH who will be good value, and should be better-known.
We have some money. We have raised it entirely by selling edibles (namely mystery dinners and chocolates) to persons notorious for their weaknesses in that direction. The theme of the Con will be SF food. We need more, naturally. Persons and money, both. Not edibles, we have quite enough.
As an item of policy we are going to try to keep attending memberships down. At the moment, we are only selling presupporting memberships at $5.00 each. After we win the bid, a membership fee schedule will be published in Progress Report 1. We expect to bring out Progress Report 0 before SunCon.
The trains will run on time, though we cannot guarantee the airlines. The programme will follow the traditional SwanCon emphasis on doing things, rather than talking about it. There will not be a ConCom pie-throwing, but anybody who wishes to be pied can pay for the privilege. (And the pie). They can then play the pipes, and the GoH will probably provide the rats.
One aspect of doing things that cannot be featured in a Western Australian Convention over Easter is sitting in the hotel bar getting blotto. W.A. is completely dry on Good Friday and almost so on Easter Sunday. (This has loosened slightly since, but you still can only get a drink with a meal at a hotel bar during specific hours on Good Friday, but Easter Sunday appears to be the same as normal Sundays (10am-10pm)) Those who are dependent on alcohol to see them to see them through the Con will need to switch to coffee, or provide their own supplies. Guests of the hotel may be able to order liquor in their rooms, and of course bars will be open on Thursday, Saturday and Monday.
Perth in 1993!
| SwanCon 18 can be contacted at P.O. Box XXX, Nedlands, W.A. 6009. |