A3 sheet folded down so that each ‘page’ was effectively an A5 page, or on the inside possibly two A4 landscape pages. It was a very forgiving format. All spelling errors faithfully reproduced. Transcribed by Elaine Walker
The ‘front’ cover has an MiB eating what looks like a stack of pancakes with syrup.
Swancon Twenty3 Wrap Up Report
…it’s all over Red Rover…
Left page on opening the report. Text bracketed by duplicate thin photos of stones with runes
The committee are Survivors of
Swancon Twenty3
when it was
Anzac Day Long Weekend 1998
Friday 24-27 April
Where it was
The Hotel Grand Chancellor
Who came
International Guest of Honour
Lois McMaster Bujold
Local Guest of Honour
Tess Williams
Dead Guest of Honour
Jules Verne (portrayed by Damien Magee)
Fan Guest of Honour
Gina Goddard
Invited Guests
Grant Stone, Craig Hilton, Dave Luckett, Sean Williams, Simon Brown, Sue Isle, Stephen Dedman, Janeen Webb, Kack[sic] Dann, Paul Kidd, Shaun Williams, Nick Stathopolous
Committee
Grant Watson, Simon Oxwell, Daniel Oi, Anna Hepworth, David Gunn, Candice Schilder, Colin Sharpe, Brian Trump, Elizabeth Trump, Rick Jakins
Members
317 people from freeform members to full members.
What it was
A complete and total blast.
Convenor’s Report
I was given some space to write a report. I had no idea what I was going to write, so I was going to read Grant’s and fill in the gaps. Then Grant’s honours thesis was sort of due to be handed in, so all of a sudden the space I had to fill got much larger.
When I got to the Hotel Grand Chancellor at 9:30am of the Friday of the convention, I’d had only an hour of sleep in the previous 24 and was still counting on one hand for the previous 48. People took one look at me and told me to got up to committee hotel room and get some sleep. I didn’t, as I, and the rest of the committee had a convention to run. A once in a lifetime opportunity – I can sleep anytime. Besides, there was way too much that still needed doing.
At this point, I’d like to thank the twenty or so people who turned up to the convention way too early and helped out with some of the more menial tasks, such as stapling the con-books and stuffing them into the folders. It was the same con books that were the reason that I hadn’t slept much – Anna, Colin, Grant and myself worked on little else for the week leading up to the convention. Still, a valuable lesson about about running conventions was learned.
From the Opening Ceremony to the Closing Ceremony everything seemed to run remarkably smoothly. There were some hiccups here and there, but on the whole it went well. Future convenors should note that a Convention Programme is a living, breathing organism. It’s not something that you can kill and press into a book, forever preserved. It kicks and screams and mutates as it goes, propelled by the motion of the stampede of attendees.
The Robin and Danny Show was a highlight of the convention for me, forever stamped on my memory. It’s not everyday you end up stripping down to your underwear in front of a couple of hundred people. Or at least not something I usually do.
I do regret not getting enough time to spend with the guests, but the time I did spend I found very rewarding. They were all very nice people and I’d like to thank them too. I’d still like to have got to sit and talk to Lois in real-time somemore. Maybe one day…
The only real downer about the whole fantastic whirlwind of a long weekend was discovering two days later that Grant Stone had suffered a minor stroke during the Closing Ceremony. There’s only two things that go through your mind at this point – one is “Oh my gosh! Is he alright?” and the other is an astounding, inexplicable of guilt. I don’t know why. But is was only very mild and he should be fine. You can’t keep a good fanboy down!
I’m finally starting to run out of space, so that brings me down to my last paragraph, in which I’d like to, on behalf of myself, Grant, and the rest of the SwanCon Twenty3 committee would like to thank you, the con-goers without which there would be no SwanCon, not atmosphere, no great memories and instead, no great memories and instead by some lonely hotel function rooms with the occasional tumbleweed rolling by.
Thank-you and Goodnight!
Simon Oxwell
Co-Convenor, SwanCon Twenty3
On inside page folded out into A3 there was the Final Membership list on top left, Lost Property, News and Prize Winners on top right, Thank You’s! on bottom left, Treasurer’s Report middle bottom, advert for SwanICon and Merchandising. Some of which is reproduced below
News
As some of you may have heard, Grant Stone suffered a mild stroke around the time of the closing ceremony at the convention. Fortunately, it was not as serious as it could have been, and Grant is recovering nicely at home.
The bid for SwanCon 25 went to Team Twenty3, under the leadership of Candice Schilder.
Robert Jewell, from Melbourne, who portrayed a Dalek during the reign of the first and second Doctors, passed away.
Approximately seventy people attended the post-con pancakes evening. Wow
Aussiecon Three (The 57th world science fiction convention) will be held from the 2nd to the 6th of September of 1999. Membership ratres are $200 for attending, $45 if you are supporting or have a child in tow (born after Sep 87) and infants are free. Their contact details are: GPO Box XXXXk, Melbourne 3001, or you can go to the website at: url no longer available
Grant’s mum has a membership to ICon, thanks to the funds raised at the closing ceremony of SwanCon Twenty3.
Congratulations to Cathy Cupitt, Shaun Tan, Bedlam Theatre Company, Eidolon and Oscillation Overthruster on their Ditmar nominations
Prize Winners
Throughout the con there were various prizes given for various reasons.
Tin Ducks went to
Best Western Australian Written Work (Non Professional): “Reverant Comic Subversion in The Hobbit”, by Cathy Cupitt.
Best Western Australian Written Work (Professional): The Art of Arrow Cutting by Stephen Dedman
Best Non-Professional Production in any Medium: Guards! Guards! – Black Yak Theatre
Best Professional Production in any Medium. The Year’s Best Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy Vol. 1 (Eidolon Publications / HarperCollins)
Best Western Australian Visual Artwork: Cover, Swancon Twenty3 PR#2 by Colin Sharpe.
Committee Chair Award: Illustrations, in The Viewer by Gary Crewe – Shaun Tan
The Short Story Competition winner was David Yeates, with Nick Evans taking second place.
The Art competition was won by Jamie MacQueen in the 2D and Photography sections, Donna Molan in the Video and Performance sections, and Chelsea in the 3D section.
The Masquerade Prize Winners were:
The guy painted up as a big cat (Most original)
The lightbulb guy (Most amazing)
The Area 51 Biohazard Robot (Most in theme), and
The alien and the abductee (Best group)
The Complete and Utter Bastard Quiz was won by “the nads”
My SF Word was won by Dave Luckett, Elaine Walker, Candice Schilder and David Gunn.
Oh yes, I remember doing this! [ed]
Merchandising
Copies of the anthology, Twenty3 – A Miscellany are still available at $10 each from Simon and Anna. Ring XXXX XXXX for more details. All proceeds from Twenty3 – A Miscellany will be donated to Princess Margaret Hospital for Children.
SwanCon Twenty3 Conspiracy shirts are still available in sizes M, L and XL at the bargain basement price of $10. These high quality shirts can be worn as night attire, you can use them as an investment for your children’s future fashion sense or purchase a spare for when you wear your current shirt out! Remember Grant’s worn out, faded and missing shirts at the Tin Ducks ceremony? In ten years time you might regret it if you don’t buy yoursef a shirt now! Besides, they’re cool.
Note: Anna still has half a dozen of Twenty – A Miscellany left and is still willing to sell them. Please contact her if interested at anna.hepworth@gmail.com.
The back ‘page’ when folded back up had the postage section, the committee names and contact details, only names and responsibilities are listed for privacy reasons, plus most of it will be out of date by now
Simon Oxwell (Convenor, IGoH Liaison)
Grant Watson (Convenor, Panels)
Anna Hepworth (Treasurer, PRs, Social)
Daniel Oi (Secretary, Social)
David Gunn (Video)
Candice Schilder (PRs, Publicity)
Colin Sharpe (PRs, Panels, Photography)
Brian Trump (Hucksters, DGoH liaison)
Elizabeth Trump (Hucksters)
Rick Jakins (Gaming Liason)
SwanCon 23 is an official project of the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation Inc. and runs under its directives. WASFF is a non-profit incorporated organisation.