Sunday 11th April - [Programme]GRAY BOAK:The Sunday morning, more than anything else - despite everything else - could have soured the con. Apart from Pete Weston's "vigilante" call-to-arms (and I'll say no more) we had the unedifying sight of British fandom attempting to persuade Pete to chair a British attempt at a Worldcon in 1975. Fortunately Pete was having none of this, for the understandably selfish reason that he'd missed most of this con through being chairman, so he wasn't going to let the same thing happen to a Worldcon! It was unfortunate that he didn't think to argue - nor did anyone else! - that '75 is out-of-step with the Eurocon years, that Stockholm is already talking about a Worldcon in '76, and that the Aussies have been planning a Worldcon in '75 for two years now! British fandom is already sufficiently isolated from World Fandom without doing an unsociable thing like that. "You've got stars, in your eyes, Gray" I was told. at the con on more than one occasion - is this a bad thing for a reader of sf?- but they don't stop me from realising that the Aussies would probably win. The year for a London Worldcon must be '78, which is a free Eurocon year too. However, seeing that' British Fandom is not yet organised for its own '73 con (is the '72 one finally settled yet?) I can't see a British Worldcon for a while yet.
PETER WESTON: I might have gone along with it, I really might, if I hadn't just come from a difficult meeting with the Giffard's manager, who was not at all happy. He had been very helpful, had not given us any trouble, but he didn't like the way some fans were behaving. He had noticed - couldn't fail to notice - that some of them were coming into the hotel heavily laden with backpacks and bedrolls. One idiot actually set up a primus stove in the main lounge! We had some very conspicuous freeloaders and people who tried to bunk down in the lounge and in the dealer's room, while the fragrance of "certain substances" was wafting gently through the upstairs corridors. The manager expected me to Do Something about it. I was under pressure. I told the business meeting that we were letting ourselves down, spoiling a good relationship with the hotel management. I said that it didn't particularly matter what people did in their rooms, whether they freeloaded, brought in drink, or smoked pot, as long as they were discreet about it, didn't make it obvious. Dave Kyle nodded wisely at the sense of this request, and stood up to address the floor. "We must all watch out for this sort of thing," he said solemnly. "I suggest we should appoint some 'vigilantes' to patrol the hotel." Immediately, there was pandemonium! Ken Eadie, a Wolverhampton fan, jumped up and earnestly volunteered to be a vigilante (Ken wasn't very bright, but he desperately wanted to be involved).
Others violently denounced the whole idea. Dave Kyle tried to explain why he thought it was a good thing, while I stood on the stage despairingly, saying, "No, no, there's no need for anything like that." It was all very discouraging. GRAY BOAK: One important decision taken at Easter was the innovation of a convention to be held in November - the Novacon. This is such an undeniably good idea that it is astonishing that it wasn't thought of years ago. Thank you Brum Group for that happy idea. The other embittering experience was at the BSFA meeting, where John Hart, after giving great help to the organisation (so we were told) was voted off the committee in order to make way for Roje Gilbert. Now Roje is by no means as bad as he sometimes tries to paint himself, and we are on reasonable terms with each other, but I remember the convention at Bristol, where Roje was elected chairman of the self-same BSFA. His first act was to insult the then-editor of VECTOR, Darroll Pardoe, so that Darroll resigned on the spot. His second act was to gafiate for two years. The effect on the BSFA of this double action can be imagined or, if you are unlucky enough, remembered. Already in trouble, it plumbed fresh chasms of failure - John Hart being one of the committee members who managed to pull it round. Possibly Roje was wearing his would-be trufannish hat, and it was a deliberate attempt to kill the BSFA off. I suggest that he might have been more successful had he stayed in power. Possibly that is his present plan, but it comes as a sharp shock to realise the short memories of the BSFA membership. "I was still drunk," he said afterwards. Were they all?
((There's no mention in the Programme of a Fan GoH speech, but Ethel reported giving one in which she championed an idea she was very keen on, so....)) ETHEL LINDSAY: In my speech I said that what I would most like to see was some young, eager, energetic fan gather and write a history of British fandom. I explained that I had often thought of doing this myself; but that whenever this feeling crept over me I went away and lay down till it had gone. Notwithstanding the latter part of that remark, I have had two fans write in and tell me they would be very glad to publish my remembrances of things past in their zines. But, dear faneds, if I had the time and the energy to write it up..I would publish it my own zine. Advice to budding fan historians: You cannot do better than follow the example of Harry Warner. He started off by collecting fanzines and reading about what had happened. He started a series of file cards on each subject. This is all that needs to be done..but it takes time and patience. Ask Harry how long it took! All the source material for a history of British fandom is still around. For example...to write about Manchester fandom one would need to do the following. Get a file of SPACE TIMES, consult the fanzines of the day for references to Manchester fandom. Check up on the names of the fans who attended the early meetings, the fans who were on the SuperMancon committee — and then trace references to them. There are even some fans still around who could answer questions..such as Eric Bentcliffe, Harry Turner, Sid Birchby. Like me, they would probably blanch at the idea of writing it all up, but a polite letter with a few questions would get an answer, I'm sure. Fans have photographs (I have a beauty of Frank Simpson wandering down the hotel corridor with a nightgown over his arm); and these could often be a help. Nearly every fan group of the past in Britain had a fanzine which would be the source for what happened then, who was who then, and who is still around. There are plenty fans still active who, if cornered and plied with some light refreshment, could tell a tale. Of course, you might get conflicting stories..but all historians get that! Yes, that's where to start, dear faneds, not with asking me to do it for you! JOHN D. BERRY: Anne McCaffrey surprised many of the British fans by being so completely open and freewheeling; when she was young I'll bet she was brash. Since I've never read any of her books, I was a bit lost when she or the audience talked about DRAGONRIDER or her other work, but I still appreciated her statement that "Dragons are really a rather nice animal; they've just had bad press."
After Anne's talk was a panel discussion. I forget the original topic, but it became concerned with the limits of science fiction. David Gerrold likes definitions and wanted to limit the size of his pond by defining sf; the others on the panel seemed to prefer open limits and no worry over fixing borders. From the audience Jack Cohen expressed it best: "In most important things we deal not with edges but with centres."
Easily the most popular programme item was the showing, of 'Charly', which impressed everybody. The people who made it obviously knew what they were dealing with. GRAHAM POOLE: In the afternoon I chatted to Ailsa Kelly and Margret Evans. I think it was Ailsa who said she regularly goes to the Globe meetings in London, on the first Thursday of every month. She said that when she first went, she expected every one there to be youngsters. She was surprised to find people of all ages and from all walks of life. I missed most of Anne McCaffrey’s guest of honour speech, though not the Blish talk on 'Boundaries of SF', which was very interesting and after another 10 pence (new pence, mind!) coffee break and a showing of 'Charly'. I’d read the short story 'Flowers For Algernon'; to me it wasn’t a true SF film, but I’m sure if someone had the foresight to produce a science fantasy film along Mike Moorcock lines, others would equally argue it wasn’t a true SF film, one man’s meat..... I prefer science fantasy to Charly type story which I would class as being on the edge of SF (bearing in mind James Blish’s talk). Back in the lounge again I looked through some fanzines with one or two others, chatted to Ken Cheslin, the OMPA editor. One of the readers was mystified as to the function of OMPA. Ken tried to explain. I got Ken and his wife to sign one of the fanzines I bought which he produced. I would have liked to have stayed chatting to them all, but had to dash to get a train home; remember I had come intending to return each night. VERNON BROWN: The Banquet had few hitches - we had forgotten to check on the number wanting vegetarian meals but this was quickly remedied. A tip for persons organising a menu with wine thrown in - check whether the wine is charged by glass or bottle...it's usually a lot cheaper by the bottle.
ROJE GILBERT: The banquet cuisine could have been better, and the strawberry mousse was pure poison, but all trufen had already pickled themselves and were. largely unaffected. Myself, I cannot be a trufan: I began to get a headache and with so many cameras flashing it got worse and worse. I gave in not long after the banquet, which was distinguished by being the only occasion at which I have seen Phil Rogers struck dumb.
PETER WESTON: Anne McCaffrey was a superb Guest of Honour, mixing with everyone and giving fine speeches during Sunday afternoon and at the banquet. The Nebula Awards were announced, along with BSFA Award to John Brunner for JAGGED ORBIT. The "Doc" Weir Award went to Phil Rogers.
JOHN D. BERRY: Sunday night everything wound down; the party was simply in the lounge, and after only a day and a half in Worcester I felt the way you did on the fourth night of a worldcon.
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