From the Editors: Sad news: Enterprise has folded!
A Tribute in Trying TimesNo, not the TV series. We refer to something much more local and immediate. Members of the local Star Trek club, Enterprise, recently decided to close their club due to insufficient numbers of people who were willing to run for committee.
We take this as a genuinely sad time and the end of a proud era for local fans. This club was among the largest SF fan clubs in Australia; had operated successfully for many years due to the dedication of its hardworking committee; and had raised significant amounts of money for charity.
We wish the departing committee from Enterprise a well-deserved break and a hearty congratulations for their many years of loyal service to fandom. We also take their club's closure as a sign of our times.
We believe that news of this closure should send a significant warning to other SF clubs: that even the largest community group is totally dependent upon the voluntary services of their members.
Spaced Out is a tiny club compared to Enterprise. Our most immediate club goal (since we opened three years ago) has been to consolidate and strengthen our support base of members and friends. We feel we have done this successfully so far. But the closure of Enterprise should remind us all that our members are our club's lifeblood.
Is there some way that YOU can contribute to the continued life and growth of our club? Given that our Annual General Meeting takes place next month, now is a good time for everyone to consider what they could do to contribute to the club over the coming year.
We invite all members and friends to attend our Outer Space Day on 19 October - and please bring along an item to donate for auction - any monies raised will be divided among our club and our charity, PFLAG Victoria.
Our Outer Space Day also includes our Annual General Meeting, at which we will elect the incoming committee for 2003. We invite all interested people to participate in this democratic process and join the committee.
We also feel honoured to have a Special Guest Speaker, Melbourne science fiction celebrity and veteran, Dick "Ditmar" Jenssen, to speak on "What Science Fiction Has Meant To Me". He has been involved in the local SF scene for fifty years and his insights promise to be most interesting!
Science fiction fans in Melbourne have a fifty year legacy, and continuing groups such as Spaced Out, Multiverse and the MSFC owe a great deal to the dedication of those people who continue to carry the flame. We remain indebted to people from the immediate and long-term past for the torch that they have passed on to us - and we owe it to the future to see that we carry that same torch forward.
-The Editors