Australian SF News 15

1979 ENDS ON ASAD NOTE The Australian Professional Scene FOR AUSTRALIAN FANS LEANNE FRAHM has sold a further two A big blow to Australian sf fandom in stories to a U.S. publication.This brings February this year was the death of RON her sales tally to four in less than a GRAHAM, but unfortunately the loss of year.'Deus Ex Corporis' will be published stalwarts in the sf field did not finish in CHRYSALIS 7,edited by Roy Torgeson for with our close friend and associate Ron . Zebra Books.The other story will appear in CHRYSALIS 8 later this year, and with JOHN RYAN whose book 'Panel by Panel' on this volume the series will be taken over the Australian comic strip was published by a hardcover publisher,Doubleday. by Cassell Australia in November last , died early in December while on a trip ROOMS OF PARADISE, the all-original anth- to Mount Isa for his company. JIM ELLIS, ogy edited by Lee Harding for Quartet, editor and publishing director with Australia ,has been the biggest-sei1ing Cassell Australia, who was responsible sf collection so far published in this for publishing science fiction and in country. The U.K.edition also sold out particular the work of Lee Harding at within the first few months of publication. Cassells,died on the 16th of December. The publishers are firm in their intention ROBERT J.McCUBBIN , a founder member that the book will NOT be remaindered and of the Melbourne SF Club passed away will be kept in print for many years to quietly on the 29th of December. Wynne Whiteford and Paul Collins come. PAUL COLLINS of VOID PUBLICATIONS has been advised by The Literature Board of In 1980 the ABC will repeat both of LEE Australia Council,that he is being HARDING' S sf serials for young people. offered a grant to publish three science In Victoria THE LEGEND OF NEW EARTH will fiction paperbacks. be broadcast February 8th - May 23rd over They will be published in the new year, 3AR.JOURNEY INTO TIME will follow on about March.The titles are : LOOKING September 12th through to November 28th. FOR BLUCHER by Jack Wodhams , which The serials are designed for school is a humorous novel about a space pilot listeners in years 8 through to 10 , but and his on board simulator that he uses can be appreciated by a much wider for purposes not quite intended . audience. This marks the third time around for TIME and the second time around BREATHING SPACE ONLY by Wynne Whiteford for LEGEND, which is more ambitious in deals with a first meeting with an alien scope and theme. A book-length version race ,set in an authentic Australian of the latter, incorporating much of the background,but proof that you do not have original script material, will be published to have ockers and koalas running around published in early 1981. everywhere. The serials will be broadcast under the THE FOURTH HEMISPHERE is David Lake's general title of Listen and Read, at fifth "Breakout" novel and it is a 11.40 a.m. on the above dates. Interstate change to see it published first here listeners would be advised to check their rather than overseas. local station for differing dates and times outside of Victoria. The new Australian science fiction The ABC has also commissioned Lee to work magazine, CRUX, will appear quarterly. on a major radio series for 1981.He will The second issue is to be released late shift gears’ and , instead of writing January. Among other features, it will another cliff-hanging serial .will begin include part two of Paul Collins' work soon on what can be described only novel, SPACE BLUES, a short story by as a Top-Secret project - which in script Michael Fredericks, and a vignette by writer's jargon shorthand for explaining, Marilyn Fate. The editor, like SF NEWS, "Er,we haven't got' it worked out yet..." needs your support, so write to him at PO BOX 45, Kings Cross, NSW 2011. It costs $1.50 per issue, or $6 for a year's KEITH TAYLOR has been invited to read subscription (4 issues). some of his fantasy material at a convention run by the Thomas Burnett Swann Foundation in America (at present he's madly seeking the funds to pay for the FRANK BRYNING has recently shifted. His trip). He is also working on a sequel to new address: 6/15 Charlotte Street, the story published in SWORDS AGAINST Wynnum Central, Queensland 4178. He has DARKNESS Five, which has been commissioned also sold a short story to THE LAST for Paul Collins' fourth anthology, DANGEROUS VISIONS to be published shortly. tentatively entitled, DISTANT WORLDS . ROBERT J. McCUBBIN, school teacher, than that he was greatly respected by his founder member of the Melbourne SF Club friends in the MSFC club,and all those who obituaries died on the 29th of December at the age knew him elsewhere. of 73. Bob had not taken much interest LEE HARDING WRITES : "It is with deep in SF fans activities over the last few I know all his old SF friends will remember regret that I report the death, on years,but at one time he was very active him with fondness and join me in conveying December 16th, of JIM ELLIS, editor in the field and corresponded with fans our respects to his family. and publishing director with Cassell, interstate and overseas. Like many other Merv Binns Australia. The news came as a great fans of his age group,he cut his SF teeth shock to me. His death seemed untimely on the pulps. I believe his contact with and unfair; he was still a young man. fandom developed after a stint with the To me he was always a staunch friend, Australian occupation forces in Japan, patron and prince of publishers. Like where he met a few American fans. most great editor/publishers his more enduring contributions to the field I can thank Bob McCubbin for the dubious were anonymous. I feel that in a land honour of being introduced to Science where the names of people such as Paul Fiction fandom myself,and I have some Collins, Lee Harding, Norstrilia Press, very fond memories of the early days et.al. predominate in the press, that with him in the Melbourne SF club. The it would help to detail what Jim accom first meeting in a little coffee lounge plished for science fiction in Australia. with the SF fans outnumbering the other "A longtime fan of the genre, Jim strange custom ten to one; then the little wisely decided to sneak it in through room in the basement of the ODDFELLOWS the back door, so to speak, and began HALL,where the library was stored in a publishing sf in the Cassell Education large aluminium trunk that Bob had made List. In 1973 he approached me for a out of aircraft aluminium while with the story, and he eventually published, Occupation Forces in Japan; my first with considerable and continuing success, convention with him in Sydney and a party my little book, THE FALLEN SPACEMAN. in a smoke filled room into the small He was encouraged to add further titles hours of the morning; the first Melbourne JOHN RYAN to the Patchwork and Encounter series, SF Convention OLYMPICON and many more and over the next three years published fond memories. JOHN RYAN,Australias number one comic three more titles by me - THE CHILDREN fan and leading authority on Australian OF ATLANTIS, THE FROZEN SKY and RETURN One of the best ways to get to know people cartooning,collapsed at Mt Isa on the TO TOMORROW - together with HALFWAY HOUSE is to be part of a committee organising 11th of December ,and died the next day. and SHADOWS by David Grigg, THE SAND a convention. Most of the meetings of the He had a previous stroke some years WEST OF MOUNTAIN MOUTH by William Green OLYMPICON and MELCON '58 committee were back. On behalf of all his friends in and THE LAST VOYAGE by Barry Carozzi. held at Bob's home in Auburn,where his Australia and overseas,we offer our The impact of this innovatory series wife Molly provided the welcome suppers. sincerest condolences to his wife Jan upon the schools and libraries of Aust At these meetings I got to know Bob and and two children.He was only 48. ralia was immediate, enthusiastic and other people who I still regard as friends lasting. All of the above titles have to this day, although some like Bob, I Over the last year or two he devoted sold consistently well in England, and have seen little of over recent years. most of his spare time to editing the some have been translated. definitive volume on Australian comics Bobs efforts for the MSFC and the PANEL BY PANEL , which was published "In 1977 Jim achieved a long-felt am in November by Cassell Australia. bition and launched a hardcover line in conventions did a lot to get new members, children's fiction. My novel,THE WEEPING and make all our activities successful. One of his closest friends was sf and SKY, was among the first release. Another I remember one interview he gave to comic fan,and current editor of the THE WEB OF TIME, will be published in Australasian Post. As you can well ANZAPA .Gary Mason,who has this to say February, 1980. imagine Science Fiction was fair game about him: "John was a particularly in the 1950's not that the situation has easy-going person, and would always take "It is obvious that my own debt to Jim changed much, and the Post twisted what other people as he found them.His accep is incalculable.

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