Ethel the Aardvark #209
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Number 209 – May 2021 Meetings:- St Augustine’s Anglican Church Hall, 100 Sydney Rd, Coburg, Vic. Getting there: Tram No 19 North Coburg, from Elizabeth St in the city, or Tram no 8, Moreland Rd from Glenferrie Rd, Toorak, to Stop 132. Upfield train line to Moreland Station. On street parking. Space on the road next to it, which is closed to through driving. Melway Ref 29 H3. Cyclists can use the Upfield bicycle path. Meetings of the Melbourne Science Fiction Club take place on the third Friday Night of the month. Unless it is Good Friday. All attendees must Since 1952 sign in. The MSFC is a place where people who enjoy science fiction and fantasy meet to discuss their love of books, TV, film and Most Club Nights – Gold coin for members, $5 for non-members. coffee. Some nights may cost an extra fee, such as Trivia Nights. CONTACTING THE MSFC. Premises open at 8pm on the third Friday of the month, events start at 8.30pm. Lights out at 11pm. General enquiries. [email protected] Sustenance - Hot food, cold snacks, coffee and hot chocolate are available. Clubzine. Editor: LynC ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS FOR MEMBERS [email protected] Single membership $35 Website Ask us for an MSFC membership card Family or household $45 www.msfc.sf.org.au before asking for these benefits. Interstate Ethel the Aardvark email subscription $25* Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Mel 5% off books and magazines at: bourneSFClub *plus $10 for interstate subscribers Minotaur wishing a hardcopy Ethel subscription. Our open Facebook group: 121 Elizabeth St https://www.facebook.com/ (Hard copy not available O/S) Melb 3000 groups/4658278007 www.minotaur.com.au All denominations are in Australian phone 9670 5414 Postal address dollars. Please send us Australian MSFC currency or equivalent, able to be banked 10% off all SF books at in Australia. PO Box 110 Dymocks Our treasurer will thank you. Southland shop 3067-68, Moonee Vale Vic 3055 Westfield Centre Cheltenham MSFC membership benefits phone 9584 1245 2020/2021 MSFC Committee President: MSFC LIFE MEMBERS Alison Barton A year-long subscription to this Alan Stewart fanzine, Ethel the Aardvark, five/six issues per year. Bill Wright Financial Secretary/ Bruce Gillespie Treasurer: Dick Jenssen aka Ditmar Discounts at selected Melbourne Mark Ford Helena Binns bookshops. James Allen aka Jocko Committee: Lee Harding (deleted by request) James Allen (Librarian-in-exile) Voting rights at the Annual General Merv Binns (dec) LynC (Ethel Editor, Meeting! If you are good you can actually Race Matthews Memberships & Outgoing stand for election! Robin Johnson Communications) Krin Pender-Gunn Craig MacBride (Webmaster) Access to use the MSFC email list via the Communications Officer [Copyright for all artwork The pleasure of being in a place where and articles remain with the people share your enjoyment of science Artist/Author fiction and fantasy. Original artwork will only be returned on request.] A copy of our constitution can be found at: http://msfc.sf.org.au/downloads/MSFC_Constituti on_2009.pdf Page 2 Editorial: be my reaction to the pandemic, but lately all I WE ARE BACK! seem to be reading is mystery books, unless you We even – fingers crossed there are no more count Neil Gaiman's Pirate Stew picture book. lockdowns – have meetings planned until August! (It's a great book, full of colourful illustrations Just had a Games Night, plans are for a Video that kids will love.) I have just finished reading st Night, a Trivia Quiz, our AGM, and a presentation. Death in Daylesford, the 21 Phryne Fisher Any suggestions for future meetings welcome. murder mystery. One of the better things to On a more personal front the Vaccines are now come out of 2020, I quite liked having Miss Fisher being rolled out. Jocko and I have had our first solving crimes whilst wandering around dose, and AstraZeneca (the only one then Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. I really must go available in this country) is still being touted as to the Sunday market in Daylesford again now safe for anyone over 50. If you qualify I do urge that we can travel more than 5km from home. you to do it but - of the three people in this house Recently it was nice to go along to the March who were eligible none of us escaped side 2021 launch of The Lady with the Gun asks the effects. I was worst with fever and flu-like Questions; the ultimate Miss Phryne Fisher story symptoms for 4 days, followed by days of collection in the Yarraville Freemasons Hall. tiredness and muscular and joint pain. Jocko had the fewest side effects but was still suffering a stiff neck a week after the jab. Even so, the relief and the knowledge that we are on the way to freedom and safety is worth it, so I do urge you to take up the opportunity when you can. Lyn [Artwork this issue: Cover and back cover provided by David L. Russell. All other artwork credited in the picture. Photos – LynC, unless otherwise credited.] An individually ticketed event, it attracted quite a good crowd and had plastic cups of snacks, so no one touched what some one else ate. (Photo taken by Kevin at the film outing.) The Librarian's column. Strange times indeed... Lately I'm not reading much science fiction and So I got a glass of fruit juice, some snacks and fantasy, although I have watched the Snyder cut listened to Kerry Greenwood's short speech as of Justice League. (US comic books used to be she launched the 22nd Phryne Fisher book, which bright in 4 colours but this is mostly Black and is a collection of short stories and includes 4 new White. I really think the whole Batman prefers ones not in the previous 2007 short story everything in black has been taken too far by collection. So 2021 is better than 2020, but there some of the DC movies, including this one.) It may are still problems and surprises. Sad that Page 3 Swancon couldn't go ahead due to the 3 day lock- survived for a surprising amount of time by down over the Anzac day weekend. having phenomenal luck landing on ‘Free Parking’ Commiserations to people who travelled to and collecting the Kitty, multiple times. An attend the con. Here's hoping the Conflux con enjoyable game – even if I do say so myself. (I planned for October goes ahead in Canberra. won by a hairs breadth over Joshua.) Cheerio, Jocko [Photos taken by Jocko] Meetings: March: We had a film outing. Three people turned up to watch the 1982 version of THE THING; Kevin, Jocko and LynC. Review elsewhere. Alison (head), Peter, Kevin, and Michael, Jocko completely hidden. (Ashleigh is beside Alison but out of view) Kevin and Jocko. LynC is taking this photo. It was good to see someone other than the family for once. April: GAMES NIGHT. 13 people turned up - 9 members and four not. 6 played the Australia Post version of Monopoly, 2 Trevor, Tony, and Mark (serving in a black mask.) did a Harry Potter jigsaw, one served in the kitchen (Mark) and the other 3 clustered around Jocko who was checking out the DVD playback potential for next meeting. The Monopoly was interesting – despite the tendency of the notes to stick together. The first properties were Jabiru and Darwin in the Northern Territory, followed by three from WA, the next side was QLD, then Vic, then Green was NSW, and the final properties were in Canberra (Manuka and Yarralumla). No Tasmania (again). Since we play the variant which puts money in a Kitty instead of paying the bank (for non purchases), Trevor, who had an interesting The Monopoly players: Colin (back of), Joshua, Jason, strategy of not purchasing any properties, Trevor, and Tony (Side on). LynC taking the photo. Page 4 don’t think it necessary to avoid spoilers in a film which has been out for forty years! - Lyn] And those Huskies? The opening sequence shows one of the dogs fleeing for its life over some very scenic icy backdrops, being chased by a helicopter whose pilot keeps shooting at it. Poignant and beautiful. But, you’ve guessed it, this lovely creature is the alien escaping from the previous isolated human base (in this case a Nordic one) to the US one where Kurt Russell (Macready) The Thing (1982 remake): rescues it and Donald Moffat (Garry) kills the Film reviewed by LynC Norwegian shooter. Things go downhill from Starring Kurt Russell, and some wonderful there. performances by some Huskies(?). [I query the breed of dog, because I was Seen at the Astor Theatre. expecting Huskies, but Huskies have those curled up tails, and none of these dogs did. They were still beautiful creatures. – Lyn] Dr. Plonk: (A Silent film) Film review by LynC Made in 2007 but set in the silent film era of 1907. Stars Nigel Martin (Dr. Plonk), Paul Blackwell (the deaf/mute Paulus – his assistant) and Magda Szubanski (Mrs. Plonk), and their adorable little foxy terrier. Directed by Rolf De Heer. While it was good to get out and see a film for once – this is not a film I would actually recommend. The acting was fine most of the time but got a little hysterical and over the top at others, and not at the times it logically should have. Kurt Russell is not eye candy to this 60+ y.o. Maybe back in 1982, but I am 40 years older now. I cut my horror eye teeth on ALIEN (1979), and this film owes sooo much to that iconic film it was almost funny watching it move from one scene first put forward by ALIEN to the next.