Sunday 10th AprilRON BENNETTThe Annual Meeting of the BSFA was scheduled to start at 9am on the Sunday. This was referred to as "an unearthly hour" but nevertheless the announcement had the desired effect (more or less) and the AGM actually got under way at 9.50. There were two new Committee members. The contested vacancy for Vice-Chairman saw Ken Slater gaining 30 votes to Peter Weston's 11 and Steve Oakey took over as Publications Officer, an uncontested nomination, following the resignation of Roger Peyton whose sterling work during the past two years has been instrumental in producing so many fine issues of Vector. Peter Weston was roped in to fill the newly created non-committee post of BSFA Public Relations Officer, a somewhat thankless task for which he has sympathies in advance. And Dave Kyle, honorary Anglofan, was given the job of blueprinting the future administration and organisation of the British Fantasy Award (which matter had had to be hurried through somewhat in time for this year's Con). Perhaps the most important decision taken at this somewhat confused and sometimes out of hand gathering was that to divorce officially the annual Convention from the BSFA as such. The two will continue to co-exist - and, it is sincerely hoped, to cooperate with each other to the full - but the annual Convention Committee is no longer to be nominally responsible to the BSFA Committee. Instead, a body of two permanent trustees (Dave Barber and Jill Adams) is to preserve Convention continuity from year to year. At one point in the general discussion it was seriously suggested that, in addition, the BSFA should sponsor conferences at other times during the year. Sometimes BSFA Annual General Meetings seem to be stumbling over their own feet.
The AGM also confirmed that the 1967 Convention, as had been previously agreed, is to be held in the South-West. New information seemed to indicate that Bath, rather than Bristol, was after all a possibility, but immediate post-convention investigation has since proved this to be a false alarm. Whatever the ultimate location, however, the 7/6d registration fee should be sent to Tony Walsh, 61 Halsbury Road, Redland, Bristol 6. And in the interim the Salford-based Alien-Delta group is to investigate the possibilities of the Manchester area. One ray of hope for the future to emerge from this year's AGM is that for such future occasions Phil Rogers has accepted the post of Parliamentarian. PETER WESTON: For Charlie Winstone, it all exploded in his face at the BSFA AGM. A blizzard was blowing outside but under the mild direction of Roy Kay it had been a sedate, though slightly confused meeting, with no Charles Platt to stir up trouble, no great passions roused. Rog Peyton was given a round of applause for his splendid achievement in putting out VECTOR every two months for two years (during which time Association membership had more than doubled), and the editorship passed to a newcomer, Steve Oakey. Ken Slater came in as the new Vice-Chairman, and then came Charlie's turn, as Treasurer, for the presentation of Accounts.
Now at the time I didn't pretend to understand the mysterious world of bookkeeping and profit-and-loss statements, few of us did. Charlie had never asked our advice, never seemed to be in any difficulty, so we had naturally assumed he knew what he was doing. Unfortunately, it appeared that he didn't, and his errors were exposed in the worst possible way by Ted Tubb, who stood up to interrupt Charlie with a query. "What's this item under 'Expenditure'?" he asked, "Money at a Building Society. Shouldn't that be an 'investment'?" Charlie spluttered and tried to explain, without success. "Don't you know the difference?" demanded an irate Tubb, like a dormant volcano coming noisily into life. It rapidly got worse as Ted went on the warpath with a vengeance. "These figures don't even add up!" he roared, and others started to nod in agreement. Charlie was absolutely crucified, and Roy Kay directed that his accounts should be re-done by the Association Auditor, Chris Priest. Charlie was hardly seen again until it was time to go home. When we dropped Charlie at his house he went in without a word or backwards glance. Charlie's mother was outraged at the way he had been treated, and she forbade us to come to the house again. Remarkably, the BSFA let him remain as Treasurer for a full third term, which was a mistake they would regret. It was the end, too, of the Fanzine Foundation. Perhaps I should have tried to retrieve it from Charlie's house, but I didn't want to face his mother and there was still the problem of where else could it go?
RON BENNETT The 'Discussion Drive' planned for the Sunday afternoon was strictly an experiment in two-way communication, and although it did not quite work out as planned, those attending seemed to enjoy themselves. (Incidentally, Beryl Mercer, who originally dreamed up the idea of the Discussion Drive, wishes to express her appreciation of the willing and cheerful help she received from the professionals and from others involved.) The Discussion Drive ran without a break into the 'Round Robin Story', which was taped by Dave Kyle. By the time this broke up at 5.15 some of the professionals present had been talking happily for over three hours.
AT 9.30 promptly on Sunday evening the Grand and Noble Order of St. Fantony took over the Convention hall in order to induct four new Knights, namely Messrs Brian Aldiss, Dave Barber (the Convention Chairman), Harry Harrison and Michael Rosenblum. It is understood that there will be additional ceremonies later in the year at the TriCon and in Vienna at which further new members will be admitted to the Order. The St. Fantony ceremony was followed immediately by the annual presentation of the Doctor Arthur R. Weir Memorial Award, for services to SF fandom, this year to the Association's new Vice President, Ken Slater. The Award was presented by last year's winner, Terry Jeeves, who this year was happily able to be in attendance. Eric Jones, the Grand Master of the Order of St. Fantony, having explained the Order's origins then invited all those present to an open St. Fantony party (where the drinks were dispensed to relays of attendees) where Norman Shorrock presided over the punch bowl. It remained only for Dave Barber to wind up the Convention, expressing his pleasure at his admittance to the Order.
PETER WESTON: Later I followed Ted Tubb on another of his late-night pilgrimages, chinking bottles in a conga-line and chanting "Get back to your wives" before being pursued along endless corridors by an irate hotel manager, so heavily-built that we called him "Landsburger Gessler" after the evil Austrian overlord in the "William Tell" series then on television.
BRIAN ALDISS: We had forgotten all about the meat pies, and it was only on the last evening of the con that we thought to raid Tom Boardman's room - and find only one left. He had eaten the other thirty-seven (or whatever the number was).
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