Astrex

You may be looking for the fan club, Austrek or the convention Astrex Minicon.

Fan Club
Name:	Astrex
Dates:	1973 - 1995
Founder(s):	Susan Clarke
Leadership:	Susan Clarke, Ruth Kentwell, Ian McLean, Maria Papadeas
Country based in:	Australia
Focus:	Star Trek
External Links:
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Astrex was an Australian Star Trek fan club formed in Sydney, New South Wales.

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  Astrex and Medtrek originals, drawn by Eleanor Clarke.

Its Name

The evening began with a history of Astrex, given by the president, Susan Clarke, explaining how the club grew out of the old DUSK (Down Under Space Kooks) of the late 1960s. It had originally been called STAC... It sounded and looked too much like STAG! Astrex was chosen partly as a contraction of Australian Star Trek and partly because the club's symbol (the command insignia) looked like an asterix.

Its Birth

Star Trek was finally cancelled after its third season in 1969 and Fans in America and Australia combined together to protest the cancellation. July 28, 1969 was designated Deluge Monday when everyone worldwide would phone NBC or write letters timed to arrive on that day. One of the organizers was Susan Smith [later Clarke, then Batho], then a schoolgirl in Sydney's Blacktown. Plans were made to combine local fans under Shayne McCormack, a stenographer from Auburn.

Shayne was interviewed about her activities in TV Times in March of that year. As a result she received over 75 letters from people wanting to help. This led to her forming D.U.S.K. (Down Under Space Kooks). The petition she helped organise measured 8 feet and contained over 2,200 signatures. D.U.S.K. published a fanzine, Terran Times, and organised irregular meetings and social outings before folding around 1970...

In 1972, Jenny Stevenson (now Kentwell) and Susan Clarke (nee Smith) published the first issue of what was to become Australia's longest running Star Trek fanzine, Beyond Antares.

In 1973 STAC (Star Trek Action Committee), a new Star Trek club comprising a number of old D.U.S.K. members as well as newer fans, was founded by Susan Clarke. Later that year, it was combined with a club run in Sydney by Julie Townsend and Edwina Harvey and the name changed to Astrex. The new name was derived from the asterisk-like device on the command insignia worn in the television series. The first formal meeting was held in April 1976 and the first issue of the club's newsletter, Data, was published in August 1976. For a while, until Susan resigned as president in the early 80s (handing over to Ruth Kentwell), Beyond Antares was the club's fanzine.

Astrex, though based in Sydney, had a national and international membership and was one of the largest clubs in the country, as well as being the oldest. Ian McLean was President from 1984-1992. Astrex finally ceased around 1995 with the arrival of the Official Star Trek Club of Australia which began in 1993.

Zines Published

• Beyond Antares
• Beyond Antares R-Rated
• Data (newsletter)
• Lore (fiction zine)

Astrex in the Media

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  Therin of Andor and other Astrex members were interviewed, in Sydney's Galaxy Bookshop, about The Firm's 1987 novelty song, "Star Trekkin'."

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  Data newsletter's exciting international scoop: a sketch (from Bjo Trimble's memory) of the new Starfleet uniform in the then-upcoming "Star Trek: The Next Generation" TV series, during an interview for issue #78, July 1987.

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  Ian McLean, Club President, and other members of Astrex were interviewed in TV ads for Australia's 1991 premiere of "Star Trek: The Next Generation".

Read More

• Interview with Derek and Sharon Screen (2001)
• Astrex members in skits and fan films by Harpic Productions (1985-1990)