Amateur Fantasy Publications of Australia
| Fan Club | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Amateur Fantasy Publications of Australia (AFPA) |
| Dates: | 1953 - ? |
| Founder(s): | Race Mathews, Merv Binns, Dick Jenssen, Lee Harding, Ian Crozier, and Bob McCubbin |
| Leadership: | |
| Country based in: | Australia |
| Focus: | science fiction |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
After the Melbourne Science Fiction Group (later renamed the Melbourne Science Fiction Club) was officially founded on 9 May 1952, its constituent members quickly determined that fanzines and newszines were a priority.
The AFPA was founded as a collective and a publishing arm of the club; the name AFPA was registered as a trademark. The club duplicator belonged to AFPA and was located in Merv Binns' garage.[1]
Bob McCubbin later recalled this priority within the early club, which led to the formation of MSFC's first newszine, Etherline:
For many of the Group, the major interest is publishing. Merv Binns, Dick Jenssen, Race Mathews, Lee Harding and Ian Crozier formed Amateur Fantasy Publications of Australia (hereinafter referred to as AFPA), and by pooling resources, purchased a duplicator and supplies. One of AFPA’s first good deeds was to relieve me of my News-letter which, although a labor of love, was becoming a temporal and financial burden. It was completely remodeled, reconstituted and published by Ian Crozier under the title of ETHERLINE. It is now published fortnightly at 6d per copy. It is a financially sound venture, containing news & notes from local and global sources. [2]
The AFPA actually inspired a number of would-be editors to start publishing fanzines: 'Perhaps' (ed. Lee Harding, launched February 1953), 'Etherline (ed. Ian Crozier for the MSFC, launched March 1953), and 'Bacchanalia' (ed. Race Mathews, launched April 1953. While the other two closed quickly, 'Etherline' gained traction and lasted until 1958 with 101 issues published.[3]
In launching MSFC's first newszine (and calling for contributions to their fanzines 'Perhaps' and 'Bacchanalia'), Lee Harding provided his first (and what he intended to be his last) editorial for Etherline #1 on 1st March 1953:
The idea of a regular Australian newsletter has been knocking around in our collective editorial minds for some time now... Our duty is to supply NEWS, and that is what we will feature, not long solemn heddy-torials...Before I leave you, in this, my first and last editorial, I will put in a plea for "PERHAPS". We want artwork and articles by our own Australian fans. The U.S. and British fans are only too willing so what about it, Aussies. LJH[4]
His editorial was accompanied by a complaint that the Customs Department had banned another science fiction book: 'Who Goes There' by Campbell.[5] This demonstrated once again the entrenched culture of the times and the resilience of those earnest young men who sought to promote 'scientifiction' (or 'stf').
Now that "PERHAPS” has hit the streets, I think it timely to make known the apathy and lack of interest which is rife in the Melbourne Stf. Group. If science fiction is to go ahead and take its' rightful place among the literature of the world, then it must have the absolute support of all fans. The best way of showing this support is to help and encourage the publishers of the amateur fanzines. Its no good relying on promags to ’spread the word’. After all, their main object is to make money.Leo, Dick, Race, and Mervyn are making a sincere attempt to put out an adult fanzine capable of holding its own among the best in the world. Therefore I think it time a few ’fans’ stopped being childish and give them some support and encouragement. It does’nt [sic] help any to try and build up a world circulation, and then find the rot has set in at home. GROW UP, MELBOURNE! IJC[6]
Some friction developed between Ian Crozier and other members of the collective:
Unlike most members of the group Crozier was business minded so, while Harding, Jenssen and Mathews saw fanzine publishing as a creative act to promote science fiction, Crozier saw it as a small business opportunity. His idea was to establish a semi-professional publishing business selling to science fiction fans by subscription or through retail outlets such as McGills in Melbourne, Blue Centaur in Sydney and the fan groups in Adelaide and Brisbane. (This basic disagreement over the purpose of fan publishing had led to the conflict between Harding and Crozier and Harding's departure from the group...}[note 1]
After Harding and Crozier fell out Crozier built up his own contact with Australian and overseas fans as sources of news for "Etherline". He assembled the contents for "Etherline" and cut the stencils, and Mervyn Binns ran off the issues on the AFPA Roneo. Crozier worked hard to make "Etherline" look as professional as possible with the folded foolscap format and neatly laid out and clearly typed pages. He made extensive use of electro stencils, with the gradual introduction of elaborate headings and interior artwork and fillos, most provided by Dick Jenssen, Keith McLelland and Don Latimer...Crozier maintained an almost unbroken regular fortnightly schedule right through to 1956 (pp. 166 & 167)[7]
A number of fanzines were published until the AFPA duplicator eventually went elsewhere - in 1961, Merv Binns had the Roneo repaired and offered a printing service in order to raise funds, and it was relocated to the MSFC club premises in Somerset Place, Melbourne (pp. 185 & 186).[7] John Foyster reports that "Since 1970, the AFPA Roneo 500 has been in my possession."[note 2]
Notes
- ^ For details on this falling out, please see Lee Harding's "I Remember AFPA", originally published in Leigh Edmonds & John Foyster (eds.), "Boy's Own Fanzine 6", 1965-1970; reprinted by John Foyster, FNAC Reprints #1, September 2001; pp. 25 & 26.
- ^ See John Foster's editorial afterword, in the same FNAC Reprints #1, p. 27.
References
- ^ Amateur Fantasy Publications of Australia, Fancyclopedia 3.
- ^ Bob McCubbin, 'Science Fiction Fandom in Melbourne', (Etherline #12, 3 September 1953), reprinted in Leigh Edmonds (ed.), iOTA 13, December 2017, p. 32.
- ^ Leigh Edmonds, 'Australian Fandom Adventures in Time: An Annotated Chronology of Australian SF Fandom, Volume 1', iOTA #75, p. 5.
- ^ Lee Harding, Editorial, Etherline #1, 1st March 1953, p. 1, on fanac.org
- ^ Lee Harding, ibid, p. 4.
- ^ Ian Crozier, 'Viewpoint', Etherline #1, 1st March 1953, p. 4, on fanac.org
- ^ a b Leigh Edmonds, "Proud and Lonely: A History of Science Fiction Fandom in Australia, Part One: 1936 to 1961", St Kilda: Norstrilla Press, 2024.