• We're getting ready to rumble, with David Harris!
• Convention Listing Oz - valid @ July 2008
• Don S Davis remembered
• Fan Club Focus
• In the next edition of The Sci Fi Reporter

Note: Only new or updated listings are given

Promoters: if your event is not listed here or you have new information advise us for inclusion.

Avcon 2008
Adelaide - South Australia
July 26 and 27
University of Adelaide
Adelaide's anime and gaming convention
Ultimate gaming, Artistry, cosplay and more..
Avcon information

Edward Scissorhands
Full Stage Production
The Arts Centre, State Theatre - Melbourne
From July 22 to August 3 - 2008
Edward Scissorhands information

Animania Festival 2008
Touring Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney
Cosplay, Artist expo, gaming and more..
Full touring information

Buffy and Angel convention
Sydney - August 9
Melbourne - August 10
Presenting..
Amy Acker, Juliet Landau, Larry Bagby and R.D Price
Hub Productions Buffy and Angel information

Star Wars film night with Matt Doran
Presented by Gifts for the Geek - Geelong
Monday August 18
Matt Doran will be signing autographs at the store followed by a Q&A session at a private screening of the new animated Star Wars film.
Gifts for the Geek event information

Conflux 5
Conflux 5 - The Nation's Capital
October 3 to 6 2008 - Canberra
The Marque Hotel
Event information

Armageddon Expo
Auckland, New Zealand - October 25 to 27
Melbourne, Australia - November 1 and 2
Gaming, Costuming, Collectible fair and a host of visiting pop culture actors including the original and best Batman - Mr Adam West!
Armageddon Expo information

Stop The Press!
Terra Nova Events Presents..
A Day on the Promenade
Adelaide - South Australia
August 22 to 24, 2008
Featuring Aron Eisenberg from Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Sean Williams, Author of the new Star Wars book - The Force Unleashed
Three days of activities including a full day convention, Fully escorted wine tour with Aron, VIP dinners, a unique fan evening, exclusive and authentic Stargate costume and prop exhibition and more!
Event hotline is:0431262257
Terra Nova information

Don S Davis - A true gentleman
On screen, Don Davis was a consummate professional. He had a presence that you believed in with every role he took on and in recent times as one of the longest serving members of Stargate SG1, you really believed he was General Hammond, on or off screen.

Don Davis was a man of the people and served the people early on in life as an officer in the U.S. Military and continued to serve the people by his contribution to the entertainment industry.

Appearing on shows like Twin Peaks, MacGyver, The X- Files and Stargate, we have seen just how versatile an actor Don S Davis was and will be remembered for.

The Sci Fi Reporter was very fortunate to meet with Don Davis in 2007 and interview him for our May 2007 issue and we proudly display an autographed copy of our issue signed by Don in our office, and you are invited to re-visit our May 2007 Don Davis interview here.

We pay tribute to Don Davis and send our best wishes to Don's surviving family members.

Debating sci-fi
Presented by Maryanne Scutella

This is the second in a series of science fiction articles that allows you to offer your opinion on different topics. Essentially, a brief introduction of a topic will be introduced and then you can discuss it online at: Debating with The Sci Fi Reporter

We pose the question..

Who is the most annoying character in science fiction?

Science fiction movies and shows are filled with characters that inspire us. Characters who make science fiction shows, movies and books what they are. But what about the other characters? Those that make us cringe every time they appear on screen. I for one can think of a few characters that make me want to turn off the television set every time they appear.

One character in particular who for me, nearly ruined a perfectly good science fiction movie and who received a lot of criticism when the movie first came out, is Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars. I know this movie came out quite a few years ago but I recently saw the film again and it reminded me how much this character truly annoys me.

Even now if you type his name into a search engine you will get plenty of pages created by people who share the same sentiment. However, as irritating as this character is, he is by no means the only character in the science fiction world that people have found less than entertaining.

I was at a science fiction convention a few years ago where they were trying to sell a picture of Wesley Crusher from Star Trek at the auction. At first no one bid on the item until someone suggested it could be used as a dart board. This to me is probably going a bit far but when I watch those Star Trek episodes where he appears there are points where his character can get on my nerves.

These are just two of what I consider the most annoying characters in science fiction but are they really the most irritating or do you think there is another character that deserves this title?

What did I Miss at..
Can't stop the Serenity

A global charity event for Equality Now
Adelaide - South Australia
Reported by Stuart Blair

Over one hundred and fifty vocal and enthusiastic sci fi fans packed into the West Adelaide Football Club on July 4 to lend their support as part of the annual worldwide gathering of "Browncoats" in support of Equality Now, a charity supported by Firefly and Serenity creator - Joss Whedon, for zero tolerance of violence against women and children.

The evening began with a screening of Serenity with cheers and plenty of fanfare throughout the movie. As a keen observer in the audience It was satisfying to see a new generation of SF fans evolving whilst overhearing various topics of SF conversation during the event's festivities.

There were plenty of raffles, and a quality charity auction that resulted in almost every individual not leaving the event empty handed!

The highlight for the event was the much anticipated quiz night which was at capacity, and gave all enquiring minds a stage to show off their knowledge of an array of topics from computing and medical to sci fi and fantasy and plenty in between!

The quiz night was eventually won by Starship Mawson and post event I had the chance to ask Event Director - Miranda Ween, what it is that attracts fans to Serenity and Firefly?

" I think people find the show and the movie ingenious. It is funny, has action-packed scenes, some cool special effects, some cute actors/actresses, a moral, some romance, sci-fi and western... it really has something for everyone. But mostly, I think people can relate to the characters in some way or another, and the show just feels comfortable to watch" Miranda said.

Stuart: So where do you go from here Miranda..with the event attracting larger audiences each year, what can fans look forward to at future events?

Miranda: What's next? Lol, What's next is that I knuckle down and write my ridiculously long thesis, so I can get my doctorate, and make lots of money :D. So I won't be running CSTS next year, but hopefully my second in command, Jess will be stepping up to the plate to take over. So I guess we'll see a fresh take on the event next year. Hopefully we'll be getting together as a group of organisers from Aus/NZ and talking about what worked and what didn't, and whether CSTSANZ will continue to exist past this year, or whether organisers will go their own way. There have been a lot of road bumps this year, but what doesn't break you, makes you stronger, or immune to nerve pinches.

Supanova explodes in Perth!
Pop culture pays a first time visit to the other side of our great nation.

Reported By Margeret Middlemas

Supanova came to Perth on June 27 and we were blown away! What a fantastic event for us to enjoy. My fellow science officer and I donned our uniforms and with trepidation began our away mission.

As soon as we stepped into the pavilion we met friendlies and the party began. Star Trek uniforms were rare, so we had our photo taken numerous times.

Supanova turned out to be a happy friendly place where game players, anime and science fiction fans came together to celebrate. We couldn't wait to return for day two.

All supanova staff we spoke with were more than happy to commit to next year because of such a good turnout, over 7000 people!

Word of mouth will do a lot for this event as the tickets were very affordable, the crowd was friendly and the organisation was spot on.

Thank you Supanova for including Perth in your schedule and thank you to the guests who gave so generously of their time.

Thanks Margeret..
It was a bold move for Supanova to take the expo to Perth, a move that has certainly paid off and one that Western Australian SF fans can look forward to.

You can view Supanova footage here.

Australian Costumers Guild
New members most welcome.
Costumers Guild are conducting workshops at The Adelaide Pop Culture Festival this coming August 16 to 24, 2008 as well as attending costumed events around Australia.
Annual Costume Ball is on August 31, 2008
Visit their website for all information
Costumers Guild

Les aventures de Tintin
Tintin in cyberspace is a group for fans of the classic comic and cartoon Icon by Herge.
The group meets online as a resource for Tintin memorabilia and upcoming events.
Sign up to receive regular updates on the upcoming Tintin movie trilogy being directed by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson
You can contact the group here.
Tintin in cyberspace

Terra Australis Garrison
The 501st Legion boasts over four thousand members worldwide and now have members based in all states of Australia. Star Wars fans can feel right at home with this group of dedicated Stormtroopers and you can contact them via their website at
www.501tag.com

"Out there Social club" Adelaide
You find a lot of queer things in outer space, so it's only natural to have a queer Sci Fi group for all the "Homo" sapiens who are out...there.
The group meets monthly to share a meal and indulge in a little Fantasy! Members range from 30+, Contact Rod on 0402027891, they are also located on Yahoo Groups at
Out There Sci Fi Group

SA Dr Who fan club
Club meetings
July 19 and August 16
Adelaide High School - 3pm till late
Pub Meeting - September 6
Buckingham Arms Hotel
Meeting at 5pm
SFSA info

Star Wars Costume Alliance of Australia
Actively recruiting new members around Planet OZ
Star Wars Costume Information

Austrek Club Events
Actively recruiting new members.
Club Meeting
August 6
2pm to 5pm
Northcote Town Hall - Melbourne
Logon to their website for regular updates and activities for 2008.
Austrek Events information

Dr Who Club of Victoria
Details contact the club on Mob:0412947012 or e-mail Dr Who club at..grassojb@yahoo.co.uk

Star Walking
The Star Wars Appreciation Society of Australia. Ph 05005 Jedis
Club Meeting Sydney - August 31
Club Meeting Melbourne - July 26
See national website for meeting venues.
Starwalking Information

StarshipMawson.com - Adelaide's Sci Fi fan Organisation
Club Meeting - July 27
Away Mission to Galaxy Toys
Star Trek film night - July 25
Police Club - 27 Carrington St - Adelaide
730pm and free admission!
Presenting The Adelaide Pop Culture Festival
August 16 to 24 at The S.A. Museum
Retro SF film festival, SF quiz night, Alien make up and prosthetic workshops, costume displays and more!
Pancake Meeting dates for Winter 2008
August 8 and September 5
From 730pm
Pancake Kitchen - off Hindley St, Adelaide
Starship Mawson is a member of The International Federation of Trekkers - The Official Star Trek fan association fully endorsed by the Roddenberry family and The Official fan club of Star Trek New Voyages.
Club Hotline is Ph: 0431262257
Explore the Starship Mawson website
Starship Mawson Information

Quest - sci fi fan club, Queensland
Join the most active club in the state!
Club meetings held on the second Sunday of each month
Club Contact - President, Mary Kemp
Ph:0732904243
E-mail: jmkemp@bigpond.net.au
Quest Information

Colonial Defense Forces
Australian Battlestar Galactica Chapter
Free membership!
Part of the world wide BSG fan organisation.
CDF Information

Lost in Space association
One of the largest fan clubs in the world
Informative website and active e-mail group
Lost in Space Information

South Australian Fan Force
Very active Star Wars club with a great selection of bloggs!
SAFF Information

Aus sci fi
Shore leave is on the second Sunday of each month from 4pm to 8pm
Hillcrest Community Centre
27-31 Queensborough St - Hillcrest
Information at Ph: 08 83962517
E-mail: ufpclub2@bigpond.net.au

-- Our annual product review
-- Another exclusive interview!
-- Latest SF and Fantasy Books!
And a plethora of news ....

The Staff at the Sci Fi Reporter wish all our subscribers a fantastic month ahead and remember....If you like what we are doing, please forward a copy to your friends!

The Sci Fi Reporter...

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We have all been influenced by various films and television shows at some point of our lives. We have changed our hairstyles, our clothing and some times our persona as a result of making a connection with a film maker's story, and the 1979 film, The Warriors, continues to make that connection with fans to this day as it is screened in cinemas around the world.

The Sci Fi Reporter's Stuart Blair spoke with one of the film's cult fan favourites - Mr David Harris.

We hope you enjoy our exclusive interview.

SFR: David, can you tell us about your acting origins before taking on the role as Cochise in The Warriors?

David: I had always wanted to be an actor since I was a kid. At school I would act out roles in class so I went to college and was accepted into The New York Academy of Arts. I graduated and performed in various Shakespearean productions in the theatre and enjoyed the challenge of each role I played.

SFR: You enjoyed a recurring role on the critically acclaimed TV series NYPD Blue, how did it feel to be working with such a quality cast?

DH: It felt great, the show is brilliant and the cast were very professional, in particular, Dennis Franz (Detective Andy Sipowicz) who always had time to give advice.

SFR: What was it like working with Telly Savalas on Kojak and Richard Dean Anderson on MacGyver?

DH: It was an experience I will never forget. I was appreciative of the advice given to me by them as well as Edward Woodward whilst working on his show - The Equalizer. I found Richard Dean Anderson to be a very patient man and I was deeply touched when he took me aside as a young actor and passed on his expert advice to me.

During my interview with David I found myself totally enthralled with his enthusiasm and gratitude he had for anyone that had supported him, especially the fans that continue to follow his life and visit him at his personal appearances.

SFR: What do you like most about your convention appearances?

DH: I'm a people person.. I love the fans and love hearing of their favourite Warriors film moments, and I truly admire their appreciation for my role within the film, and recently I spoke with a fan that had watched The Warriors over one thousand times!

SFR: Whats up next for you David, are you working on any new projects?

DH: I'm currently writing scripts and I am about to hit the road to sell them to the executives. I am always on the lookout for challenging acting roles.

The Sci Fi Reporter wishes David continued success as an actor and you can keep up to date with David Harris via the website link below.

Contact "Sci Fi Reporter" Logo designer Kristina G.