Index

THE SKYRACK
NEWSLETTER

This is SKYRACK 52, dated 6th April 1963 and published by Ron Bennett, 13 Westcliffe Grove, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 6d per copy, 2/6 for 6 issues. 35cents for 6 issues in USA (65cents for 6 issues sent airmail) where subscriptions should be sent to Bob Pavlat, 6001-43rd Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland. News of interest to sf fans always welcomed. Contributions by Eddie Jones, Bruce Burn etc.

DEATH OF BOB RICHARDSON

Fans the world over will be saddened and shocked to learn of the sudden death of Cheltenham fan Bob Richardson, who collapsed and died on Monday, let April.

Bob, who was forty-two years old, entered fandom in 1956 and had been a leading light in Cheltenham circles, being the Club’s Knight Armourer of their Order of St. Fantony and being chiefly responsible for the St. Fantony Ceremonies at Kettering and London Conventions in 1957. As Secretary-Treasurer of the 1959 Birmingham Convention he had a large part to play in the consolidation of the then newly-formed British Science Fiction Association.

A most cheerful and vital personality, Bob was considered by most to be an authority on cigarette cards and traditional armoury and had contributed articles on these subjects to different fanzines as well as an article on theology to a prozine. A naval officer during World War II, Bob had served as a frogman and commando and was holder of the “Dangerous” Certificate for in-fighting and close combat, being in addition a judo expert.

In addition to his work with the BSFA and his activities in the Cheltenham Circle, Bob was an Associate Member of the Liverpool Group and undoubtedly fans the world over will join these groups in mourning his most untimely: passing.
—rmb.

LONDON FAN TO EMIGRATE

Or something. Memories of a night trip down to Southampton three years ago were recalled this week when Bruce Burn, who came to this country in the summer of 1960, announced that he was returning to the Dominion. Bruce has been active in London fan circles since he arrived in this country and was Association Editor of OMPA from 1961-62. Last year he toured the country and besides visiting Harrogate looked up fans in Stourbridge, Liverpool, and Belfast. Bruce will be attending the Peterborough Convention next weekend and says something about buying everyone a drink while he still has the chance.

LINDSAY REPORT PUBLISHED

Ethel Lindsay’s report of her TAFF trip to ChiCon III - last year’s Chicago Convention - is out, folks, complete with a special photo supplement and many fine Atom illustrations. I’m in the middle of reading it and finding it pretty hard going - hard going, that is, to put down! Exceptionally interesting are views on present day American fans and the Stateside fan scene. Seven and six or a dollar. Proceeds to TAFF. Stop Ethel at the Con & buy one.

HYPHEN 32 (Mar 63. Walt & Madeleine Willis, 170 Upper N’Ards Rd., Belfast 4, N.Ireland. l5cents  or 1/- to you, but $1784.60 to Terry Carr - am I being got at? - 28pp) A decidely up-to-standard Hyphen with columns by George A.T.W. Charters, Bob Shaw, Walt, and Ted White. Feature article is James White's "The Long Afternoon of Harrogate.” A collector’s item issue.

SHANGRI-L’AFFAIRES 64 (Mar 63. edited by Steve Tolliver, available @ 5 for $1 or 7/- from Ron Ellik, 1825 Greenfield, Los Angeles 25 or Archie Mercer, 70 Worrall Road, Bristol 8. 28pp) More views and opinions on Harrogate from TAFF TJ Ron Ellik and other contributions by Bjo Trimble and Steve Tolliver. A reasonably slim but very readable issue of Shaggy.

PANIC BUTTON 13 (Les Nirenberg, 1217 Weston Rd., Toronto 15, Ont., Canada.35. 46pp) Hardly a fanzine these days, but still filled with fannish type humour and opinion. Crammed, but crammed, with reading matter by amongst others, Jerry DeMuth, Greg Benford and Colin Freeman.

BSFA NEWSLETTER 15 arrived this morning from J. Michael Rosenblum, 7 Grosvenor Park, Allerton Hill, Leeds 7, giving up to date BSFA news items, address changes and sales and wants listings.

EAST-FANGLIAN TIMES 7 came in during the week, the newsletter of the Peterborough Convention which takes place at the Bull Hotel in that fair city next weekend. This gives directions on how to reach the Bull and we’ll try to follow them on Friday to be there in time for tea. If the Convention comes up to the high and meaty standard of the Committee’s seven EFTs, then we’re in for a highly enjoyable weekend.

STARSPINKLE, with its eighth issue from Ron Ellik, reports that Science Fiction Adventures will fold with its April issue but that Nova hope to produce Science Fantasy on a monthly basis in the very near future.

Marion Zimmer Bradley is definitely running against Wally Weber in this year’s TAFF campaign. / Ron Ellik and Peggy Rae McKnight have broken their engagement. / Aldiss’ The Canopy of Time anthology published by Four Square @ 2/6d this week. / A half-crown subscription is offered to anyone who will part.with a copy of Skyrack 47 urgently needed for copyright reasons by the British Museum. / Chick Wells doll....wind it up and it winds up wind up dolls. / Heidi Bruhl for TAFF.