WHAT IS GUFF? The Going Under Fan Fund (known in alternate years as the Get Up-and-over Fan Fund) was established in 1979 to further contacts between European and Australian fandom by bringing a well-known and popular fan from one hemisphere to attend a convention(s) in the other. GUFF exists solely through the support of fandom. The candidates are voted for by interested fans all over the world, and each vote is accompanied by a fee of not less than £1 or $A3. These votes and the continued interest and generosity of fandom are what make GUFF possible.
WHO MAY VOTE? Voting is open to anyone who has been active in fandom (fanzines, conventions, clubs etc.) prior to January 1987 and who contributes at least £1 or $A3 to the fund. Contributions in excess of this minimum are gratefully accepted. Only one vote per person is allowed; proxy votes are forbidden and you must sign your ballot. Details of the voting will be kept secret. "Write-in" candidates are permitted. Cheques, postal orders and money orders should be made payable to GUFF if in $A and Eve Harvey if in £ (if you cannot provide these, any other currency should be in notes, but we'd prefer not to incur the additional transaction, costs if possible.
VOTING DETAILS GUFF uses the Australian preferential ballot system, which guarantees an automatic run-off and majority win. You rank the candidates in the order in which you wish to place them. If the leading first-place candidate does not get a majority of the total votes cast the first-place votes of the lowest-ranking candidate are dropped and the second-place votes on those ballots are then counted. The process goes on until one candidate has a majority. It is therefore important to vote for second and third place on your ballot. It is also a waste of time to put any candidate in more than one place.
HOLD OVER FUNDS This choice, similar to "No Award" in the BSFA and Hugo Award balloting, gives the voter the chance to vote for no GUFF trip, should the candidates not appeal to them or if they feel that GUFF should slow down the frequency of its trips.
DONATIONS GUFF needs continuous donations of money and material to be auctioned in order to exist. If you are ineligible to vote or don't feel qualified to vote, why not donate anyway? Just as important as donations is publicity – in fanzines, letters, convention booklets, and by word of mouth – to increase voter participation and fandom's overall interest in and awareness of GUFF.
THE CANDIDATES Each candidate has promised, barring acts of God, to travel to the 1989 National Con (Swancon 14) in Perth, Australia, if elected, has posted a bond and provided signed nominations and a platform, which is reproduced overleaf, along with the ballot form.
DEADLINE Votes must reach the administrators by midnight on 26 November 1988 (local time).
GUFF 1988-89 CANDIDATES' PLATFORMS
in alphabetical orderRoelof Goudriaan
There are not many people who will goodbye to their fanzines when putting them in the mailbox. Roelof does; but he's a sentimental guy. He has his heart in the right place, and that's all over the world. If it's anything he's known for, it's for think international. Right – years ago he began A Foreign Fanzine in English, to let people know how the Dutch wrote, and things got worse. Today, he edits the European newsletter Shards of Babel. He's not too shy to be seen in person, being one of the people who helped to get Worldcon to the Netherlands. After testing out mutually clashing accents with Australian guests, he now thinks the time is right to imprint the European Continent on the Australian fannish frame of mind, and to let Australian grandeur saturate his entire being. So, if you want to find out how egg yolks mix with brandy; how many words the Dutch have for "canal"; how Roelof clings to his Pom accent while living with a Yankee; how many socks he has sent back to Down Under; why not vote Dutch? It's Goudriaan for GUFF.
Nominators: Marc Ortlieb, Jan Paul Smit, Pascal Thomas, Roger Weddall, Bridget Wilkinson.
Linda Pickersgill
Having learned to party from American fandom before moving on to pick up fanzine and conrunning skills in British fandom, I am now ready to explore habits of a third continent. I have the stamina necessary to be a first-rate tourist, a late-night party goer, a disco bop queen and a varied conversationalist. I also read science fiction. Most of me current fan writing is in the APA The Woman's Periodical or in other people's zines, though I have done my own Tiger Tea and have helped run Mexicons. Most recently I organised the fan activities at Conspiracy 87 where I bullied many an Australian.
Nominators: Justin Ackroyd, Andrew Brown, John Harvey, John Jarrold, Pam Wells.
I vote for (list 1, 2, 3 etc):
( ) Roelof Goudriaan ( ) Linda Pickersgill ( ) Hold Over Funds ( ) ____________ (Write-In)
SIGNATURE:
NAME & ADDRESS:
I enclose ____ as a donation ______ to GUFF. (Make £ cheques etc. payable to EVE HARVEY, A$ payable to GUFF.)
If you think your name might not be known to the administrators and that your vote might thus be disqualified, please give the name and address of a fan or group to whom you are known.
SEND BALLOTS AND DONATIONS TO:
EUROPE: Eve Harvey AUSTRALIA: Irwin Hirsh 43 Harrow Rd 2/416 Dandenong Road Carshalton Caulfield North Surrey SM5 3QH Victoria 3161 U.K. AUSTRALIA This form produced by Thyme.
Reproduction is encouraged (urged, even) provided that the text is reprinted verbatim (though correction of typos would be appreciated). Please substitute your name above if you are distributing ballot forms.