The Northern Guffblower: 7

July 1980

news of GUFF from the new UK Administrator, Rob Jackson, 8 Lavender Rd.. West Ewell, Epsom, Surrey KT19 9EB. UK.


Having taken over the slightly-coveted post of GUFF's UK Administrator, I've realised there are one or two things Dave Langford decided tentatively on as my predecessor that need to be confirmed and publicised quickly, and money that needs to be extracted as painlessly as possible from all you good folk and your Gentle Readers. (I must stop sounding like Isaac Asimov.)

Candidates: Nominations are welcome as soon as you can get them to me, and will close August 31st. Anyone who fancies a subsidised trip to Australia to meet such wondrous creatures as wombats, kangaroos, Leigh Edmonds, and .John Bangsund should submit the following to me:

Anyone who fancies a trip to Australia and can rustle up enough nominations (and after that, votes): please speak before August 31st or forever hold your peace (or at least for a year or two),

Your Destination (should you choose to accept it): Advention 81, 20tb National Australian SFCon, Grosvenor Hotel, Adelaide, Australia. Queen's Birthday weekend (whenever that is), June 1981.

Moneymoneymoney: Yes please. After long and arduous conclave with the ex-UK Administrator in the depths of the Southampton pub in Surbiton, I've got various ideas for getting more.

First, it seems that the poor old £ is such a devalued object nowadays, that I don't think £1 is too much to request of you loyal voters. (This is only a 25% increase from the 80p voting fee of two years ago - less than the rate of inflation.)

Second, there are various fanzines, fanthologies and other goodies I've published in the last few years. A certain amount of profit has already accrued from my two Inca Press collections of Bob Shaw's best fanwriting, and some of this has already been donated. So, following donations from Inca Press, and Rob & Coral Jackson, the UK GUFF funds now stand at £323.96. It has also been placed in a building society account; where it should accrue interest of around £30 by next year.

There will be auctions at Novacon 10 and Yorcon II; Coral and I will be having a clearout donating lots of stuff to these, and the more Good Stuff you all can donate the better.

There are also lots of exciting publications for sale in aid of GUFF, but you'll have to hold your breath until you can turn over the page and find out,...

Publications for sale in aid of GUFF:

By post: At cons:
The Best of the Bushel (*1*) £1.10 £1.00
The Eastercon Speeches (*1*) £1.00 90p
Maya 15 (*2*) 50p 40p
Maya 14 (*2*) 50p 40p
Other Places, Other Times (*3*) £1.00 90p
Gonad the Barbarian (*4*) "No reasonable offer refused."

Except for the various overseas agents listed below, send money for these publications to me at the address below.

*1* These are the Inca Press collections of Bob Shaw's fanwriting I mentioned overleaf. Profusely illustrated by Jim Barker, and litho printed. Available in the States for a rate of $ = 2 x the £ price from Joyce Scrivner, 2528 15th Ave.S, Minneapolis, MN 55404; and soon, I hope, to be available in Australia from John Foyster, who of course is GUFF's Australian Administrator (21 Shakespeare Grove, St. Hilda, Vic. 3182).

*2* These back issues of Maya are also available in the States from Joyce Scrivner: $1.

*3* This is a colouring book of fine lighthearted fantasy illos by Randy Bathurst, originally published by Bill Bowers.

*4* The adventures of this notoriously nauseating hero are still available from Dave Langford, 22 Northumberland Ave., Reading, Berks. RG2 7PW; he must be desperate to get rid of them. Please help him and send at least 30p; but 50p would be marvellous. Tank ye, sorr...

Any other fundraising ideas welcomed; take heart from the following quote from The Northern Guffblower 2: "... a micro-auction at Silicon which raised £1.07 1/2 p in mere hours, a sum which was increased to £1.08p by the generosity of Martin Hoare, who had just found the requisite amount on the floor* Thank you, Martin."

Name: Officially, GUFF still stands for the Get Up-and-over Fan Fund. This seems a little silly now it's intending to pay for a southward trip. Dave Langford (him again) has suggested calling it the Going Under Fan Fund. Although this has one or two slightly inappropriate connotations, my feeble little brain hasn't been able to come up with any better ideas apart from the rather obvious Get Under Fan Fund. If any of you have any brainwaves, don't keep them to yourselves, but write and let me know. Otherwise, Get Under Fan Fund it probably will become....

Future issues of TNG will be available to newszine editors and anyone with an interest in GUFF. See you soon, when voting ballots come out. Rob Jackson, 1 July 1980.

The Northern Guffblower 7
from Rob Jackson,
8 Lavender Road,
West Ewell, Epsom,
Surrey KT19 9EB, UK.
Printed matter only.
Return postage guaranteed;
if undelivered please return.