Donald A. Ford from the Cincinnati Fantasy Group wrote a piece in which he describes, amongst other things, the beginnings of the Indian Lake Convention:

This regional con is for the more hardened fen though. It isn’t nice to have to quell a gibbering neo-fan when he sees his favorite pro denuded of glamor and living it up just like at home.

The shock of finding their idols with feet of clay is too much for them, and their little beanie-capped brains collapse as rapidly as fan and pro mags. A special squad has been organized to lead the poor dazed creatures back to their rooms where they can be alone with their grief. Seeing their favorite pro author stretched out on the floor, dead drunk, does something to them than all King Ron’s auditors can’t put together again. Only the first five fandoms can stand this sight without a tremor. Sixth fandom still has to be watched over, for signs of occasional relapses. However Seventh Fandom has been making an effort to help out their own. A number bring fire crackers and use them for shock therapy. Sometimes it works. Other times it merely brings the pros to, and they rise up calling loudly for another drink and a new deck of cards. Will Eighth Fandom be able to withstand this, along with the “A” and “H” bombs?

Australia will celebrate its 50th Natcon – more officially known as the Australian National Science Fiction Convention – at Easter 2011. First held in Sydney in 1952 as an event run by fans for fans, today it attracts hundreds of fans, writers, editors, booksellers, publishers, movie-makers and other science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts from around the country and even overseas.

The Natcon50 committee is pleased to announce the publication of a commemorative book to celebrate this milestone. But we need your help to compile Natcon’s history. We want photos, stories, programs – whatever you’ve got.

You can share your Natcon mementos with us in whatever way is most convenient. If you have a Flickr account, upload photos and scanned images (or find stuff you’ve already uploaded) then tag them with “Natcon50″ to add them to the pool. You can also email us at natcon50@gmail.com, contact us through our Facebook page, or mail to:

Natcon 50
PO Box 3027
Yokine, WA, 6060

Keep up to date with how the project is going by following our RSS feed or follow @Natcon50 on Twitter.

Let’s ready to party like it’s Easter 2011!