Wherein Maewyn reveals her past in Star Trek fandom
This started out as a reply to Taerie's comments in one of Mechtild's LJ entries. It's expanded somewhat from what I'd started writing!
Taeri and I seem to have similarities in our experiences with Star Trek fandom.
When she was younger, she had joined a Star Trek club and said, "It changed so much of my life that I wonder who I would be now if that hadn't happened!"
I second that! I had become a Star Trek fan in 1967. I loved it alone, because no one else I knew was interested. After the 3 year run, there was nothing to keep my interest going, so it went out of my life.
In 1986 I was a wife, and a mother to two little boys (3 and 6). I didn't go out to work - child care wasn't available as easily as it is now (and I'd have hated handing them over to someone else anyway!). There was nothing wrong with my role in life at the time, but that's all it was - looking after the boys and housework (yay). One day I was at the library and came across a James Blish Star Trek book (he wrote stories based on the episodes). I took the book home, and the feeling of excitement that I had felt when I discovered Star Trek as a 14-year old came flooding back to me. A few months later the series came back on as re-runs. I was certainly primed for what was to come!
Two months later I saw an article in the newspaper that gave details of various clubs in our city. Obviously a picture of Spock drew me like a magnet to the article on a Star Trek club that met not very far away from where I live. Then it hit me, it was meeting that very night! Now, in "real life", I'm a pretty shy person, but at that moment, I thought, "It's now, or never". The opportunity was unlikely to come again where I could meet other people who love Star Trek. I strategically left the newspaper open on the table for my dear, unsuspecting husband to notice. Not knowing he was saying something that he was in some ways to later regret, he said, "Why don't you go along?" Fifteen minutes later, I was out the door and in my car on a journey to a world of new experiences!
As I was driving there, I thought to myself, "What if there are only geeky teenaged boys there?" (I was 33 at the time) "Well, if that's the case, I'll just go home again." I arrived and sidled in through the door. I sort of stood against the wall, asking myself what on earth I was doing in this place with a whole lot of geeky teenaged boys? I decided to wait five more minutes, and if no girls turned up, I'd go home. Minutes later, a woman with a "presence" swept into the hall. She had an air of confidence about her and the whole feel of the place changed. I learned she was the club's Co-ordinator. She came over to me and welcomed me to the club (and later uttered the fateful words, "You must come to my place and look at our Fanzine library!"). Other people came up and introduced themselves. That was the beginning of a 14-year association with a lot of wonderful people, many of whom are still my friends.
Taerie said she had encountered a "go-getter", would prod her into doing things she wouldn't normally do.
The Co-ordinator was my "prodder". If not for her, I'd not have done a LOT of things in my life!
Within less than a year I was the club's Librarian, in charge of (and reading voraciously) 300 fanzines. Unbelievably, at the next AGM, I was elected Vice Co-ordinator of the Club! It sounds grand, but the number of members had dwindled alarmingly at that time, and since the Co-ordinator never missed a meeting, I didn't actually get to do anything (thank goodness). One year later I became the Newsletter Editor (and was still Librarian).
The newsletters up to that point had no illustrations (they were Gestetnered). The club decided to go the photocopying route, so I decided to draw a picture for the front cover. So started my drawing career! As well as putting together a monthly newsletter, I drew most of the front cover pictures for quite some time.
Here are some drawings that featured over the years. (I have removed my real name and other identifying information from these drawings.)
Scotty - from an early Star Trek movie
(James Doohan) (He autographed my copy)
Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation
(Gates McFadden)
Klingon Ambassador (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)
Neelix from Voyager
(Ethan Phillips)
This drawing of Neelix also appeared on the front cover of EPIC (Ethan Phillips International fan Club) and on the club's website (since closed). When Ethan Phillips visited Perth for a convention, he signed my drawing (see below).
At the insistence of my friends, who were going to a Star Trek convention in Sydney, I entered three drawings into the art competition. I was flabberghasted to learn that my drawing of Locutus (see User Info page) was awarded a second place, and a colour drawing received a "special mention".
When I returned to the workforce in 1991, I was no longer able to keep up with the newsletter or the library (it had expanded to include hundreds of books by this time), as well as a job. I then took on the position of club Secretary. This didn't take up as much of my time.
Whilst in this position, it became known that James Doohan would be visiting Australia to attend a convention on the east coast. The job fell to me to write to him, inviting him to Western Australia and our own little mini-convention. To everyone's surprise (especially mine, when I picked up the mail one day to find an envelope decorated with little scotty dogs around the edge!) He had written to say he was coming!
Now that was a time to remember! A group of us met him at the station (he loved trains and wanted to travel on the Indian-Pacific from Sydney to Perth). I had to laugh at my two boys. We have video footage of them arguing over who was going to push his luggage trolley!
We, the organisers of the mini-convention, got together with James Doohan at a private house the day before the big event. Everyone brought along food. We sat and listened to him talk for hours! I had the dubious pleasure of having his hand draped over my knee whilst he was relating a story from his days on radio! The whole thing was recorded on video (including my scarlet face!).
Unfortunately, this picture of James Doohan and I is damaged, but it's the only one I've got!
So, as I said way up above, belonging to a Star Trek club has changed my life. It rekindled my love of drawing. I've met lot of great people, as well as Star Trek actors James Doohan, Ethan Phillips, Rene Auberjonois and Robert Picardo. I helped with the organisation of a mini-convention with guest, and one without, private screenings of Star Trek movies, including one at an IMAX theatre. None of that would have been possible otherwise.
Sorry for going on for so long, but it just all came out! There's a lot more, but I'll bore everyone to death, if I haven't already put them to sleep!