Mission Statement
One of the oldest and longest-running Doctor Who fan clubs in Australia, the Doctor Who Club of Victoria has been enthusiastically promoting the show for over thirty five years through meetings, our Sonic Screwdriver fanzine and a presence at conventions. The club welcomes members of all ages, backgrounds and in particular encourages families. We are an all-inclusive community of enthusiastic fans providing a safe and friendly environment for both members and guests alike. As The Doctor would say, ‘we have never met anyone who isn’t important’.
History of the Doctor Who Club of Victoria
The Doctor Who Club Of Victoria (DWCV) was formed in 1979 as a result of a appearance by the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, at Doncaster Shoppingtown. The first meetings were held at various homes around Melbourne. There were no VCRs available in those days; meetings consisted mostly of showing off merchandise, wearing long scarves and lots of talking. Adrienne Losin produced a publication, The Victorian Time Machine, and later in the year we had our first convention in a church hall in Fitzroy. The following year, it became clear that a committee was needed to administer our soaring membership, and this was formed in June 1980 with John Davies as our first President. The Club was incorporated in 1981.
A new monthly publication, Sonic Screwdriver, was launched and an occasional fanzine, Supervoc, which consisted mainly of quality fan fiction and illustrations. In the years that followed, the increasing membership began meeting at larger venues such as Moonee Ponds Town Hall and Melbourne University, and our annual Christmas parties became legendary. We have hosted many conventions, with guests such as Sophie Aldred, Robert Jewell, Dudley Simpson, Sandra Reid, Lalla Ward, David Banks, Frazer Hines and Sylvester McCoy, and we have collaborated with professional convention organisers on other occasions to give members access to other Doctor Who legends such as Colin Baker and Peter Davison.
The Club Today
We still produce our newsletter Sonic Screwdriver, now 6 times a year, and have meetings about that often too. Our members include a large demographic range from pre-schoolers to sixty-somethings, uni students to business owners, fanboys and fangirls, families, and every conceivable occupation and lifestyle. We have adult members who were brought to the Club as children… and are now bringing their own!
We currently hold our club meetings at The Hub in Docklands, having out-grown our previous venue, a single room at the Northcote Town Hall. Our meetings consist of all kinds of activities, including panels, screenings, cosplay days, trivia, games and a ‘Kids Corner’ for our littlest members. We also hold regular ‘Tardis Trips’, where we venture throughout time and space – a.k.a. Melbourne. This might be movie screenings (and more recently, Doctor Who screenings), picnics, museums, and other events.