FOME Turns Thirty
On Saturday I attended the Thirieth Anniversary Dinner Dance of the Fellowship of Middle Earth. FOME is the fantasy and science fiction society of Monash University. It was started in 1977 by fans (in particular) of the works of J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis. Since then it has evolved into a group of fans of both fantasy and science fiction genres across all media.
My first encounter with FOME was in my youth (lower secondary) during a family visit to Monash Uni Open Day. We visited the stall of FOME and I was impressed by the group of young adults all wearing cloaks and the maps of Middle Earth on the walls. Then on becoming a uni student I got involved in a number of groups but was most active in FOME.
As Thain (FOMEish for President) in 1992-93 I organized the Fifteenth Anniversary Dinner (at the one-time Hobbit Hill restaurant) so I felt it was important for me to attend this one as it has been such a part of my own life.
The event was fun. The comunity hall was the right size for us and offered for both dining and dancing. I had the honour of preparing the playlists for the night (always a fun task) but as we danced I was reminded of other FOME events (like masquerade balls) and of the absent friends who once cut a rug. The dinner dance was well attended both in terms of numbers and of the many generations of FOME represented.
The current Council added a few new innovations to the event such as a door prize of some excellent Lord Of The Rings action-figures and the provision of crayons so that we could draw stuff on the paper table cloths (something worth remembering for a group that attracts more than its share of introverts). There were also many well-worn traditions such as the mathom exchange and the singing of Happy Birthday (Volga Boatman version).
It was also fun because my date Sara instructed me in some Salsa dance moves (I had anticipated this and thrown in some vaguely Latin popular tracks). I am a far from competent student and yet she made me almost look like I knew what to do.
I am happy I went and more than happy to have been part of FOME all this time. The friends and experiences I have got as a 'fellow' have very much enriched my life.
My first encounter with FOME was in my youth (lower secondary) during a family visit to Monash Uni Open Day. We visited the stall of FOME and I was impressed by the group of young adults all wearing cloaks and the maps of Middle Earth on the walls. Then on becoming a uni student I got involved in a number of groups but was most active in FOME.
As Thain (FOMEish for President) in 1992-93 I organized the Fifteenth Anniversary Dinner (at the one-time Hobbit Hill restaurant) so I felt it was important for me to attend this one as it has been such a part of my own life.
The event was fun. The comunity hall was the right size for us and offered for both dining and dancing. I had the honour of preparing the playlists for the night (always a fun task) but as we danced I was reminded of other FOME events (like masquerade balls) and of the absent friends who once cut a rug. The dinner dance was well attended both in terms of numbers and of the many generations of FOME represented.
The current Council added a few new innovations to the event such as a door prize of some excellent Lord Of The Rings action-figures and the provision of crayons so that we could draw stuff on the paper table cloths (something worth remembering for a group that attracts more than its share of introverts). There were also many well-worn traditions such as the mathom exchange and the singing of Happy Birthday (Volga Boatman version).
It was also fun because my date Sara instructed me in some Salsa dance moves (I had anticipated this and thrown in some vaguely Latin popular tracks). I am a far from competent student and yet she made me almost look like I knew what to do.
I am happy I went and more than happy to have been part of FOME all this time. The friends and experiences I have got as a 'fellow' have very much enriched my life.
Labels: Images, Nostalgia And Reminiscences
posted by Dan at
22.10.07
2 Comments:
Ah, good times, cleaning up puke in restaurant toilets... or did you miss out on that style of fun this time?
Yours, David "Lord" J Richardson, Thing 1993
(Maybe other missing people also didn't get an invite...)
By
Anonymous, At
23 October, 2007
Hey - as I always like to say - the guest who puked at that event was a non-FOME hanger-on (and possibly possessed given the distribution of puke in the bathroom).
This event was much less drunken but possibly a bit more debauched (on the dance floor at any rate).
As to missing invitations - they made some efforts to cast the net far and wide but the connections between the generations are rather more flimsy now than they were one and a half decades ago.
By
Dan, At
04 November, 2007
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