John Foyster

(April 13, 1941 – April 5, 2003)

John Maxwell Foyster (who also used the pennames John Ossian and K. U. F. Widdershins) entered fandom in the late 1950s and began publishing fanzines in the ’60s. He was the main organizer of the 1966 Seventh Australian Science Fiction Convention, which is credited with relaunching Australian fandom.

In 1970, Foyster begin the Australia in '75 campaign that ultimately led to Aussiecon I, the 1975 Worldcon. He chaired the Melbourne in '85 bid and was the first chairman of Aussiecon II, but resigned. He helped found DUFF in 1972 and in 1979 was the first GUFF winner and published the trip report Stranger in Stranger Lands. He won three Ditmar Awards.

As a member of The Science Fiction Collective, he revived and published the Australian Science Fiction Review from 1979 through 1986. He helped foster a critical approach to SF in others by hosting the Nova Mob in Melbourne and Critical Mass in Adelaide.

In addition to being active in fanzine publishing, he was a fan historian with broad knowledge of the field. (Around the time of Aussiecon 3, he wrote Australian Fan History 1953-1966.) He was a member of FAPA for which he published Candiru. On his 60th birthday, his wife, Yvonne Rousseau, with Juliette Woods and Damien Warman produced a special commemorative fanzine named Festzine.

See John Foyster: The Continuum Tribute by Bruce Gillespie for the transcript of the Continuum 1 tribute panel.

Fanzines and Apazines:

• Ambling Alligator [1977] (for ANZAPA)
• Apas, And Why They Work That Way [1981] (for ANZAPA)
• Australian Science Fiction Review
• Boy's Own Fanzine (with Leigh Edmonds)
• Candiru (For FAPA)
• Chunder! [1972-81]
• Chunder Returns [late 80s]
• The Day I had Gout and Other Stories and Other Stories
• Electronic Thumb Piano [1980] (for ANZAPA 76)
• Emanation (in 1961, his first fanzine)
• Flug [1962]
• FNAC (later followed by an electronic version, eFNAC)
• Grendel (for SAPS)
• The Gryphon
• Introducing Ken and Linda [1979]
• Journal of Omphalistic Epistemology (with Bruce Gillespie)
• Klactoveesedstene [1980, for FEAPA]
• Norstrilian Reviews [1970-72] (with Bruce Gillespie)
• Notes on a Son and Brother [1985] (For FAPA)
• Ron's the One! [1995]
• Sapsequently (for SAPS)
• Satura
• Where are You Going, Where Have You Been
• Wrong Stuff [1981] (for ANZAPA)
• Zapp [1978] (for ANZAPA)

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

• 1969 -- Eighth Australian Science Fiction Convention
• 1970 -- Ditmar Award for The Journal of Omphalistic Epistemology
• 1973 -- Advention 2, Ditmar Award for "Let it Ring" (as by John Ossian)
• 1975 -- Past president of the FWA
• 1979 -- GUFF, Ditmar Award for Chunder!
• 1981 -- Advention '81 (as both John Ossian and K.U.F. Widdershins)
• 1992 -- The Contract
• 2002 -- A. Bertram Chandler Award

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Person

1941—2003

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