Derelicts

Several Toronto fan groups have been called the Derelicts.

1947–1959

Ad from the 1949 Cinvention Program Book.

In the late 1940s, Ontario fandom was centered around the Toronto Science Fiction Society, aka the Toronto Derelicts (founded 1947), and the fanzine Canadian Fandom. Beak Taylor, John Millard, Bill Grant, Art Ludlam, Lyell Crane and Ned McKeown were prominent members. They put on Torcon. They took their nickname from the title of an essay by Doc Lowndes.

The club became moribund after their Worldcon, but in the early ’50s, a new group of fans (including Ron Kidder, Howard Lyons, Boyd Raeburn, Gerald Steward and Pat Patterson) joined.

Around 1953, a clique of insurgents, notably Ned McKeown, Grant, Lyons, Raeburn and Steward, started calling themselves the The Derelict Insurgents.

As typical insurgents, they indulged in lighthearted, nonserious behavior. Besides fanzines, the Insurgents were known for their liking of Beat poetry, jazz, leather jackets and fast cars. They were affiliated with the CSFA. However, they, too, faded away, and the club ended by 1959.

1966–1984

When OSFiC was founded in 1966, members adopted the nickname New Derelicts in tribute to the older group.

In the mid- to late 1970s, the Derelicts name covered a group including Patrick Hayden, Wayne MacDonald, Phil Paine, Alan Rosenthal, Janet Small, Bob Webber, Bob Wilson and Victoria Vayne. They were intense fanzine pubbers and inveterate walkers.

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

Toronto fans, hosts to the 1948 TorCon and continuing up to the present time. Ned McKeown, Bill Grant, Howard Lyons, and Ger Steward were/are members. The Derelict Insurgents include Steward and Boyd Raeburn.

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Club

1947—1984

This is a club page. Please extend it by adding information about when and where the club met, when and by whom it was founded, how long it was active, notable accomplishments, well-known members, clubzines, any conventions it ran, external links to the club's website, other club pages, etc. When there's a floreat (Fl.), this indicates the time or times for which we have found evidence that the club existed. This is probably not going to represent the club's full lifetime, so please update it if you can!