Historian and maker of small scale model aeroplanes
(February 2021) This is the story of how we moved from the place where we had lived for ten years to a new place that better suits our needs. It is not a pleasant tale so if you are averse to stress and unhappiness turn away now. At the end of 2018 we decided … More Don’t Try This At Home
Here is the latest issue of iOTA. This one is mainly about science fiction fandom in Sydney from the late 1940s to the early 1950s and includes a draft of my history written about that period.
(November 2020) In November 2020 Qantas celebrates its centenary. As a tiny celebration of this remarkable event here are photos of all the models I’ve made that are associated with Qantas. This includes Qantas Empire Airways, Australia Asia, Australian, QantasLink and JetStar, and the Australian domestic airline Trans Australia Airlines that was later rebranded Australian … More A hundred years of Qantas
Here is the next issue of iOTA, my little fanzine about the project to research and write the history of fandom in Australia up until 1975. In includes a lot of Lee Harding’s early fannish writing and the first chapter in draft to be written for this history which tells the story of Melbourne fandom … More iOTA 18
(November 2020) I don’t get to read many books these days but here’s one that has captivated me and which I only managed to put down without reading it straight through by sheer force of will. It’s A Pound of Paper, Confessions of a Book Addict by John Baxter. Doctors seem to be taking a … More A Ramble on Books and Collecting after John Baxter
(A version of this piece originally appeared in ANZAPA Mailing 316, August 2020) My life is remarkably unexciting, sometimes in an interesting way. Take last Tuesday for example. I count it as a good start to the day when I sleep in to 7am, so the day began well. Other days I can be … More Tuesday
This one is a paper I wrote for an Engineering Heritage conference, held in the Old Parliament House in Canberra. A lovely location and a good conference. It was published in the conference proceedings. It pulls together a lot of work I’d done on Main Roads Western Australia, the State Electricity Commission of Western Australia … More The Post War Project in Western Australia
(May 2001) This month one of my tools has let me down so I haven’t completed a model. My compressor has finally decided that compressing air is just asking too much of it and can’t be bothered any more. It sits there going chug-chug-chug as usual, but only a little air comes out. I will attend to the … More A modeller’s life – my box of tools
At last year’s Melbourne convention we held a panel item about the history of fandom in Australia. On the panel were me (as moderator), Lee Harding, Dick Jenssen and Rob Gerrand. The panel discussed the beginnings of modern fandom, mainly in Melbourne, in the 1950s, including earlier exposure to science fiction, the public attitude to … More The history of Australian fandom at Continuum
Leigh Edmonds little box of stuff 