I’m not going to pretend otherwise, winning both the Chronos and Ditmar awards for the Writer and the Critic with my co-host Kirstyn and in my home State of Victoria was one of my proudest moments ever.* You see, before that moment I’d never won anything in my entire life. The closest I’d come was being the nominal runner up at school for the Vonnie Coopersmith public speaking award two years in a row.**
But actually, award winning aside, it was a really well run and happy convention. I’m not going to go into great detail because there’s a heap of con reports out there that makes this clear. The point is that I won an award Continuum 8 rekindled my faith in a welcoming con with an excellent program (Julia take a big bow) run by people who care.
But I do want to thank a couple of people. Firstly, I want to thank my wife Jules for looking after Joshi while I gallivanted around. I really and truly and deeply appreciate it.
I want to thank Mark Webb for buying me Tums and Antacid just before the award ceremony started. Kirstyn and I were hosting the awards and an hour before I came down with what I thought was food poisoning but might have been something else entirely. I didn’t puke on stage, but the tums did help. So thank you Mark for being a top bloke.
And I’d like to thank Sean Wright. Mostly because he’s the nicest guy and apparently graduated the same year I did. Which is the sort of useless trivia that you find out about someone at a con while your bonding. I’m not saying Sean and I are BFFs, but he’s just a lovely guy.
Oh, and Terri I wish I could have tasted your cupcakes!!!!
*No Jules I haven’t lost my perspective, the birth of Joshi is easily on the top of that list.
**My father still believes that I lost the award the first year because I ended a handful of sentences in my speech with a preposition. Parents.
congrats mate.
Thanks old chap.
Congratulations to the pair of you!
Thank you very much.
Huge congrats to you both! So is your ego now likely to be totally out of control? 🙂 Don’t answer that.
Love the picture too – but have to ask -what is the story with the monkey? I know about the squeaky octopuses, and the beautiful Chronos – but monkey?
helen
Yes, my ego is now totally out of control. Nothing WILL STOP IT NOW!!!!
The monkey… got no idea. It was just handed to us by Rachel Holkner who took the photo (and who I should credit for the photo).
Just a small contribution to an excellent awards night – glad you pulled up OK.
Fantastic hosting by you and Kirstyn – and congratulations on both the awards. Very well deserved.
-m
Thank you kind sir.
Kirstyn won three, just saying 🙂
Seriously that was the best awards ceremony I have ever been to. I still think the two of you need to be given a wider audience. McDermott & Mond?
I have yet to write my con report but echo everything you say here. It was welcoming and good natured and a blast.
Sean, please don’t go bursting my Ditmar / Chronos bubble. And it’s not a competition… until I say it is.
It was a great night, Ian. You and Kirstyn were funny and fabulous. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
And it was lovely having dinner with you. Thanks 🙂