Guest post: Holmes Down Under
Without beating around the bush, as we say here,
I’ll get straight to the point. While Europe and the U.S. are spoilt with
conventions, Q&As, autographing sessions, meet-and-greets, special
appearances, awards ceremonies and societies (need I continue?) we Sherlockians
in Australia must survive on breadcrumbs.....
....(namely: a late TV
premiere, a couple of Holmesian societies – for paying members – and a TV
advertisement prior to each new season). It would be the understatement of the
fandom to say that the BBC Sherlock presence in Australia – and the Sherlockian
presence in general – is small.
How does #holmesdownunder sound?
All we need is a bit of commitment (I don’t need to elaborate, we’re fans), creativity (we've already got that) and activity (I'm getting to that bit)!
Written by Reena Mukherjee
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| Hungry for more.... |
So, what should we do
about this? Of course, Aussie Sherlockians can make various petitions and
appeals to the BBC themselves…but isn't there a faster and more fun way of
proving that the fandom down under is just as committed and strong as our Sherlockian
family overseas?
Of course there is!
Which is precisely why
we need a Sherlockian/Holmesian movement in this country.
How does #holmesdownunder sound?
Since the first set of
Holmes stories were published, so many years ago, our fandom has maintained its
reputation for being the craziest, liveliest and most passionate fandom out
there. We need to keep this trademark quality up. Besides this being our
unspoken duty, there’s an amazing chance that the powers that be will recognise
just how great the need is for more #Sherlock in Australia.
So what can we do to further
the #holmesdownunder cause in our amazing land?
All we need is a bit of commitment (I don’t need to elaborate, we’re fans), creativity (we've already got that) and activity (I'm getting to that bit)!
Things we can do:
- Tag your posts and tweets! #holmesdownunder
- Follow the official blog (currently a work in progress): http://holmesdownunder.tumblr.com/
- Create fanart, put up posters, spread the news (schools and workplaces are great places to begin) and raise awareness!
- Hold free meet-ups and competitions.
- Get social media #Aussie#Sherlocked.
- Begin new Sherlockian/Holmesian societies.
- Have a stronger presence at conventions and premieres.
And
that’s just the beginning.
Come on Australians.
Let's show them how #fandom is done down under.
((P.S. If you’re an
Australian Sherlockian looking to help coordinate this new movement, you can
contact me (to submit work/ask a question/get involved) through the blog (holmesdownunder), or via Twitter {@Auslockians})).
As a member, I would suggest you liaising with the Sydney Passengers over this. They are a good bunch of people and I feel sure that they would be willing to engage with you on this.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I don't understand the comment about Holmesian societies being "for paying members", with the implication being that this is a bad thing. Most fan clubs/societies charge a membership fee, and rely on this income to maintain themselves. With regard to the Sydney Passengers, which Alistair mentions above, the yearly fees are really quite modest, and new, members are very welcome, particularly the enthusiastic ones! The post gives the impression that there is very little Sherlockian activity in Australia, but I really must disagree. There are very few organisers, it is true, but quite a large number of active Sherlockains. New blood always encouraged!
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