Australia’s first Hugo Award winner, bibliographer Donald H. Tuck, had died at the age of 87. A death notice published in Theage.com.au said:

“Passed away peacefully at Ringwood Private Hospital, Melbourne. Formerly of Ulverstone and Hobart, Tasmania. Beloved husband of the late Audrey Jean, father of Marcus, father-in-law of Rowena, and dovted Grandpa of Jessica, Lucie and Hugh.” 

Tuck’s The Handbook of Science Fiction and Fantasy was awarded a Special Hugo Award in 1962, while The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy won both a 1979 World Fantasy Award and a 1984 Hugo Award (for Volume Three).

Bruce Gillespie e-mailed fans, “Don did all the SF work he was known for while living [in Tasmania] and only later came to live in Melbourne. He was officially Fan GoH at Aussiecon 1, but failed to turn up, and none of us saw him again. We knew he lived in an outer eastern suburb of Melbourne, and that he seemed to have lost all interest in SF.” 

Sydney fan Alf van der Poorten died October 9 at the age of 68. He was most active in the 1960s/1970s

“He was at the first Syncon (beginning of 1970),” recalls Bruce Gillespie, “and was a particular friend of Charlie Brown, who he had met during an overseas trip. Alf was one of a group who manned the Locus table at each of the 1975, 1985 and 1999 Worldcons.”

In mundane life van der Poorten was an award-winning mathematician.

[Thanks to Bruce Gillespie for the story, via Andrew Porter.]