Vale Terry Pratchett; Discworld Convention in Sydney

We were saddened this morning to find that Terry Pratchett had died. His stories have been part of my geeky life and that of my family for years. I read The Carpet People to my kids when they were tiny, and they’ve read book after book since. Pratchett’s combination of wit, wisdom and whimsy was unsurpassed.

Nullus Anxietas V will be held in Sydney on 10-12 April 2015 at the Novotel Parramatta. The inspiration for the convention comes from Sir Terry Pratchett’s Moving Pictures. Here, according to their website, is what it’s all about:

I’ve never been to a Discworld Convention before, what’s it all about?

It’s an opportunity for fans of Sir Terry Pratchett to meet, and enjoy an intensive three days of Discworld related activities (and fun).

We have several large rooms at the convention, and we will be running different events in each for most of the day. Events typically run for one or at most two hours. They can be talks about Discworld related subjects, workshops ranging from physical to cerebral and Discworld connected games. So you can pick and choose what interests you. The most important thing is that it is all fun!

Discworld Conventions are very different to large pop culture expos like Supanova or OzComicCon. Our convention is run by volunteer fans (so nobody is earning a wage), on a very low budget. We only have a few major VIP guests (some in person, some via video link), and they’re all people who have worked closely with Terry Pratchett or are big within the fan community. It is far more intimate with only a few hundred attendees rather than thousands, and our activities run all day and most of the night (sometimes even all night, unofficially!) so you’re encouraged to stay at the hotel (or nearby) to get the best experience. We also aren’t out to bleed you dry of money – we’ll have fewer than 5 vendors total, and the only time you’re really encouraged to spend is at the auction – of which all proceeds go to charity!