Boxing Day Bears

After seeing the wonderful giving spirit of the community last Boxing Day, we figured... why not make it tradition?

Boxing Day Bears allows you to balance the scales a bit for those less fortunate. By now you've eaten well and (hopefully) been spoiled with gifts. Well, it's time to pay it forward at the annual Laird & VicBears appeal.

Donations of long-life/non-perishable food & quality clothing will go to the Positive Living Centre and ALSO Fabulous Shop respectively. Donations will be accepted between 4pm and 9pm with representatives on hand from both the PLC & ALSO to assist with any queries.

Of course, being a VicBears event, there’ll be a fancy BBQ and a member raffle or two. And being a Sunday, all drinks purchased get you a chance to play Cock Lotto!

So join the Laird, VicBears and DJ’s Charles & Spanky for a feel-good afternoon full of festive cheer.

See you all there! Woof!

December 26th, from 4:00pm. The Laird Hotel.

December Newsletter

Our December Newsletter is now online. Check it out for upcoming events, club news and information and more.

December Newsletter

Have a good read!

Joe

Vicbears Ink Editor

editor@vicbears.org.au

Logo Competition Extended!

Just a quick update to let you know that entry into the Vicbears Logo Competition has been extended until November 21.

So get those entries in quick!!

Grrrampians 2010: Applications closing soon...

Grrampians 2010 Weekend is fast approaching, and you're running put of time to reserve your spot on this fun filled weekend.

Thinking about coming? Applications close:

10:00pm, Wednesday October 27

Click here for all the details and book your place!

October Newsletter

Our October Newsletter is now online. Check it out for upcoming events, club news and information and more.

October Newsletter

Have a good read!

Joe

Vicbears Ink Editor

editor@vicbears.org.au

Vicbears Logo Competition

Vicbears is looking for a new logo, and we want our members to help us out.

We're offering a $500 prize for the winner.

Head on over to the Logo Competition page for more information.

http://www.vicbears.org.au/logocompetition

Please direct any queries to: secretary@vicbears.org.au

Good Luck!!

Grrrampians - On Sale Now!

Interested in heading off for a relaxing trip away over the Melbourne Cup Long Weekend? Then come along to Vicbears Annual Grrrampians weekend, held at the foot of the Grampians Mountain Range in Western Victoria.

Grrrampians is a tradition of VicBears and has been for many years. Any excuse to go out into the bush and enjoy some good grub, right??


Enjoy archery, bushwalking, swimming, exploring or just relaxing at the campground. Suited for those who want to get away for a break and away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a couple of days!

Come and spend some quality time with your bear mates or come and make some new ones in what is always a fun-filled or relaxing weekend (depending on your interpretation!!)

For more information, including maps, pricing
and buying your tickets, please visit:

http://www.vicbears.org.au/store/grampians.html

WOOF!

Can't wait for Grrrampians this year? While you're waiting, perhaps you'll like to see some photos from our archive. You might just see some familiar faces: 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008

Bears on the Loose Present: Resident Evil Afterlife in 3D

The Bears are on the loose again and this time we're giving you your recommended monthly dosage of science-fiction action-horror in three mind-blowing dimensions!

Vicbears are going to a release-day, October 14, screening of Resident Evil Afterlife (3D).

Plot: "In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice (Jovovich), continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle wit...h the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead - and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap." Rated: MA

Special Vicbears Member Price $15 (Save $5!).
Non-Members - $18

Meet us at Groove Train, 3rd Floor, Melbourne Central at 7pm to buy your tickets, share some tea/coffee/hot chocolate and some nibbles before the film.

~Vicbears: Making Zombie Apocalypses slightly more awesome. ~

We're listening! - Open Meeting September 30

The Vicbears 2010/11 committee is dedicated taking the club to new heights, building our membership base, building our community profile and striving to be an all-round awesome Bear club.

To help us achieve these goals we've asked our members to fill out two surveys:

* The "Out of Hibearnation Survey 2010" - A follow-up survey to our major annual event "Southern Hibearnation"

* The "Vicbears, Hear me Roar 2010 Survey" - A survey designed to gather demographic information of our members, shape the types of events Vicbears holds and determine how well the club achieves its pre-defined goals.

You've told us what you want and we've heard what you're saying. We've pooled the data together and compiled them into two reports. Now, we want to share the results with our members.

Where: Vibe on Smith - 123 Smith Street, Fitzroy.

When: September 30 - 7pm

We'll share a meal, go over the reports and then have a general meeting in which you can contribute your two cents.

We'll chip-in some jugs of beer and soft drink while we're at it.

If you're interested in the survey results or the future direction of the club, please come.

Newsletter

Our new newsletter is now online!

Featured this month:

Southern Hibearnation Photos, upcoming events and more...

Joe

Vicbears Ink Editor

editor@vicbears.org.au

September Newsletter

BEAR BOWLING! Tuesday September 14th

Our first BEARS ON THE LOOSE event for the new year is here, and it comes in the form of Bear Bowling!!

Come on down to Strike Bowling Bar (325 Chapel Street, Prahran) for a night of bowling with all of your bear mates - we've tried to choose a more central location for this particular event, so make sure you come on down after work for a cheap and fun evening!

"Strike Bowling Bar is the perfect place to spend your Tuesday nights, with $8 bowling, drink speci...als, free popcorn, prizes and more!"

We've booked lanes from 7PM - so please try and be there by 6:30 - 6:45ish. And RSVP here so we can get a good idea of numbers. We'd love to see you there of course, and a big turnout means we'll be doing plenty of these BEARS ON THE LOOSE events in the future.

Woof!

Den Night - 28th August

It's the 4th Saturday of the month, and after our recent Annual General Meeting... it's back to tradition with another friendly Den Night at the Laird Hotel!

We've ushered in a brand new committee at our recent AGM, so what better opportunity to meet them all in the flesh at our first Den Night for the 'new year'!

We've got a couple of big announcements to make and some raffle prizes to give away, so come on down and say hello! We're all incredibly ...excited about some big changes over the coming year, with new events, new ideas and new chances for our members to really benefit from VicBears... so be there when it all kicks off this Saturday!

And as always... don't forget to bring your membership card to get your 15% drink discount - we'll be there at the desk if you want to join up or renew your membership!

Come and hang out with your bear mates, or maybe meet some new ones!

Hope to see all you fellas there!

Luke Mitchell
Vice President
vice-pres@vicbears.org.au

Southern Hibearnation 2010 - Survey Results

"That was the best bear run experience I have had! Great work buddies! Thank you very much ;)"

The survey results are all in from our recent Southern Hibearnation 2010 Survey and we thank you all for taking the time to complete the survey questions and adding your comments, feedback and suggestions

We received over 100 completed surveys, which is an awesome result for any type of club survey!! It's obvious you guys care a great deal about your Club and the SH event, and want to see it continue to improve in the years ahead.

Laid end to end, the Survey Report is over 39 pages long, and we have tons of data, statistics, ratings and comments which we'll be sorting through and taking on board, in preparation for Southern Hibearnation 2011. Overall, the comments made throughout the SH2010 Survey were very positive, encouraging and constructive. Here's a couple of final comments made;

"The events that I attended ran smoothly and without any real problems that I could see. Probably one of the smoothest years so far."

"Great events organised, next year I will take time off work as it was bloody hard work to attend events and get to work every day."

The new VicBears Committee will be wading through all the Survey results and comments in the coming weeks, and we'll start our work towards an even woofier SH2011. So thanks once again from all of us at VicBears for completing the Survey - the quality and quantity of the responses was phenomenal!

Oh, and the winner of the random prize draw from those of you who completed the Survey was Rob Bell from Victoria Park, WA. Rob will be receiving his 100% Beef Magazine subscription soon!

AGM complete!

Hey everyone,

After another year of VicBears concluded at our most recent Den Night in July, it was time to re-elect the new committee for the next year! After our executive committee from 2009-2010 delivered their final reports, a new committee was elected:

President Ricky Cooper
Vice President Luke Mitchell
Secretary Peter Undy
Treasurer Clint Roberts
Committeeman Joe Davis-Westland
Committeeman Jack Chapman
Committeeman Rob Camm
Committeeman Kevin Reader

Congratulations to the new committee; we at VicBears all look forward to an even bigger and better year than the last one.

Hugs and woofs,
Luke Mitchell
Vice President
vice-pres@vicbears.org.au

Annual General Meeting - Tuesday July 27

Hey there Melbourne bears!

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is YOUR chance as valued members of the VicBears community to come and tell us your thoughts on the year that has passed, give ideas and suggestions for the upcoming year and also 'vote in' your new committee!

Come on down to:

VAC/GHC
6 Claremont Street
South Yarra

The meeting will start promptly at 7:30PM - it will commence with reports from the executive committee on the year that has passed, and will be followed by the nominations that have been received for the NEW commiteee, concluding with a meeting afterwards where the members have the opportunity to take the floor and ask us questions about what's happening.

We usually grab a bite to eat afterwards just down the road, and you're of course welcome to join us for that too :)

Cheers and hugs,

Luke Mitchell
Vice President
vice-pres@vicbears.org.au

DEN NIGHT - Saturday July 24th

It's the 4th Saturday of the month, and after Southern HiBearnation 2010... it's back to tradition with another friendly Den Night!

DJ Papa Tom will be spinning on the decks, we'll have pictures that were taken throughout SH10 showing on the screens, and we're going to have a spec...ial appearance by Mr. Australasia Bear 2010, CRAIG! So come down and say hi to our winner, who is preparing to take over the bear world overseas!

We'll also be handing over our donation to Way Out, our charity of choice for Southern HiBearnation 2010. We've taken all the ticket sales and raffle tickets that you all purchased and will be handing over the cheque personally at Den Night.

Last but not least, it's our final Den Night before our Annual General Meeting, which is Tuesday July 27th! For some committee members, it'll be their last Den Night 'on the job'... so we want to make it a big one!

And as always... don't forget to bring your membership card to get your 15% drink discount - we'll be there at the desk if you want to join up or renew your membership!

Come and hang out with your bear mates, or maybe meet some new ones!

Hope to see all you fellas there.

Cheers and woofs,
Luke Mitchell
Vice President
vice-pres@vicbears.org.au

THANK-YOU!

On behalf of all the crew at VicBears, we wanted to say thanks to everybody for attending Southern HiBearnation 2010.

It was one of our most successful events ever, and we couldn't have done it without everybody who put in to help out, and everybody who attended events and made the crowd so enjoyable to be a part of! So thanks!

Importantly, we have a survey we'd love you to take part in so that we can get your thoughts on the events throughout the week. It shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes, is completely anonymous, and is the perfect chance for you to have your say and give us constructive criticism on next year!!

Just go to THIS LINK:

Southern HiBearnation 2010 survey

...and answer the questions! You could even win a digital subscription to 100% Beef Magazine for your troubles! Woof!

And don't forget our AGM is coming up on Tuesday July 27th where you can have a say in the next committee, or nominate for a role yourself!

Hugz and tugz,

Luke Mitchell
Vice President
vice-pres@vicbears.org.au

Newsletter

Our new newsletter is now online!

Featured this month: Southern Hibearnation, the Men on Men Art Competition, our upcoming Annual General Meeting, and more...

Joe

Vicbears Ink Editor

editor@vicbears.org.au

Newsletter May 10

UnderBear reduced prices

"You Drop Your Pants, We'll Drop Off $10.00!"

UnderBear @ SH2010 is set to go off!

And to make sure it does, we've decided to cut $10 bucks off the current ticket price, to get this ticketed event pricing more inline with our other event ticket prices. We don't want anyone to miss this one!
The Laird is going to jump with throngs of bears in their undies - and now you can do it for just $20 [VicBears Members], $25 [Brethren Bear Club Members] or $30 [Non-Members].
Don't delay in getting your tickets at this price - order now at www.southernhibearnation.com. [Tickets limited by venue capacity].

For all of you bears who have already bought SH10 Event Passes, we're giving you an exclusive UnderBear Party gift [which everyone else will have to pay $10 for]. In your SH10 Event Bags, you'll receive a VicBears commemorative wristie-band, branded with your favourite bear club logo and the perfect place to put your money, keys n stuff while you dance around in your jocks.
The VicBears UnderBear wristies will be available for sale to all others for $10 during UnderBear, but stocks are limited!

And if you've already bought an individual event ticket to UnderBear at the previous price, don't worry - we'll refund you $10. Come and see us at the Event Desk @ The Laird on Monday, 14/6/10 or at the door for the UnderBear party on Wednesday, 16/6/10 and we'll happily give you 10 bucks back!

Now it's more affordable than ever to get ya gear off and rub fur with hundreds of others @ UnderBear.
See ya there guys!
VicBears

UnderBear Dance Party
The Laird Hotel
8:00pm, Wednesday 16 June, 2010
Southern HiBearnation 2010
www.southernhibearnation.com

SH Event Profile: BearCity Movie Premiere

Hey Dudes,

Vicbears proud to present a screening of the film Bear City as our Saturday afternoon event during Southern Hibearnation. Our screening comes a mere two weeks after the world premiere in the United States. It's so hot out of post-production it needs to be handled with gloves!

Details surrounding the film have been kept tight until now. Below is an interview Nard of Bear Podcast did with the woofy Doug Langway, writer and director of the film. In the interview he discusses he discusses the film and its production.

Interview with Doug Langway, Bear City the Movie from Nard P

If you live on the south side of the equator, the best way to see the film will be at Southern Hibearnation this year. Our screening will be located at the luxurious Sun Theatre in Yarraville, accessable via a quick train ride from the CBD. All tickets and passes include drinks and nibblies before the show.

Individual tickets start at $50.

To get the full Southern Hibearnation experience, including the premiere of Bear City, Early-Bird passes are still available until May 7 starting at $130 and includes an event t-shirt and a goodie bag.

Buy Your Tickets Now

Hey everyone!!

Just a message to let you know that Southern HiBearnation tickets are now ON SALE!! Jump on http://www.southernhibearnation.com/ (or click the handy button in the side bar to the right) and check out all the great events we have on this year... it very well could be the biggest bear week we've ever had!

You can buy event tickets seperately, or, get the full pass at a discounted price (get on quickly for the EARLYBIRD price to save even more money!!)

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me - it's gonna be a big one this year, we're all really excited, and can't wait to see you there!

(Oh, and a hot tip: If you buy a VicBears membership for just $25 a single or $30 for a couple, you'll save even more cash... that's pretty cool, right!?)

Woof woof!

Luke Mitchell

Vice President

vice-pres@vicbears.org.au

Bearaoke 3

After the first two Bearaoke's being massively successful nights with everybody having an absolute blast, it just made sense that this ANZAC weekend Den Night brought it back one more time.With our returning special guest host, Sydney's Shanobear (along with his crew), VicBears is bringing you karaoke as you've never seen it before.

Come down and choose your songs, grab the microphone and show us what you've got!There wil be prizes for the best performers, but it's all in good fun, and of course there is the usual drink discounts for VicBears members; we'll also be at the desk as usual so that you can join up or renew your membership - not to mention a gold coin BBQ so you can have a snag before the singing starts!

For those who want to have a look at the song list, jump onto http://karaoke.shanobear.com/ to have a browse!We all look forward to seeing you there belting out some tunes, or just having a drink and being a part of the fun!

Hugs and woofs,

Luke Mitchell
Vice President
vice-pres@vicbears.org.au

Bear RockClimbing

Thursday the 15th of April, the VicBears are going Rock Climbing!

At 8pm sharp at Hard Rock on Swanston Street, we're going to be scaling the highest walls in an event that should be a bit different from the normal!

We hope to see you all there :)

Hugs and woofs,

Luke Mitchell.
Vice President.
vice-pres@vicbears.org.au

Vicbears events for March 2010

Hi guys
Two up and coming events for March...
How would you like wander around a dark maze whilst looking for bears to shoot at? Or would you prefer to just play with some balls? If either of those tickle your fancy, then come to Bear Bowling and Laser Skirmish at Highpoint AMF next to Officeworks on Rosamond rd, Maribyrnong on Thursday 11th March at 7:30pm.

Our next Den night is on Saturday 27th March from 7:30pm at the Laird Hotel. Come and have a beer, a bear and a snag in the beer garden, or come and say hi at the Vicbears desk. We have a couple of cool raffle prizes for this month, so don't miss out!!

Cheers!!
Jason
jason@vicbears.org.au

Happy Valentines Day

To all the bears and bear lovers out there.. We want you to go out and find yourself a nice furry bear to hug today… We hear that shaving a big heart into you back hair is a great way to start…

Happy Valentines Day guys, Brad (webmaster@vicbears.org.au)

Pride March - Join Us

We really want to get a big group of BEARS at Pride March this year on Sunday February 7. Assembly is on the corner of Lakeside Drive and Fitzroy Street, and the march itself commences from 2pm (so if you want to march with us, which we'd LOVE you to, please try and be there at 1:00pm at the latest, at th...e request of the march organizers).


The march then goes down Fitzroy Street to Catani Gardens, where the fun kicks on with food and entertainment until as late as 11pm.


So bears, SHOW US YOUR PRIDE!! Come and march with the VicBears crew; we'd love to get the biggest crowd possible to show that us bears are a BIG part of the gay community down here.

Cheers and hugs, Luke (vice-pres@vicbears.org.au)

Bear Soup Australia Day

After DownUnderBear on the Monday night, the bears are going to need somewhere to relax the next day before heading back to work on the Wednesday.

So what better way then hanging out by the pool, with a provided BBQ lunch from 1pm as well?

Come over to Wet on Wellington on Australia Day for BEAR SOUP - we'll bring the food, you just bring yourselves!
Entry to the event is $18 for VicBears members.

Hugs, Luke (vice-pres@vicbears.org.au)

Down Under Bear

It's been 7 months since the last UnderBear...

Following tradition, we'll be having our annual UnderBear party over Australia Day weekend, on the Monday evening!
So come on out and strip down to your favourite pair of jocks - or even footy shorts or speedos if you'd prefer - and have a few drinks in what always ends up b...eing one of our busiest and most exciting nights of the year!

DJ's Phil Mezzatesta and Nick Shepherd will be there bringing the sexy beats - and it's just $10 admission for VicBears members!! ($15 for non-members). So, what are you waiting for? Get down to the Laird and celebrate like true blue Aussie bears... by getting your gear off!

Cheers and hugs, Luke (vice-pres@vicbears.org.au)

Bearaoke II is here

IT'S BEARAOKE 2!!

The first Bearaoke a couple of months ago was a massive success, and so we thought we'd do it again - for those who missed out, and for those who want another chance to show off their vocal... talent!!

With our returning special guest host, Sydney's Shanobear (along with his crew), VicBears is bringing you karaoke as you've never seen it before. Come down and choose your songs, grab the microphone and show us what you've got!

There wil be prizes for the best performers, but it's all in good fun, and of course there is the usual drink discounts for VicBears members; we'll also be at the desk as usual so that you can join up or renew your membership - not to mention a gold coin BBQ so you can have a snag before the singing starts!

For those who want to have a look at the song list, jump onto http://karaoke.shanobear.com to have a browse!

We all look forward to seeing you there belting out some tunes, or just having a drink and being a part of the fun!

WOOF!! Luke (vice-pres@vicbears.org.au)

Aus-Day Weekend - Triple Treat

Australia Day weekend fast approches and do we have a treat or three for you. Bearaoke2 on 23rd, Down UnderBear on the 25th, and BearSoup on the 26th. For more info check out the events page.

Cheers, Brad (webmaster@vicbears.org.au)

Carnival Time

Midsumma is on its way. Be sure to get down to Alexandra Gardens on the 17th Jan for Carnival. While you're there make sure you drop by and support VicBears at our stall. Then party on at T Dance later. Anyone willing to volunteer an hour or two at the stall please let me know.

Be safe and have fun,
Rick (president@vicbears.org.au)