CONGRATULATIONS Matt Cutler (VIC) - our new Mr. Australasia Bear 2011

In one of the most entertaining and enjoyable contests on record, our very own Matt Cutler raced ahead of the pack of 9 Mr. Australasia Bear contestants last night at The Laird Hotel, to take the top crown for 2011. CONGRATULATIONS Matt for winning the title - it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

And there wasn't a dry eye in the house, when as part of Matt's "Bear Fantasy" round in the contest, he called his partner Tony onto the stage to get down on one knee, pull out a beautiful ring and propose in front of us all! A truely magical moment.

Other winners in the Mr. Australasia Bear Contest 2011 included Ash Unicomb from Perth (1st Runner Up and Mr. Congeniality Bear) and George Sowell from Sydney (2nd Runner Up). Well Done guys - you were awesome!

Congrats to all the 9 guys that competed in the Mr. Australasia Bear Contest, sold buckets of raffle tickets, worked the bear crowd all week and entertained a packed-to-the-rafters Laird crowd - we salute you and admire the balls, courage and awesome effort you put into competing.

Thanks from all of us at VicBears and making last night the best bear contest we've ever enjoyed! WOOFS!

SH11 Bears On The Bay - 12:00noon today!

Cruise Vicotria Docks, Docklands

12:00noon for 12:45pm departure

For those bears joining us today on the SH11 Bears On The Bay Cruise - here's the departure point map for your reference.

Departure Meeting Point:

Look for the Bear Flag, dockside, in front of the multi-coloured NAB Building, at the end of Captain's Walk, off Bourke St, Docklands.

See you on the high seas for a 3 hour cruise, a 3 hour cruise . . .

SH11 Meatrack @ Bar 362, Friday 17 June

The first chance to meet the Mr Australasia Bear contestants for 2011, Meatrack this year is held at Bar 362 in St Kilda, and is the perfect place for a Friday night. Rob Camm is our bear host for the evening, featuring great entertainment and delicious food!!

It'll be a night of FUN as we feature two awesome entertainers, NATH VALVO and DEAN ARCURI, who'll be bringing the laughs with them by the barrel-load!! Combine that with a secret challenge for our Mr. Australiaasia Bear 2011 contestants and some other surprises, and you're in for what is always one of the most popular nights of Southern HIbearnation.

FREE Coach transport provided back to Sircuit, Smith St from 12:30am, so you can party on with your bear mates at the very popular late-night venue!!

Tickets: $35.00 at the door tonight (FRI 17/6/11), from 8:00pm.

SH11 UnderBear Dance WED 15 June, 2011

One of the biggest highlights of the Australian bear calendar is back once again, and this year looks like being the biggest one ever!

UNDERBEAR returns TONIGHT [Wednesday 15 June, 2011] @ The Laird Hotel from 8:00pm, featuring pumping DJ's and filled to the brim with the sexiest bears this fine country has to offer, all dressed down to their briefs, boxers, jocks, g-strings, jock-straps or... well, not everybody wears underwear, do they!?

This year we're pulling out the big guns with sexy DJ's... Melbourne's own KAM SHAFAATI and Brisbane's MICKEY B spinning the decks in what will be the hottest Underbear we've ever run!

It's at our home, THE LAIRD HOTEL, and is always one of the biggest nights during HiBearnation, so make sure you don't miss out!!

Tickets $35.00 at the door

or included in the SH11 Event Pass/Dog Tag

AND SO IT BEGINS . . . Southern Hibearnation 2011

SH11 is here and we hope you’re ready for the biggest, beariest week of fun you’ve ever seen!

SH11 kicks off Sunday 12 June @ 7:00pm when the guys from Nurse Betty transform The Laird into a furrtastic dance venue for FUR. This is going to be big guys!

FUR tickets are NOT part of the SH11 Event Pass, so you’ll need to buy a ticket to this party soon! Online sales at www.southernhibearnation.com close at midnight 11/6/11. You can still buy them at Mannhaus or at the door on the night.

SH11 Event Passes and other event tickets are still for sale online or you can buy at the Club Desk during Den Night this Monday 13 June from 8:00pm @ The Laird.

For the all the SH11 event info, photos, updates and more - don’t forget to “Like” our Club page on Facebook www.facebook.com/vicbearsinc or follow us on Twitter @VicBearsInc.

WOOFS and see you at SH11 – with 13 events over 8 days, we’re sure to see a lot of you!

SH11 Den Night - Monday 13 June

We welcome you in a traditional way to Southern Hibearnation 2011, by inviting you to our Den Night at the Laird Hotel.

It's your first chance to get a hold of your SH11 Event Pass, purchase merchandise and buy individual tickets - or just have a beer and a BBQ while catching up with your bear mates, new and old! Yes, the BBQ will be fired up for our infamous hot n' tasty sausages!!

The rest of the week ahead is a big one, so get set for a few big nights ahead by enjoying the beer garden and meet the Committee (a la' Event Crew) that will be looking after you for the rest of Hibearnation week!

The Club Desk will be open from 8:00pm - 11:00pm, so you can;
> collect your SH11 Event Pass, Dog Tag and goodies!
> Buy SH11 event tickets or passes
> Buy SH11 Merchandise
> sign up as a contestant for Mr. Australasia Bear Contest 2011
> get a new or renew your VicBears Membership
> collect your VicBears Membership Keyring
> chat with the VicBears Committeemen

It's the perfect start to a Big Beary Week!