After the success of the first Central Network party in
January 1987 it was only natural that people would want more.
And providing a social outlet for the desert's queers had been
the primary aim of forming the group anyway. So, over the next
two years there began an irregular circuit of parties in
people's homes around town with Jim and Bonnie, Jon and Maria,
Fluffy, Darren and Dianne, Tim and Candy, and Mark and Andrew,
amongst others, lending their premises to the cause. Normally
the events were mixed, although some were 'boys only' based on
the householder's preference and the separatist mood of queer
politics at the time. However, by the middle of 1988, most of the welcome mats were worn
out and it was Paul's and my place in the old Eastside that had
become party central. That was alright for a while, but growing
problems with bad behaviour, gatecrashers, and complaining neighbours soon made
the situation untenable.
It was then that Tim and Candy came
to the rescue. They were working in the kitchen of a restaurant
in the Diarama Village, whose owners were amenable to the idea
of making a few extra dollars by opening the bar on Monday
nights when the place was normally closed. So, queer dances in
Alice had a home at last; Steakarama. The potential for meat and
beef puns was unlimited! Given that we now had a venue we also
felt the need for a name. The choice seemed obvious. Once a
month we would be seeking refuge away from the peering eyes of
the town and going completely mad. The first Asylum was held on
Monday April 3, 1989 and the first Monday of the month
thereafter.
Although the first few dances were
organised by a core group of boys, there were also a number of
women who quickly became involved. Thus the dances, and Central
Network itself, soon grew to be more broadly based in the queer
community. Meetings were held in private houses after each dance
to plan the next one and roster volunteers. By around 1990 these
had shifted to the Oasis on the Monday night following each
dance and continued there and at other venues for most of the
next decade.
Each month lights were hired and
rigged on pillars and beams, chairs and tables cleared, and
windows blacked out with plastic garbage bags. A few posters and
banners from Mardi Gras entries were hung to create a little
atmosphere. The great coup was being able to use our connections
inside the casino to borrow their portable
dance floor. The four large panels of teak flooring weighed a
ton and were a nightmare to transport in the back of our station
wagon. But, it was so much better to dance on than the carpet.
Given that we weren't being charged
for the venue and drawing about 60 people a time, Asylum soon
began to accumulate funds from the $5 door charge after light
and sound hire were deducted. While some was put back into
building a music library we soon appreciated the benefits of
acquiring our own lights. The chief proponents of this scheme
were Pete and Craig who had an obsession with putting on a
dazzling display. After a short time our income was being
exceeded by their ambitions and Pete decided to buy out the
lights and make lighting our nights his personal mission. With
some surplus funds now available Craig developed his interest in
DJing and helped us acquire turntables and a mixing panel, as
well as expanding the music library. Over the years the volume
of equipment grew to a point where we probably had the best
facilities in town. In those early days it was also
considered appropriate to have a show or a theme and some
surprising local talent was unearthed. Over the first few dances
a local women's country and western group; Prickly Heat, formed
and performed as did an a
capella group; the Estherterix, and a drag troupe known
as the Scenic Attractions; composed of Emily Gap (Paul), Jessie
Gap (Darren ) and Trephina Gorge (Andrew) who channelled both
the Andrews and Pointer Sisters. But mostly people just wanted to dance and floorshows soon
became an irregular event. For the first few dances liquor laws
were also strictly obeyed and the owners provided technically
substantial meals for people to enjoy with their drinks.
However, as we hadn't aroused the attention of neighbours or
police within a few months that was quickly reduced to bowls of
chips followed shortly by nothing.
Then, after eight months, disaster
struck when the owners of the restaurant announced that they
were closing the business. However, we were quickly rescued by
Mia Pizza next door who not only took on the staff of
Steakarama, but also their partying friends - for a monthly fee.
The first Asylum in the new venue was on December 4, 1989 and we
continued there for more than a year. After a hugely successful
dinner dance for the 1990 AIDS
conference on a Saturday night the issue of Monday night
dances and subsequent Tuesday sickies came to a head. By September a little negotiation with the owners
made it possible to shift to Thursday nights after the dinner
trade had departed, and then to Saturday nights by the end of
the year. All bar sales and no meals was a good little earner
for them.
With the shift to more socially
acceptable nights a niggling background problem soon became a
major issue. The owners of the restaurant had been inclined to
invite a few of their friends along to the Monday night dances.
Although the presence of strangers was not especially welcome,
they were mostly well-behaved and in limited numbers. And, even
though we were paying a nominal hire fee, we weren't given much
say in the matter. After the change to Thursday and then
Saturday nights even more of the owners' friends grew interested
in the unique and exclusive party experience that Asylum
offered, and soon the invitation was being extended to the
restaurant's customers to remain after dinner and join in the
fun as well. At that point, and with consequently plummeting
queer attendance the decision was made to take a stand. Push
came to shove and the search for a new venue began.
On Friday 3/5/91 the first dance was held in the underground bar
of the Sienna Village Motel outside the gap opposite the date
farm. With Paul and I having left town for Perth eight months
prior, and a change of venue, Craig decided to rename the event
in honour of the night, and it became known as Paradise 3591.
Despite the change people still insisted on referring to the
event as Asylum, much to Craig's chagrin, and eventually the
name was restored and persisted for many years.
The underground venue provided a safe haven for an extended
period having been purpose built as a bar with dance floor. Like
the Diarama Village premises it allowed us to party without
waking the neighbours as long as the noise in the car park was
kept down. There were also some events held during this time at
White Gums; a restaurant that once operated in Honeymoon Gap,
20km to the west of town. Notwithstanding the long and dangerous
drive home for partygoers this location made for some
spectacular nights including the 25th anniversary dance in September '91
when the MacDonnell Ranges sparkled with reflections from the
mirror balls above the dance floor.
In July 1992 Pete organised a special
event for Craig's (first) departure from town and gave us access
to Old Hamilton Downs Station, 75km northwest of town at the end
of a long and treacherous dirt track. Although only a dozen or
so brave souls made the long journey out and stayed the night in
the bunkhouses it was a great success with disco lighting
hanging from the gum trees and raging bonfires.
A year later, after White Gums had closed, the 50th gold Asylum
was held at Sienna Village (later to become Settlers Motor Inn)
in December 1993. But, a change of management there and issues
with their house guests being encouraged to attend meant that a
new venue was soon required. So, in 1994 Asylum moved first to a
restaurant called Zella's (which became Matango) operating in
the front of the Dustbowl bowling alley, and then into the
bowling alley itself. While it was strange to say the least, the
Dustbowl was licensed and large, and the shoe hire desk made for
a great DJ's booth. We also still had possession of the casino's
portable dance floor that they had long since forgotten - have
party will travel.
Another very special night was
organised to celebrate Mardi Gras in 1995and Central Network took over Trumps
Nightclub in the casino using the big screen to watch
the delayed parade telecast. Friends on the inside meant it
could be invitation only with no cover charge. That year local queers got to have their own
Mardi Gras party without leaving Alice.
By 1997 the Dustbowl too had been
lost as a venue and Asylum moved briefly to the Red Centre
Resort (now a residential complex) on the north Stuart Highway.
Then, in the same year a new opportunity presented itself. Bob,
who had hired amplifiers and speakers to the group since the
beginning and long been inclined to attend the dances himself,
shifted his business into a large warehouse in the Smith Street
industrial estate. With split-level mezzanine areas accessed by
ramps from a large open floor, 'the shed' was home to warehouse
parties for almost two years. Without a license the venue
operated on a bring-your-own basis with eskies supplied for
storage.
Bob allowed his premises, lights and sound to be used free of
charge but also insisted on a slice of any entry fee, which
consequently jumped substantially. While these arrangements
relieved the queer community of the need to do much more than
find a DJ from amongst their number and turn up with their
drinks, it also effectively handed control of the dances over to
commercial interests. As had happened so many times before, it
wasn't long before the reputation of the alternative party venue
in town spread far and wide and business boomed as straight
partygoers invaded the queer space. Although levels of
discontent quickly grew, the option of once again picking up all
the associated tasks and responsibilities meant it took a long
time for the community to act.
When the ways finally parted Asylum drifted between venues for a
while. The 10 year anniversary party in June 1999 was held at
Settlers Function Rooms and, by the time the 150th dance came
around in November 2001, Witchetty's Bistro in the Araluen
Centre was well established as Asylum's latest home. There were
also some alternative events being organised by others in town
and Escape parties appeared at the Gap Resort and the Memorial
Club. Although the parties were not explicitly queer, the
organisers were and attracted a crowd who predominantly were as
well.
Echoing the success of the 1995 Mardi Gras event at the casino,
2000 also saw the innovation of a large Spin FX dance party at
the Pioneer Park racecourse. The following year it was the
centrepiece of the inaugural Alice IS
Wonderland festival that caused one of the biggest queer
controversies in Central Australia's history.
By 2002 both Asylum and Central
Network were looking shaky. The September 2001 attacks on
America had sent a shockwave of increased premiums through
public liability insurance in Australia and venue operators were
no longer happy to extend their coverage to a community group.
With the need to sort out such matters a few business-minded
community members had taken a closer look at Central Network's
operations and realised with some horror that, although it
actually held bank accounts, the organisation had never been
registered or paid tax. Faced with the demand for constitutions,
office holders, elections, audits and a register of members, the
community took a few large steps back and sadly watched as the
Asylum and Central Network were finally killed by accountancy.
Over the 15 years of its life Asylum gave a great deal to the
queer tribes living in what sometimes seemed such a straight
wasteland. As well as the obvious cultural outlet it also
provided opportunities for locals to develop skills in event
management, sound and lighting, and definitely helped start and
end a significant number of relationships. Of course there were
problems to be dealt with, like finding volunteers each month to
set up venues, collect the door charge (even from their
friends), and take on the often thankless task of DJ.
But perhaps the biggest and most persistent issue over the
years, and one that has plagued many queer communities,
concerned letting 'straights' into queer dances. Right from the
outset questions over who was queer and who was 'out' were hotly
debated, as were issues over which 'queer-friendly' straights
were friendly enough, or a bit too much. A recurrent topic in
the editorial and letters pages of Desert Dykes, it reached its
peak in a 1995 move to institute a register of members and card
carrying homosexuals. Unlike the dances, it only lasted a couple
of years.
