Queers of the Desert
Dancing in the Desert (1987-2002)
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 1995 and 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.
John Hobson
