(NASF) existed from 1978 until the late 1990s. The branch was the first science fiction club formed in Dunedin and for many years was the southernmost science fiction club in the world. It held fortnightly meetings (later monthly), initially at the children's library in Stuart Street, then at various other venues, the last of which was the W.E.A. building in Crawford Street. The branch organised social events and outings and ran a small lending library. About a dozen people attended the first meetings, but it took till the middle of the year for the official formation of the branch. Membership began to increase as a side effect of Dunedin winning the rights to hold the New Zealand National Science Fiction Convention, Octacon, in 1982. There was also a jump in social gatherings with members meeting every weekend and on some week days. By 1983, the Dunedin branch was the most socially active within NASF and second in size only to the Wellington branch. Branch members were instrumental in staging other national conventions in Dunedin in 1986, 1989 and 1994. Dunedin branch members contributed to the NASF club fanzine Warp which was edited from Dunedin for several years, but the branch itself did not have a regular branch fanzine or newsletter other than the short-lived Larque's Lament, which ran for five issues in the late 1980s, and a one-off fanzine called Can’t Think of a Name So We Called it This! in 1982. Several branch members were also members of Aotearapa, or published their own fanzines, notably Tom Cardy's Worlds Beyond, which ran for 11 issues. See also Literature in New Zealand References Clubs and societies in New Zealand Science fiction organizations Science fiction fandom New Zealand science fiction Organizations established in 1976 1976 establishments in New Zealand