Hey hey people I'm Ben Mills, second year B.Teaching/Arts student and one of this years two kick arse Queer conveners!!! Allow me to be the um-teenth person to welcome you to another year (or your first) here at sunny casa de Newcastle.

For those of you not in the know, the Queer collective is one of the many groups that you can join on campus and as one of the conveners, I'm here to help all you Queers out there with any little problem that you might have. As well as providing a tizzy space to hang out, a heap of information and support for those of you who need it, we also provide a ton of prophylactics, and who can say no to free condoms, dams and lube? (especially when it saves you embarrassing looks from a 50 year old checkout chick named Beryll at 2 in the morning at your local Coles)

As a group we meet once a week in the Queer space (in the NUSA building in the back, past the toilets) and chat, organize activities, bring up and eventually deal with any issues on campus or the wider community that have to do with Queers. Following this it's down the bar for lunch and a booze up, which is what the collective is really all about, community and fun.

So I can tell you're all just champing at the bit to know what we have planned for this year, and never one to disappoint, here is a short list for you:

• We have pride day, hopefully in first semester.

• Queer collaborations in the June-July holidays.

• Q party (maybe even more than one)

• Queer camp, which is much like a normal boot camp but with a lot more fun and a little less mud, I mean do the math; queers + nature + no electricity + a lot of alcohol = FUN!!!)

• Plus the usual video nights, beach/games days, Q&A's etc etc.

So come and say hello or get involved and help make this years collective one of the best freaking collectives yet, and remember that it's your collective and you only get out what you put in…

To join the Newcastle Queer collective e-list simply send a blank email to

newcastle-queers-subscribe(AT)yahoogroups.com and keep up to date on what's happening in and around campus and the hunter.