1989 Conference Issue

Early on Saturday, 2 September, on a bright but cold Christchurch day, over one hundred and fifty members and others met at the University of Canterbury for NZCSICOP's Fourth Annual Conference. After Chairman Tony Vignaux's welcome and introduction, Dr Bridget Robinson of the Christchurch Clinical School opened the programme with a talk on "Alternative Medicine, Cancer and Quackery". Mr Hugh Young of Radio New Zealand followed with "Cashing in on Gullibility". Other speakers were Dr Denis Dutton, "I know they're out there—The Psychic Universe of the UFO Believer"; Dr Matt McGlone, "On This Planet Skeptics are the Real Aliens"; Dr Colin McGeorge, "The Psychic Dog of Fendalton, the Horrible Severed Hand, and Other Colonial Wonders"; and Dr John Campbell, "Strolling Across the Coals—Physics Takes a Cool Look at a Hot New Age Fad".

The latter lecture demonstration was an introduction to the highlight of the Conference, the firewalk. As members will know from the wide publicity the event received, this was highly successful, and confirmed all that has been claimed about the phenomenon by Skeptics in USA, Australia and elsewhere.

No Conference would be complete without a dinner and after-dinner speaker. We were fortunate to have Brian Priestley to address us, asking "Are You a URI?",