Bears Perth Inc. began in 1993 as West Oz Marsupial Bears And Their Supporters — WOMBATS Inc. — a social group for bearded and hairy men and those who admired them.
How it happened
Early 1993
The idea of a gay bearded men’s group took shape when Bob Hay in Sydney, connected with Oz Bears, encouraged Perth locals to start something similar. With help from Graham Harris, he put Kevin Knighton in touch with others who were interested.
June 1993
Kevin opened a post office box in Bassendean as a contact point for the new group. Soon after, he connected with Ken Beer and John Davies, who were also keen to get involved.
Later that year
The first meeting of John, Ken and Kevin was held at the Northbridge Hotel, joined by Dave Rindos and several others. Interest grew quickly, and personal ads were placed in the local papers.
19 September 1993
The group’s first social event: a picnic at the Pinjar Pine Plantation near Wanneroo.
April 1994
After the picnic’s success a caretaker group formed, with Ken acting as President and Kevin as Secretary/Treasurer. They ran social functions until a general meeting adopted a formal structure — President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and committee members. Ken became the first President, and Kevin continued as Secretary/Treasurer.
17 July 1997
The group was officially incorporated. The move even earned a cheeky mention in the business pages, under the headline “Herd on the Terrace: WOMBATS take root.”
February 1999
At a general meeting, members voted to change the club’s name. West Oz Marsupial Bears And Their Supporters ceased to exist, and Bears Perth was born.
The club has been running ever since — one of Perth’s longest-running queer social clubs. Here’s what happens now.
