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ON FIRST meeting, Mac Ronan doesn’t strike one as being a dreamer.

The 76-year-old Melbourne man is neat, orderly, well spoken, highly principled and politically correct – everything you’d expect from a retired teacher who grew up in the country.

Beneath Mac’s staid exterior beats the heart of an idealistic dreamer whose passion for his community resulted in the birth of Victoria’s oldest and for two decades most important social and support organisation ? the ALSO Foundation.

Mac’s vision was to create an organisation which would make philanthropic grants to the community; address the health, welfare and social needs of the community as well as promote community development projects.

Since 1981 the organisation has raised over $1 million for Victoria’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and helped in the formation of organisations such as the Victorian AIDS Council, the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard, JOY Melbourne, the Queer Film Festival and Midsumma Festival.

ALSO is made up of two arms. The ALSO Foundation carries out fundraising activities to help fund its activities and the ALSO Care and Benevolent Society Inc. is a registered charity that carries out the philanthropic aims of community assistance and support.

ALSO has around 1000 members, four full-time staff and more than 1000 volunteers.

All this is a big heritage for Mac’s slightly rounded shoulders to bear but it’s a burden he carries proudly.

“ALSO helped develop our gay community,??? he told the Star.

“It helped a lot of people find a place in the sun and to, without any sense of shame, adopt a gay and lesbian identity.???

The name ALSO is synonymous with Victoria’s queer community, but most people are hard pressed to define the name’s meaning.

“It means Alternative Life and Style Organisation,??? Mac said.

“At the time it was chosen because it was a cutesy way of avoiding the terms gay and lesbian.

“I liked the name because ALSO kind of means to the side, which is what the community was back in the early 1980s.???

The foundation was born not long after the Victoria Government decriminalised gay sex in 1980.

“It started with a bunch of people getting together to run an event to celebrate the law reforms,??? Mac said.

“Until the law changes in 1980, the gay community only came together furtively and the gatherings were always fragmented.

“Gay Day was an opportunity to be more open.???

Gay Day was held annually from 1981 to 1986. The first event attracted around 300, the following year 3000 attended the event.

The foundation was one of the first to organise warehouse parties, with Red Raw and Winterdaze setting the standards for today’s party entrepreneurs and raising funds for everything from the Victorian AIDS Council to Switchboard.

Dance parties are not as integral to the foundation as they once were, current President Adam Pickvance said.

“Over the past year ALSO has refocussed its energies into services and programs and away from running dance parties,??? Mr Pickvance said.

“The recent launch of the Alsorts; Sexuality Awareness Resource and the soon to be published Needs of Older GLBT Person Report are just two of our great results this year.???

Mr Pickvance said the organisation planned to build on its successes to ensure it remained a viable asset for the community.

“ALSO is fortunate in many ways, we have many assets and strengths to build upon,??? Mr Pickvance said.

“We have significant funds in reserve, office resources, community knowledge and contacts and the support of dedicated and talented staff and volunteers.

“This future will see ALSO increase it's focus on providing direct services, programs and responses in support of GLBT people.

“This will be provided through achieving collaborations with other agencies, both government and non-government.???

ALSO’s projects

ALSO receives hundreds of phone calls each month requesting information, referrals and support. These are just some of the projects ALSO has undertaken.

Alsorts; A Sexuality Awareness Resource

The recently released Alsorts; A Sexuality Awareness Resource guide is aimed at ensuring young queer people don’t feel like they have to go it alone when coming out.

ALSO directory

ALSO’s queer community and business directory is in its 13th year of publication. The guide lists community groups, support organisations and queer-owned and queer-friendly businesses.

Older GLBT Person's Needs Assessment Project

This important research work assessed the needs, issues and concerns of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people aged over 50 years.

Lesbian Alcohol and Drug Support Group

In conjunction with the Buoyancy Foundation, ALSO set up a support and discussion group for lesbian women concerned about the use of drugs and alcohol in their lives.

Community Outreach Project

The Community Outreach Project involved on-site visits to queer community groups to exchange information and network. This enabled an update of ALSO resource and referral database, whilst informing community groups about the Foundation.

ALSO’s twenty-first dinner

THE HIGHLIGHT of the ALSO Foundation’s birthday celebration will be a Presidents’ Dinner to be held on Friday September 6 at 9 Darling Street, South Yarra.

The dinner will be hosted by ALSO’s foundation president Dr Mac Ronan and current president Adam Pickvance.

The theme ‘A New Direction’ will be augmented by a display and auction of memorabilia from the community organisation’s past.

For $88, guests will enjoy a three-course dinner, preceded by drinks and canapes, and a program of entertainment.

The dinner is open to all members of the queer community.

Details: 9827 4999. or glogro@hotmail.com