Get Wet for Mardi Gras for Wet Furr

Get ready to make a splash at Bear Essentials.

You'll be joining literally hundreds of other cubs, bears and admirers at play. Your first choice will be which pool to try first: the large leisure pool with waterspouts and waves, or the more cosy hydrotherapy pool where the heat definitely is on.

The final hour of the evening is reserved just for us, when there’ll be Wet Furr as far as the eye can see. Whether you spend the whole evening paddling in the shallows or trying to squeeze into an inflatable donut, or just soaking with your pals letting your skin go like a prune, it's sure to be as fun as it is furry.

Oh, and keep your Wet Furr wrist band on, because it will get you to the front of the queue at the Oxford Hotel later that night where we have we'll have our favourite "bear-friendly DJ's spinning the tunes including US DJ Rotten Robbie.

Details: Friday 5th March 2010 at 7:00 pm Cook and Phillip Park Aquatic Centre, College Street (next to St Mary's Cathedral)

Tickets: refer: http://www.bearessentials.com.au

Flinders Hotel Sold! Bears Move to a New Den

The Flinders Hotel will shut its doors as a gay venue under its current management following the October long weekend.

The venue’s soon to expire lessee, Sue Cameron, negotiated with a group of buyers who intend to shut the pub and conduct renovations.

The bar's manager has informed all the Bears and all the other girls nights that they work with about the developments, so that they can relocate, and some of the girls nights are taking a rest.

Harbour City Bears president Jonny Bastin confirmed the club would move its Friday Den Night to the Oxford Hotel. Bears on a Sunday will move to the Lord Roberts on Stanley St.

Sydney Bears Evolve Thanks to Grants Received

The new Harbour City Bears committee is pushing to modernise the club with help from a series of council grants.

Marrickville Council has given HCB a $1000 grant to upgrade its website, adding to the $3500 granted them by the City of Sydney to purchase laptops.

The City’s Cultural and Community Services Committee has further recommended the club for a $4000 grant to stage a Bear film festival during the club’s 15th anniversary celebrations next year.

“When the new committee came in, we realised t we needed to modernise the club, because the membership base for HCB has grown quite dramatically in the last couple of years,” Bears president Jonny Bastin said.

“We had to get rid of some of the old outmoded processes and support the club more professionally.”

An answer on the application for a film festival grant is likely to come in the coming weeks.

“It would be fantastic because the proposed Bear film festival is part of the 15th anniversary celebrations next year, it will be one weekend of those celebrations, which we’re hoping to hold at the Chauvel,” Bastin said.

Australasian Mr Bear annnounced

Harbour City Bears winner impressed the judges in Melbourne, during Southern HiBearnation 2009, to take out the national title.

Forty year old Jason Lee, who took out our inaugural Mr Harbour City Bears title in May, now has the chance to impress at an international bear competition in the US.

Congratulations to Jason, who will be working with us over the next year to promote the Harbour City bears, our community and the bear clubs of Australia.

The Harbour City Bears is a social club for hairy gay men, their admirers and friends. Actually people of all shapes and sizes and degrees of hirsuteness come along to enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the HCB events. Each Friday night the HCB's meet at the Flinders Hotel as well as a variety of other social events.

The Harbour CIty bears welcomes locals or visitors alike to join in their events.