For Your Eyes Only

On a rather chilly July 22, 2023, Captain Ross Manuel and Commander Peter Hough attended Gamma Expo at the Wagga Wagga Showgrounds, we had attended this event before in the past, but this was the first time we attended with our soft display. It was an exciting event in Wagga and hopefully the first of many more as a lot of interest in the group was generated so much so that we were invited to attend the upcoming Wagga Wagga Mardi Gras, more details will be revealed when we learn more.

At Oz Comic-Con Canberra, Captain Ross Manuel had the supreme honour of investing Voice Actor Matt Ryan with an Honorary Member-ship of the Crew of the USS Animus, along with an honorary Captaincy. The reason for his investment dates back to the original founding of the Animus. Matt Ryan supplied the voice of Edward Kenway in Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, and it was the captain’s introduction to the franchise. Had he not played this iteration, it is unlikely that he would have met founding Animus Member Alex Sullivan and formed what would become the Shuttle Animus, our predecessor. Matt was incredibly honoured to be invested with an Honorary Membership, and went on to autograph our dedication plaque. The first of potentially many more illustrious members to the crew.
A huge thank you to the staff of Oz Comic Con for facilitating the investiture and to Matt Ryan’s Manager for taking the photos.

About Matt Ryan
MATT RYAN
Matthew Darren Evans (born 11 April 1981), known professionally as Matt Ryan, is a Welsh actor. He is known for portraying Edward Kenway in the Ubisoft video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and John Constantine in NBC's Constantine and The CW's Arrowverse, as well as voicing the character in the DC Animated Movie Universe and its CW spin-off web series Constantine: City of Demons. He was born in Swansea, Wales. He has appeared in 15 movies since 2002, 19 Television shows, since 2001, been on stage 7 times since 2008 and his singular video game appearance was as Edward Kenway in Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag

It was an unseasonably warm weekend in August for the second ever Oz Comic-Con Canberra, especially considering how chilly events at Exhibition Park in Canberra have been in the past. OZ Comic-Con Canberra occupied the Coorong Pavilion, the site of most of our displays in Canberra. Due to the success of the first Oz Comic-Con Homegrown, it came to no surprise that the event would return. Captain Ross Manuel, Lieutenant JG David Slaney, Midshipman Owen Kirk, Chief Petty Officer Ian Windolf, Crewman Terry Scott, and Cadet Ian Windolf set up our display in more or less the same location that it had occupied 12 months before alongside the 501st Legion Southern Cross Garrison’s Black Tower Squad, a group that has more or less grown alongside us since both groups’ inceptions. As always, the captain’s chair was a massive draw and many a photo was taken, and it was great to meet so many potential new members and general lovers of Star Trek, it truly is a great second age for the franchise. As always, the tradition of the post-convention meal was undertaken, though in a much more dressed down version. All crew that attended the event enjoyed the event from the seasoned officers to those on their first away mission. It is finally great to be returning to a degree of normality, something the Animus hasn’t experienced since our commissioning.