39 CLUB FRED BEAR RETURNS AFTER YEARS ON THE ROAD Our popular 35 Club mascot arrives back at base, but mystery still surrounds his disappearance. We enlist former FIDI Focus editor Colin Quarrington to help chart the events O COLIN QUARRINGTON 32 FF292 AugSep19 pp32-33 Fred Bear.indd 32 ne of FIDIs best-loved Affiliates has been found safe and well, after going AWOL for more than eight years. Fred Bear arrived at the FIDI Office in May and, although his name might suggest otherwise (Fred Bear a play on the word threadbare, meaning battered and tatty), he seems in pretty good shape, despite his lengthy absence. Fred Bear was part of an idea, launched in the mid1990s, to get members of FIDIs 35 Club (now the FIDI 39 Club) involved in an international community project. At the time, the Club had embarked on its environmental programme including Artists for Nature and was looking for something fun and engaging. FIDI came up with the idea of sending a mascot in shipments from one Affiliate to another, by road, sea or air. Staff chose Fred, a Steiff teddy bear highquality and tough enough to withstand the rigours of international travel. They found a sturdy box for him to travel in, gave him a few essential travel accessories and made him an official photo passport. Pam Quarrington applied the finishing touches by making him a smart waistcoat, and he had a few other travel accessories. Fred set off and, with the help of FIDI Affiliates, travelled around the world. He always got a warm welcome from hosts, who made him new clothes, bought him local souvenirs, and took him out he even went motor racing in South America. He became a much-feted global traveller. The response to the little bear was quite extraordinary. FIDI Focus, in which the Club WWW. F I D I . OR G 15/07/2019 14:56