William D. Veney attended Randwick Intermediate High School and while there struck up a friendship with Bert F. Castellari, Ron Brennan and Ron Lane. All four were passionate about science fiction and while still at school produced Spacehounds, a handwritten publication which featured fan fiction. While the fanzine only ran for ten issues it nevertheless served to incite further publishing attempts and attract the attention of other fans, notably Bob Meleski, Vol Molesworth and brothers Eric and Ted Russell. In 1939 Veney, Molesworth, Castellari and the Russells founded the Futurian Society of Sydney (F.S.S.). Veny was also voted the Futurian's first Director.
In early 1940, as the Society began to already splinter into factions, Veney and Castellari (as editors) published the first issue of Futurian Observer, a foolscap-sized zine which was typed and duplicated on both sides. The zine had a print run of 57 issues between January 1940 and March 1942 (ceasing only when both editors were called up for active war duty). During this same period Veney was closely involved in setting up a national science fiction organisation, the Futurian Federation of Australia (F.A.A.). In 1941 , however, Veney unexpectedly resigned from the F.S.S. and later (while still a member of the F.A.A.) briefly established a rival science fiction fan group in Sydney which he named the Sydney Science Fiction Association. This eventually led to him being given a permanent ban from the F.S.S., although this was later rescinded.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s Veney was once again closely involved in the F.S.S., and at one stage undertook the position of Director. When the Society briefly collapsed during the 1950-51 period, he was one of several people who were instrumental in keeping the organisations records and property in trust, and then played a key role in reviving the organisation in late 1951 (becoming Vice-Director when the new executive panel was elected). Veney was also Chairman of the First Australian Science Fiction Convention, held in March 1952.
