The 14^th Technology Tournament organised by the Rotary Club of Aylesbury Hundreds with the help from clubs in Aylesbury and Winslow took place on 27^th February 2012 at Aylesbury College.   

The task this year was to design and build a coin sorter.  Materials supplied included a base board, card, timber, modelling clay, wire, Sellotape and rubber bands plus, of course, the coins.  To make the task more competitive 5p, 10p, 2p and 1p coins had to be sorted, and, in addition, the sorter had to be decorated identifying the charity for whom the collection was to be donated.

Well, I think we have found the best way to recover from the jet lag...have a lovely, relaxing couple of days being shown around a very sunny Sydney to see the opera house, harbour bridge and botanical gardens! Oh, and lots of fantastic food helps too!

We gave our first presentation last night, meeting around 100 Rotarians from three different Sydney clubs. Nerves didn't get the better of anyone though, and our presentation was really well received. We are meeting some Rotary alumni tonight to give another presentation - I am sure we can keep up the standard!

We had the opportunity to visit ABC studios today as our first vocational day and had a brilliant tour of the studios and newsroom, with a team photo on the set of the Movie Review show.

 Tomorrow, we are off to the zoo and sailing around the harbour - wish the first koala I saw was in the wild but looking forward to another day in Sydney!

 Been having an amazing time. Firstly I would like to say a big thank you to our week coordinator Julian for putting together a brilliant programme and taking us out for a whole host of gorgeous meals.

Also or host Sue, for putting up with Emma and I and waiting on us and driving us around.

Last night's presentations went well - or if not, then people were polite and didn't say anything. Today we weer given a tour of ABC - the Aussie version of the BBC. We s

aw a giant studio where a children's TV show was being filmed,  the TV gallery, a news-based show rehursal, the 24 hour news studio, and radio studios. We also spent time with the News Editor for New South Wales - an area the size of France and Germany. Discussing how she manages a team of online,

radio and TV journalists.

 Off to give another presentation tonight.

So there we have it, our first main vocational visit, completed and enjoyed as a group. We were dropped off at the ABC studios, a mix and match media hub in a mix and match building, covering both TV and Radio - think BBC on a slightly smaller scale, with a much smaller budget covering an area the size of France and Germany combined, and the only TV station that isn't flooded with with adverts - in fact - no adverts!

The building themselves are reasonably stylish in that utilitarian, industrial chic way, but not quite hitting the mark. Everyone we spoke to majored on the fact that it is 'bare bone TV and Radio' best available even though on a very limited budget. The funding comes from the government, so I think they feel they have to prove that every public penny is being used productivly.

Our guide Shirley, was a font of knowledge and a real asset to the ABC stable. She comes in once a week as a volunteer to show groups around - normally groups of wide-eyed inquisitive children rather than a small group of 'poms'! She is obviously used to hundreds of silly inane questions from 8 year olds, rather than the metered thoughtful questions of a group of 'pom' journos and assorted media and PR folk! We stood in awe and listened to her wonderful informative and eloquent spiel. Eventually the questions flowed, and each one was received and answered both informatively and in some cases a with a cheeky joke thrown in for good measure.

We went through the TV studios, watched the rehearsal of a children's tv programme, that required 2 grown men to prance around like balarinas and sing silly high pitched songs. It was Playschool! Do you remember Playschool? They even had the wonderful playschool Clock.

Our only dissapointment was that we were unable to take Policeman Ted with us into the studios to have his photo taken on set! I am sure you will meet Policeman Ted in another blog, not too far away!

We were shown various studios and had lots of technical information given, but the hi-light for me had to be arriving on the 'At The Movies' set to have the producer explain what was going to happen in the recording that afternoon, and allowing the group on the set for photos - the lighting boys even brought the lights up - and the photo! It is rumoured that the 2 longstanding presenters have been replaced by a team of six (7 if you include Policeman ted)!

Then followed a thorough explanation of the radio studio, and finally we were allowed on hallowed ground - the newsroom floor. The editor for NSW showed us round - a great Northern lass from Manchester, who sort of fell into a job at ABC about 15 years ago eventually ending up as editor.

It takes 4 1/2 hours to FLY from Sydney to the outer edge of her area, and she apologised for the one helicoptor they had, saying it really was a necessity because of the distance and that they were not wasting tax payers money. We assured her that we also thought it was a necessity, and that we were not about to lambast ABC for it.

And so endeth the first fully blown vocational visit.

The late lunch in the fish market that followed was superb, and triumphantly the team tried their first fresh oyster. I'm not too sure how struck they were by it, but I love Oysters, so any left can always come my way.

Back to our hosts homes and a quick turnaround to get out to the Alumni meeting.

Your team shone! Be proud of them, they were great. Although they may say it to every team, the phrase that kept on being bandied around was 'the best ever'!

As I write this the cyclone has struck, rain like you have never heard, and we are due to go sailing tomorrow! I keep telling everyone - it will be fine, the Brits have brought the sunshine. I am so looking forward to getting out on the water - what's a little rain and wind afterall!

Cheers - chink chink - they keep forcing wine on us - work hard - play hard seems to be the motto, and who are we to disagree. (At this point for those who may be worried that the reputation of the District might be put at risk - never fear - the team have lived upto and in many cases surpassed District 1260 expectations)

Cheryl