Australia's Science Forum

Do you have plans for the October school holidays ? Why not take a well
earned break and visit NZ and attend the Lab Tech conference over there. I
can assure you that it is a beneficial PD experience.
For details...

http://www.nzase.org.nz/pdfs/Constanz-09.pdf

At the previous 2 conferences there has been at least 4 Aussies there. See
if we can make it a few more this year.

Oh, where's that green smilie when you need one!

Would LO-ove to go....

Hi Everyone!
Just wondering if anyone from here is going to the CONASTA conference in Launceston this year? I've just received verbal approval to go (have to pay for it myself and claim back on tax but I don't mind - I'll still get paid for the 1 day I have to take off work to travel down there as if I'm working. The rest is in our school holidays) so I'm a little bit excited!! It's still a few months away yet but it would be good to know who to look out for when I get there.
Rosalie

Good for you - I wish i could go but work wont pay for me and not in a position to pay for it and claim it back since you dont get a huge amount back - they are always good fun and a top way to network.

Enjoy -want to hear all about it when you come back

I guess I'm pretty lucky as flights from Syd-Launceston at the moment are only about $85 each way. I'm going to stay down there with a friend for the 2 weeks after and have a holiday (cold, I know!!) to celebrate my 30th birthday Gotta do something different!

more details are available for CONSTANZ at

www.constanz.wikispaces.com

Hope your school hasn't blocked wikispaces like my school has

That CONSTANZ looks like a good conference! Would be nice to go... But I really don't think I can justify the expense for a second conference. I've just made the last payment for CONASTA in Tasmania for July. I'm so excited! The friend I was planning to holiday with after the conference couldn't get time off work :( so I'm on my own. Going on the post-conference tour instead. Should be good! Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this term. I'm off to Melbourne for a wedding on 10th May, a Christening in Newcastle on 31st, a wedding in Katherine 6th June and then off to Launceston on 3rd July!!!

Finally got my application to attend CONASTA approved! But the best thing is that the school is paying for it!!!
The only downside is that I have to share a hotel room with HOD. Not too bad though, he is a great bloke.
So it looks like I am heading north to Launceston at the beginning of July.

would you like some one to carry your bags???????????

Good work, Wayne, getting the school to pay! Is Sandy Bay far from Launceston? I don't know Tasmanian geography at all... I guess it is more easily justified when it is close. I am sure the school would have been happy to pay for it if it had been in Tamworth! I've booked into a 2 star hotel to keep my costs down and I'm hoping it has a heater! I've always wanted to go to Tasmania (although I probably wouldn't have chosen July to go!). Like I said, I'm very excited! Love travelling in general... Always good to have an excuse and justification!

Sandy Bay is a suburb of Hobart, so a bit over 2 hours away.

Rosalie, I hope your hotel has a heater. It gets very cold in Launceston, especially over night. Last night it got down to -1 degrees! Luckily it doesn't get that cold down here.