Busy weekend as printers hit the road and sky
Was it a bike? Was it a plane? Well, it was both depending on which member of the print industry you ask. Last weekend saw the team of Fuji Xerox on their bikes as part of the Sydney to the Gong MS Bike Ride, while the Starleaton-made plane crashed, but still entertained.
Flight of fancy (dress)
At the Red Bull Flugtag, on a sparklingly sunny Sydney Sunday, the blue-ribbon dreams of the plane built using Starleaton’s 3A Gatorfoam, Enviroboard MR and Morane encapsulation film came crashing down when the aircraft failed to detach from the launching trolley.
The weight of the trolley that refused to let the aerodynamically-perfect plane go, proved too much and it, pilot James Vesper and three pushers including Ben Eaton, were sent directly down to Davey Jones’ locker.
One of 40 contestants, the team known as TVP, featured on Channel 7’s Sunrise programme before the event, interviewed by Mike Whitney who hosted the whole day.
The good news was that, for entertainment value, the team scored 10-10-10-10 from the judges as they strutted their stuff dressed as Bavarian … girls. Ben Eaton look particularly stunning with blonde pigtails and a green Drindl dress.
“We gave it our best shot,” said Eaton (pictured, right), “but the Gremlins got to us at a crucial moment and the launch trolley dragged us down. It was a day of tremendous fun and entertainment though.”
Ready for take off ... not quite. The Starleaton plane failed to detach from the launching trolley.
Fuji Xerox bike team goes strong to the Gong
A team of 10 Fuji Xerox staff pedalled away from Sydney to Wollongong last Saturday as part of this year’s Sydney to the Gong MS Bike Ride.
It was the first time that Simon Lane,national manager, graphic communications, participated in the ride. “I try to ride to work once or twice a week, along with going for rides on the weekend,” he said.
Not that this would have been any kind of preparation for his 4.5-hour slog to Wollongong, but he got there in the end. The Fuji Xerox team put in a great effort, raising a total of $9,500 for MS Australia.
The Fuji Xerox team was not the only members of the print community to get on their bikes. According to Lane, he even spotted and said G'day to some boys from Craft Printing and Canon on the way.
That’s the spirit.
Pictured: back row (L-R): Michael Davis (FXA), Jack Starnawski (FXA), John Budgen (Snap Printing CBD), Scott Jackson (FXA), Amanda Keogh (FXA), Rebecca Moroney (FXA), Adam Fudeh (FXA), Ben Paynter (FXA).
Front row (L-R): Michael Murdoch (FXA), Simon Lane (FXA)
