This just in: citizens of Brisbane terrorised by precipitation falling from the sky. No, not snow…but there was some light rain falling while I was up there for the conference, and the folks seemed a little bit confused. I suppose it’s just unseasonable for the time of year, and they’re more used to ‘bright sunshine’ or ‘heavy downpour’. Being from Melbourne, I appreciated the cool break.
Also being a local, I appreciated seeing the best quality aluminium toolboxes Melbourne has to offer on display. Usually it’s Sydney that gets all the accolades…Sydney did this, Sydney will be displaying that, every single year, forever. I suppose most of the aluminium industry has usually been centred there, but this time, Melbourne fought back. We’ve got some nice toolboxes down here, and I had the pleasure of being at the session where they unveiled the toolbox central locking innovation of the decade: Jacinta, the smart lock that can be remotely accessed from anywhere within a fifty kilometre radius. She works on your phone network and only opens when you type in a specific number; if anyone else tried to get in, she calls you on your mobile and tells you straight up that something is going on. Now that’s the type of thing we need to combat the scourge of rampant tool theft.
Meanwhile, the Sydney branch of the Aluminium Society just unveiled some slightly upgraded roof racks and bars that expand and contract depending on the load. Useful, but very predictable and not all that exciting. I think our chapter really stole the show this year!
You know, I’ve been here from the start, and they said it wouldn’t work. But here we are, a couple thousand of us, all trying to make aluminium, toolboxes, aluminium accessories and ute trays accessible and mainstream, creating a better working environment for a more civilised age. Also, we just enjoy it. Personally, I don’t get why anyone doesn’t find aluminium enticing.
-Ryan