Do you know how good this is?
RoboCup Junior has been a huge success story, and another great Aussie idea. We started with a small 'pilot' project in Melbourne in 2000 with something like 15 - 20 teams, and the student challenge we began here is now played by tens of thousands of students in more than 35 countries world-wide! How about that for a success story?! Why I mention this is because those dates make this our 10th anniversary year, and your State Committees are working harder than ever to ensure we deliver well-organised events that provide teams with not only a great challenge, but a wonderfully positive and encouraging experience that will help you learn more about robotics and make you want to come back for another try!

Our National Website is to be re-vamped to keep you up-to-date with events and decisions in each State across our great country. Probably the most immediate concern for teams at this time of year is "How have the rules changed for 2009?" I've included a brief summary below, but you should take time to follow the appropriate links and read the more detailed rules for your division. Each year we are surprised to find students spending countless hours preparing a robot(s), travelling large distances to an event and then discovering they have made an unfortunate error because they didn't know a particular rule for their competition: let's see if we can avoid such disappointment this year.

Please also take a moment to link to your respective State Web site and check out what your local committee has provided for you. Dates for Regional and State rounds are also available on your State Web sites, and will be added to during the year. You can also find contact details for your State and/or Regional Representative for RoboCup Junior, so you have someone you can go directly to with enquiries.

We had a fantastic Australian Open in Perth last year, thanks to the efforts of the WA RCJ committee and our hosts at SciTech. Yes, it was a fair way to travel, but it seems everyone who made the trip had a great time at RoboCup, and checking out SciTech and Perth and its environs. Thank you hugely to WA Chairperson Helen Deacon and all the hard-working volunteer staff for making this yet another Open to be proud of. May I also thank those schools and individual students who graciously hosted our visiting teams from China and Singapore? They would have had the experience of a lifetime!

Where should you be heading to in September???? Sydney, or course! We are delighted to have our Australian Open for 2009 hosted by the NSW committee and our good friends and National Sponsors at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). The event will be held on September 19th and 20th, with junior teams on the Saturday and Senior teams on the Sunday. What makes this the year you should consider moving up to attend the Open? The committee is experienced in running the Open so we know it will be well planned; a great venue, and a brilliant location. Sydney is central to all air flights around Australia, so it's easy to get to: flights are cheap, especially if you book early; there is no end to the accommodation available in Sydney to suit all budgets; UNSW is near the airport; and we will have all competition areas in one key venue so spectators and mentors will be able to watch teams compete in Dance, Rescue and Soccer without leaving their seats. We also have plans under way for a combined ferry ride around Sydney Harbour in the evening - how can it get better? You may have thought in the past about "wouldn't it be great to go to the RoboCup Junior Australian Open this year, and see the best student roboticists in the country?" Well, this IS the year - we'll see you there!

RCJ International continues to go from strength to strength, with most countries now needing to hold qualifying rounds to determine who will be their representatives, such is the interest. This year's event is in Graz, Austria, in early July - but if you haven't begun planning already it's probably too late for this year! How about this for an idea though: RCJI in 2010 will be held in Singapore! This is barely further than flying to Darwin: the costs are reasonable, and we have some fine links with Singaporean schools thanks to having them come to our Open, and having hosted their students in our homes. This could be the year to have the memorable experience of travelling overseas, competing at RCJI amongst hundreds of other students from around the world, and enjoying the camaraderie and opportunities RCJI offers.

Wow! What a great time to be involved!
With 10 years of high-energy activity comes change. After holding the position of National Chairman of RCJ Australia, it's a good time for a change at 'the top.' This will be the last Chairman's address I write for you, as I am stepping down to return to 'normal' (?!) life for a while, and giving others the chance to enjoy what I have delighted in for the last few years. Imagine if you had a role where you could travel around the country, meet people bubbling with enthusiasm, see the excitement in the eyes of kids from all walks of life, and know that it's all because a group of Aussie teachers and industry reps got together one afternoon and decided to provide an outlet for students in robotics - and still do! This is the opportunity I have relished. I have enjoyed my time as Chairman immensely, and will miss the 'buzz' that comes from being involved closely with such a first-rate group of people. It is my hope that many of you will one day become involved in running RCJ and put back some of the time and energy that has been invested in you. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce Damien Kee from Queensland, who will be taking over from me. Damien is an exceptionally talented roboticist, educator, organiser and author, and I know I leave RCJA in very safe hands with him. Please support Damien and your committees for 2009, and let's see RCJA become something even more grand and rewarding in the next 10 years!

The very best for 2009,

Ian Maudy
National Chairman,
RoboCup Junior.