Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This month, the Rotary Club of Gosford and the University of Newcastle hosted their annual science and engineering challenge at St Edward's College, a Catholic school. Year 10 students from 16 schools from across the Central Coast participated. The challenge started nearly two decades ago as a collaboration between the university and Gosford Rotary in response to declining enrolments in engineering, with the first challenge held in Gosford back in 2000. Now more than 550,000 students have taken part in the challenge across the nation. Barry Henwood of Gosford Rotary tells me that there are now 40 per cent of physics students enrolled at the University of Newcastle who have said that their choice was motivated by taking part in the challenge.

This is no small undertaking, with over 3,400 volunteers, mostly from Rotary clubs, helping to pull the event together every year. On the Central Coast, all 14 local Rotary clubs pitch in to help with volunteers as well as contributing to the cost of running the challenge. I was honoured to be able to join them this year and have a look at the judging of the bridge destruction test, where students construct a balsawood bridge and test one another to find the strongest ones. There are so many different challenges that are involved here.

Congratulations to this year's winners, Gosford High School and Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College at Tumbi Umbi, on your outstanding efforts. I also pay tribute to the indefatigable efforts of Barry Henwood, Jim Katrakilis and his sonPeter and also to St Edward's Catholic college for hosting the challenge.