DownUnder 2003
World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
24-29 August 2003
Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre
Sydney, Australia

From the Chair...

With just over a year to go to WC2003, this is the first of a series of regular newsletters to keep you informed and whet your appetites.

An update is going to be published every two months. You can also find the newsletter on our website at www.wc2003.org.

You will read about invited speakers, developments on the Program front, sponsorship, exhibitions, and more. Australians and New Zealanders are proud of their culture and attractions, and each edition includes "A Glimpse DownUnder" - a brief look at history, background and attractions, to set the scene for your Australasian visit.

Professor Barry Allen
Chair, Organising Committee
WC2003, Sydney, Australia

Click on www.wc2003.org to visit the WC2003 website - almost 9000 others have!

You'll find more details on WC2003, satellite conferences, Sydney and Australia.

Our International Scientific Advisory Committee is in place, major "tracks" (topic areas) established, and "track chairs" appointed - an international Chair and an Australian Co-Chair for each track.

You will hear more of these track chairs as they promote and develop the program for their specific track. The Call for Papers will be out in August. Whatever your interest within biomedical engineering or medical physics, we aim to have something to for you - a program good enough to fly half way round the world for!

WC2003 Trade Exhibition - Worth a Visit

The Trade Exhibition floor plan is currently being finalised, and already we are delighted by the level of interest. We are catering for over 60 organisations to display their products and services, complementing and highlighting WC2003's scientific program. Potential exhibitors are invited to contact the Congress Managers soon, at wc2003@tourhosts.com.au

Ambassador Program - can you help?

Do you have lots of contacts in your professional field, your country, your region? We are looking for Ambassadors to help us promote WC2003 - to ensure it is one of the best every World Congresses.

Ambassadors will receive:

• information on the Congress, promotional materials, brochures and flyers to distribute to your network of colleagues
• guidelines on ways to promote the Congress
• a regular newsletter providing up-to-date information and details of marketing progress and speaker confirmations.

If you can help, please contact us at wc2003@tourhosts.com.au.

"A Glimpse DownUnder" A humble beginning...

With Britain's loss of its American colonies in 1782, the Empire faced an unsettling problem. Where now would the overflow of British prisoners be sent? On August 18, 1786, Lord Sydney presented King George III's solution to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury: "I am commanded to signify to your Lordships his Majesty's pleasure that you do forthwith take such measures as many be necessary for providing a proper number of vessels for the conveyance of 750 convicts to Botany Bay...".

Eleven ships assembled at the North Bank, Isle of Wight, and set sail at daybreak on May 13, 1788. After a voyage of eight months, the First Fleet sailed through the Heads of Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788. The grew-green landscape was strange and alien, and the newcomers were watched uneasily by local Aboriginal peoples.

Arriving that day were "736 male and female convicts, 17 convicts children, 211 marines with 27 wives and 17 children, a few officials, 2 bulls and 5 cows, 29 sheep, 19 goats, 74 hogs and sows, 18 turkeys, 35 ducks, 35 geese, 209 chickens and 5 rabbits". They anchored off Sydney Cove, between what is now the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. There was good water here, the Tank Stream, and slowly, painstakingly, they built huts, planted crops, and established a settlement.

Some of the earliest of Sydney's houses were built above a rocky promontory to one side of the cove. The Rocks, as it became known, is now a fascinating network of small streets, old shipping warehouses, workers' cottages, and historic buildings. The next edition of DownUnder 2003 will take you there.

Cheap Air Fares!

Qantas has recently announced a new service that will offer cheap air fares to Australia from a number of Asian destinations.