The day started with the 8.30am news conference. It certainly makes you get to the office on time! I put up an idea inspired from an ad about a new RSPCA facility, after going through the competition’s weekly (Quest’s Ipswich News) last night. I got a positive response and was asked to look into it.

Zane, graduate of Jschool in 2006 returned today and I lost my desk. He told me that the class of that year was around eight souls and they have all done well since. He said the Prof was a good contact once you graduate. So I went to another desk, which was cramped and cluttered. Desks certainly represent personalities!

I then tagged along with the court reporter to check out the local legal scene. The Ipswich court house opened in March 2010 and is very flash. I loved how they have a temperature gauge with the clock. The room sat a nice 23.2 for our session. I enjoyed watching the video link with a prisoner for the first time. They also brought in prisoners into the glassed dock under police supervision, which hadn’t happened at Brisbane. No big stories today, just an unusual one about a feller drinking nail polish remover found driving a car.

In the afternoon, I met Sarah, another photographer who took me out to a local shopping centre for one of my stories. We also did the vox pop at the same time. I am really enjoying this daily routine and seeing my copy in the paper each day. My little bit of responsiblity makes the difference.

I had a chat with Linda, the sub/designer who I noticed works closely with the CoS. She told me the QT is printed at Toowoomba with a 9PM deadline so she does an afternoon shift. She also does The Chronicle (Toowoomba) and Warwick Daily News.

Then the highlight of the day, Julia Gillard PM was coming to town for a community forum at a aged care facility. It was after hours but I asked if I could tag along. We got there and saw a media pack hovering around. I met Tom, the one-man-band from Sky News that Harry had interned with earlier in the year. I meet the local federal member and his media advisor/chief of staff, and his daughter. As the local journos, we were allowed in the forum whilst the state media had to wait outside. Julia was quite impressive in the flesh, joking with the crowd and prosecuting her case for a clean energy future. I missed the 5 second doorstop outside where she was asked about the high court decision. Nothing waits for the PM, not even for an intern!