A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to this year's winners, The Sunshine Coast Private Hospital's 'The Heart Starters", who took away the $1000 first prize cheque and the CQUniversity Australia's Golden Bed Pan Trophy.

They were followed very, very closely by last year's winners, Nambour General Hospital's "Nambour Flyers", who took away $300 prize money. 

The Wooden Spoon Trophy will be proudly displayed by "The Coolum Sassy Lassies", who represented the Sundale Group. We haven't had a team try so hard to win that one before. Well done ladies.

Other winners on the day were:

Best Dressed Team:  Buderim Views "Loos with a View"

Best Big Wrappers:  Nambour General Hospital "Nambour Flyers"

Best African Lion Safari Photo:  Caloundra Nursing Home "Principal Rejects"

The only team that...... ran naked from the waist down "RNS Tart'n Warriors" (what happens at the races, stays at the races!)

The only team that...... ran with a living mascot Sundale "Voller-Vents"

Fastest Team within Sundale....... “Jetsetters”

Fastest Team within SCPH...... ”Heart Starters”

Fastest Team within RNS...... "RNS Globe Trotters"

Everyone who participated received many cheers of support from family, friends, managers and work colleagues. You all deserve a double Big Wrap (thanks) for making the effort to get in and run the race. We know how our days off from work are so valuable. We hope everyone had a ball!

The Golden Bed Pan Bed Races time-trials started out slowly at first ... everyone was a bit stumped on how to do the mummy-wrap in short-time. Every team member was watching and plotting how their own team could improve the time in their own race.

Nambour General's "Nambour Flyers" were the first to drop the time drastically when they did what is now to be coined as the "Nambour ED Wrap". After that, other teams' times dropped and the race tightened up. Caloundra Nursing Home were racing for their first time and came out of nowhere to drop their time below the "Nambour Flyers" as did Sunshine Coast Private's 'Heart Starters' who were also running for the first time.

Buderim Views' "Loo with a View" looked gorgeous in Can Can frocks & had along some dapper 'Frenchmen" to get the bed really rolling. We're still waiting to see the photos taken at the African Lion Safari. The throw-away cameras are being developed now and we'll get the pictures published soon. We had teams racing with a puppy in a tutu along for the ride; a Scotsman lost his kilt, the Princess tried hard once again (and did manage to hand-over the Wooden Spoon as planned). Acts of Gods surprised us in a few races, lifting the flags out of hands-reach and the teams had to decide to either go back and try again or keep going to the finish line - it all came down to the stopwatch.

As happens every year, the race beds themselves were under pressure to 'keep it together' literally, we lost the back off one bed and then the side rail broke so we were down to racing with just the one bed and revised rules implied mid-way through the second heat.

An excellent show of team work, cameraderie, cheering, fun, laughter, some excellent sausage sizzling, media were everywhere as were the supporters from the political environment.

Before the day ended we were being canvassed for 'what are you going to do next year'. The planning begins ... we're more than happy to receive suggestions at this stage as to theme and location but we've got some good ideas coming together already.

Thank you everyone who was there - you made the day a big success once again!

The RNS Big Wrap for Nurses Van trip is now completed. Tom, Sue and Samantha Dunlop & Shawn Perry shared the travel over some 6,000 km on a 20 day journey that allowed us to deliver a message of thanks as well as some goodies to 10,000 nurses. 

Commencing their trip from the Sunshine Coast on Friday 23 April, the RNS team made their way out to Roma and Charleville, up through Longreach and Julia Creek across to Charters Towers and Townsville. Cairns was next on their hit list, covering off on a visit to Tully on the way through.  Heading back down the coast saw them visit Innisfail, Cardwell, Ayr and Bowen and then all stops across Mackay, Rocky to Bundy, then Gympie through the entire Sunshine Coast and down to Brisbane, finishing yesterday, 11 May, at Royal Childrens' Hospital and the RB&WH.  

The Big Wrap Van and the characters on board (think Cleopatra, Where's Wally, Jock the Scotsman, a Mexican....) generated lots of media interest with coverage from local TV, radio, and newspapers throughout the journey. 

Photos of the journey are posted on the Regional Nursing Solutions Facebook page and also on flickr - links to these are in the right hand toolbar on this webpage.

Allowing for the Golden Bed Pan Bed Racing event held on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday 8 May, the RNS Big Wrap Van travelled 6,000 km commencing 23 April until 11 May, so they could be back to cheer on the bed racing teams.

The route travelled was plotted to allow for van team members to fit in university (RN & Science student on board), accommodate travel time (I guessed!), meeting clients, driver reviver stops and trying to catch up with media who were calling to join us at some facilities along the way.

We would have loved to spend another couple of weeks so we could get to every facility however we managed to pop a few goodies in the mail to those we couldn't meet. Now that we've had our maiden voyage, next year we'll plot out the map and start the trip in the beginning of April :) or maybe next week!

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A road trip delivering a message of thanks to nurses, midwives & carers across Queensland -  we'll be travelling across the RNS client base of hospitals & aged care facilities from Stanthorpe to Cairns between 21 Apr through to 7 May 2010.

RNS Big Wrap Van: