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Northern Territory upstarts Brad Sisson, Brad Woolley and Joanne Thompson from SignCity in Darwin are the Adelaide champions for the joint SA and NT contest; completing their wrap job well within the four and a half hours provided.
Sisson says the trio have worked together for the better part of 15 years and are a solid team. He tells AP, “We do a lot of wraps, it’s probably about 35 per cent of our business up here in the Territory, so we’ve had a lot of experience working together.”
SA and NT winners: Brad Sisson, Brad Woolley and Joanne Thompson from SignCity in Darwin
His best advice for other state competitors: gel with your team and practise.
He says, “We’ll be giving it a good crack to take out the title in Sydney – we are going to practise hard between now and September. We’re already organising vehicles to work on.”
Teams from Signs by Knight (Adelaide) and Reid Signs also fought valiantly in the first round of the national contest.
Cameron Sutherland, managing director of sponsor Australian Visual Solutions – which provides 3M materials and printing for the competition – says the atmosphere was charged, with banter flying back and forth between teams.
Sutherland tells AP, “I’ve been in the industry for about 20-odd years, it was enlightening to see all three teams play off against each other and gain momentum. From the three different teams there were three different strategies.
“I’d recommend anyone in the industry come along, to learn something new or check out the differences between companies. People keep their trade secrets close, so it was really impressive to watch, a great spectacle.”
Shiny new wraps: Adelaide contest. Other state trials will continue, with the finals to be held in Sydney in September at the Visual Impact expo
The SignCity Adelaide 2014 Wrap Masters will be flown to Sydney later in the year to play off against the other state champions, for a crack at this year’s Trans Tasman title-holding New Zealand team.
The national winning team will receive a Roland DG SolJet PRO4 XR-640, plus bragging rights, following the grand final at the Visual Impact Expo in September.
The Victorian round of the competition is also set to go ahead in March, with four teams ready to wrap including a Tasmanian squad flying in for a bit of extra state rivalry.
Like in a cricket test match, Sission says a bit of friendly sledging is part of the fun. He says, “Signwriters always take the piss out of each other. You’ve got to have a bit of a laugh, can’t be too serious.
“The only time to be serious is if we can make it to the top of the nationals and have to battle the Kiwis.”
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