Eureka Extra!
All the news that’s fit to print and some that’s hardly worth the effort.

17 February, 2007

            Things have been pretty tight at the Eureka Models head office of late and your correspondent's regular sources  of information for a time all but dried up. However, rumour has it that recently all senior Eureka staff were flown to a secret location for a series of meetings to discuss future plans and strategies for the company. (This was confirmed to your corresponent by his new friends at ASIS some of whom are maintaining a close interest in Eureka's activities.) Those who attended are tight lipped about what was discussed but your correspondent at great cost to his drinking budget has managed to ascertain at least some of the matters that were covered and is hopeful of in time extracting futher information that will be passed on in this column.

            Two matters that have come to light so far are as follows:

           Distribution: Eureka Models was established with a business plan which featured direct marketing as its preferred selling and distribution method. This will continue to be the case, however it was always envisaged that once the tooling costs for a project had been fully recovered a model would be made available to selected retail outlets. The 620/720 2 car diesel set has now reached this stage and as a consequence are now starting to appear in retail outlets. It is difficult to predict how long this process of recovering the tooling costs will take but it is likely that the interval between a model's release and it's appearance in retail outlets will be similiar to that of the 620s, that is approximately 12 months.

          Corporate Communications: After some spirited discussion regarding the role of the internet the present communications strategy was re-affirmed. This sees AMRM as the first point for news releases from Eureka Models and is part of the committment by Eureka to support AMRM as the principle focus of the hobby. The other avenue for news on Eureka will continue to be "The Eureka Times" and the Eureka web site. (Your correspondent will continue to report snippets of news and comments on Eureka Models as they come to light from whatever sources irrespective of the "official" policy at Eureka.) 

            Your correspondent understands that there will be some interesting announcements in the news column of the April issue of AMRM which is due to go to the printers this week. Not much that can be reported here as yet but you can be sure that your correspondent and the entire staff here at "The Eureka Times' in the great tradition of investigative journalism will leave no stone unturned and no glass un-drunk in our attempts to bring you the latest on the goings on at Eureka Models. Watch this space. 

              23 December, 2006

            Amongst some pretty wild scenes at the Eureka Times Christmas party your correspondent apart from taking some photographs of the Chief of Staff which may prove to be useful when the next review of salaries comes up also managed to get some time with Peter Mason-Giles the Eureka Models' Delivery Services Manager who advised that the post-out of AD60 class garratts was now 85% complete. The remaining 15% are made up largely of orders with incomplete details but these were expected to be finalised quickly and the post-out completed with-in two weeks.
           

              22 October, 2006

       Peter Mason-Giles, Eureka Models' Delivery Services Manager has advised that a container load of sound equipped AD60 class Garratts arrived at the receiving dock of the Eureka warehouse on the 16th of October and postal delivery commenced on the 18th of October.
            As of the 22nd approximately 25% of orders have been dispatched and at the current rate all orders will be forwarded within four to five weeks. Orders are being filled in the order that full details and  payment including postage were received.
            Pick-up is available and anyone wishing to collect their order should contact Eureka Models to arrange a suitable time.

              6 October, 2006

  AND MORE SHIPPING NEWS from our shipping correspondent.           

       Lord Jim, Eureka’s shipping correspondent has defied the ASIS banning orders and filed the following report.
            "Ocean going vessel "CSCL Jalarta" carrying a cargo of sound equipped AD60 class garratts for Eureka Models docked at Port Botany on Friday, 6th of October."
            We here at "The Eureka Times" would like to thank our shipping correspondent for his demonstration of the best traditions of journalism in reporting this story but unfortunately we have been unable to locate our correspondent since he was last seen being bundled into an un-marked Commonwealth car shortly after filing his report. We understand that he is currently assisting ASIS with their enquiries.
             In support of the stand taken by our correspondent we are prepared to report that Eureka Models has advised that it will be collecting the above cargo of sound equipped AD60s on the 17th of October and that postal distribution will commence on the 18th of October.

          20 September, 2006 

  MORE SHIPPING NEWS from our shipping correspondent.

    Lord Jim, Eureka’s shipping correspondent has dragged himself away from the front bar of the Matraville Hotel long enough to file the following report.
        "Ocean going vessel "CSCL Jarkarta" is scheduled to depart Shenzhen in Southern China on September 25th and is expected to arrive off Port Botany on the 5th of October. 
        Unfortunately, due to a typing error certain cargo due to sail on this ship which was to be referred as usual to AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection  Service ) was instead referred to ASIS. (Australian Security and Intelligence Service.) ASIS as is usually the case with matters referred to it has declared the cargo and all persons associated with it to be “persons and cargo of interest” and has placed a banning order on such persons and cargo. As a consequence of this banning order we are unable to make any reference to the existence or otherwise of such persons or cargo.
        Given this banning order, Australian Customs are unable to advise that the cargo if it indeed exists will be cleared on or around the 12^th of October and a certain model company that can't be named is unable to advise that said cargo if it exists will be available for distribution to commence in the week beginning the 16^th of October. 

8 September, 2006

  WEATHER REPORT from our weather reporter.

     Due to a strike at the Weather Bureau there was no weather yesterday but today our intrepid weather  reporter, Bike Mailey has been out and about and has filed the following "comprehensive" report:
         "Its bloody windy out there".
         Thanks Bike, spot on. In fact it was so windy yesterday that vessels were unable to enter Port Botany and  stood off the coast waiting for the Southerlies and the accompanying high seas to abate.  This they did today and "OOCL Melbourne" with its cargo of garratts is now safely docked in Port Botany.
         The delay in docking is not expected to unduly hold up unloading of cargo and it is expected that Eureka   Models will receive its non-sound equipped AD60s Thursday of this coming week.

6 September, 2006

SHIPPING NEWS from our shipping correspondent.

  Lord Jim, Eureka’s shipping correspondent reports that ocean vessel “OOCL Melbourne” is expected  to dock at Port Botany on Thursday the 7^th of September. The vessel left Shenzhen in Southern China on the 28^th of August and after a ten day voyage is expected to dock at Port Botany Thursday afternoon with its cargo of non-sound equipped AD60 class garratts. This is the first time that cargo for Eureka Models has been shipped direct from a Chinese mainland port as previous shipments have been trans-shipped through Hong Kong.
         Our shipping correspondent reports that it is rumoured that shipping details were not disclosed until after the vessel had sailed for fear that a cargo of much sought after “garratts” may have attracted the attention of pirates in the South China Sea. (It is also rumoured that our shipping correspondent drinks too much...Ed.)
         It is expected that the non-sound AD60s will clear customs towards the end of next week.

30 August, 2006

 ARRIVALS.

Air freighted samples of the production run of the sound equipped AD60s arrived Monday the 28^th of August and we now have production run samples of both the non-sound equipped and the sound equipped AD60s. Only one of each number has been received so we are not in a position to commence mail out just yet but we are having a lot of fun testing (playing with) the sound equipped units.

    DEPARTURES.

The ship carrying the full production run of the non-sound equipped models left China on Monday the 28th of August which means that we should see them through Customs at Port Botany in the week beginning  the 11^th of September. The factory has advised that the sound equipped units are expected to leave China around the 14^th of September.