3,2,1.....BLAST OFF! Hundreds of flying PET bottles will be colliding around the nation! CSIRO's Double Helix Science Club is celebrating its 10th Birthday by launching recyclable plastic PET bottle rockets to propel the club into its second decade.

"Media representatives are welcome to join Double Helix members and friends all around Australia who will be enjoying a science bonanza," says Double Helix Coordinator Rebecca Scott. "We have 23,000 members in Australia, so that makes for a big party!"

The celebrations will be held in the afternoon of Saturday 30 November, at different sites all around the nation. Rebecca says, "Not only will all capital cities be celebrating a decade of Double Helix, many of our 68 regional club groups will be holding a birthday event. Thousands of members and their friends will be celebrating a decade of Double Helix."

Since its inception in 1986, the Double Helix Science Club has sparked young peoples' interest in science by running events which are both fun and educational. Events have included making radio bugs, firewalking, digging for dinosaurs, Forensic Frenzy and slime making. Australian school children have also taken part in nation-wide science experiments such as the Great Dung Beetle Crusade, the Termite Tally, and Earthworms Downunder.

For more information on your state celebrations contact:
Double Helix Coordinator, Rebecca Scott (06) 276 6639; BH (06) 248 9192 AH

or State Double Helix Officers:

State	Officer	Business Hours	After Hours/mob
ACT	Mary Webb	(06) 246 5469	(06) 251 4502
NSW	Robyn Vaughan	(02) 9413 7653	(018) 295 354
NT	David Wise	(08) 8944 8495	(089) 483 551
QLD	Sue Scott	(07) 246 2747	(041) 967 9570
Townsville	Heidi Streiner	(077) 257 887	(077) 715 138
SA	Cameron Millsom	(08) 8410 1986	(08) 293 1943
TAS	Pam Elliott	(03) 62337 889	(03) 62 292 149
VIC	Ivan Macciocca	(03) 9252 6053	(041) 2186 582
	Janina Woodward-Millikin	(03) 9252 6409	(03) 9598 0502
WA	Sue Craig	(09) 481 7163