We have special projects that each of us have created or been involved with.

Back in 1995, The Sunday Examiner reporter Fran Voss wanted to know if there was still sand on the beach at Lake Pedder.

We met with Launceston divers Geoff Stubbs and Reg Hutton to see if they were interested along with their club members to investigate this story. The idea planted and project set.

So one Friday afternoon, we packed up the car, with camera gear and Fran's note book ,attached my boat and headed to Lake Pedder, along with seven other divers and boats full of dive gear all in convoy.

The agenda was to dive on the Saturday, see what we could find out, and return Sunday to Launceston, hopefully with good news and pictures.

The day was a clear day, good conditions for diving, (so I was told) and made a great place for photos.

Four boats all travelled to the area, a good trip across the lake , finding the spot with our sounders .The divers disappeared below into the cool murky waters of the lake.

While Fran and I anxiously waited in my boat. A few cups of coffee and snacks later, the bubbles of air broke the surface and divers returned.

Then diver Wilson Forward came up from the bottom with a glass of and and murky water, Our proof that the sand was still there. They told us the visibility was not good, but the treasure was worth it.

Another interesting job has been the tower cranes that have been around the city. The first one I had to climb was in Cimitiere Street, Launceston, which is now the home of The Examiner. The fun part was the ladder was straight up 35 metres, a long way to climb with only a camera. So choice of gear to take with me became easy - a 10mm wide angle lens would show the small office that crane operator Scott Pilgrim had to work in.

Then eight years later, The Examiner managing editor Mark Baker invited me to go to new heights with him. to the top of Errol Stewart's Silos tower crane. This was a mere 49 metres above ground, but this time the climb was easier due to the platforms between levels, and not one straight ladder.

The view form the ground is daunting, and you hope you wont get stuck half way and be embarrassed if you were to be rescued, but that would be another story for Mark to write.

Mark and I climbed our way to the small operators cabin, and met crane operator Allan Dickenson, who invited us into his office. The day was a little windy and you could feel the crane sway every now and then.

It was a great view of the city and building site below,

I don't have too many photos of me on the job, but this had to be taken for proof that I did climb all those steps and make it to the top, 49 metres above.

Until next time,

Paul Scambler, senior photographer