EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017:
My once-in-a-lifetime experience
By Tyrone Bunce
The WorldSkills 2017 competition took place from 15 to 18 October, where Tyrone Bunce had the
opportunity to represent South Africa in the refrigeration and air-conditioning category. This is his story …
Local children of Abu Dhabi flying their country’s flag to welcome WorldSkills
competitors from around the world.
Tyrone Bunce (left) with South Africa’s national skills expert for refrigeration and air
conditioning, Bob Vuletic of EP Multistage Cooling.
The next day was the first day we were
allowed on site. Everybody’s nerves were
all over the place. It was an absolute
nightmare once you walked through the
door: the thousands of competitors from
across the globe trying to get through
security and check in.
Once inside, you had to find your zone.
Even with the maps available, it was still not
the easiest thing to do. Some of us had to
walk for 10–15 minutes to get to our work
areas. Once we reached our work areas,
we officially met our competitors and started
exchanging gifts and pins.
Here we met up with our experts for
the first time. I had the honour of having
Bob Vuletic from Multistage Cooling in
Johannesburg as my expert throughout
this journey. A man with more years of
experience in the field than what I have
walked on this earth!
We discussed the drawings that had
been given to us and other details of the
project. All the other competitors did the
same, chattering away with their expert in
their preferred language. Some countries
I finally got to my hotel after a long flight
and checked in just as everybody else
was waking up for breakfast. We all met in
the dining room for our buffet breakfast to
prepare ourselves for the long day ahead.
We then set off to an ‘all-boys session’
where competitors from across the world
shared a glimpse into their culture with each
other. There was singing, dancing, and
smiles everywhere you looked.
We made a pit stop at another hotel for
lunch and to change clothes with a bunch
of other countries. The heat was absolutely
insane, even for someone from Durban. So,
we decided to take a dive in the pool, even
though we were not really allowed to.
After our cool-down session, we set off
to a location in the middle of the desert
where they had built an entertainment area
with different stalls where you could try on
traditional clothing and get a coconut drink.
FAMILIARISATION DAY
South African WorldSkills competitors making their way to
the competition hall.
EXCURSION DAY
We were fortunate enough to even get a
camel ride! And as if that wasn’t enough,
they had Toyota Land Cruiser V8s and 4 × 4s
to go do some serious desert dune bundu
bashing.
We then had the opportunity to witness
the joy from all around the world in the
form of a group of youths showing off their
countries. From the Netherlands hitting
each other on the bum and playing
the accordion, to the groups on stage
screaming their war cry at the top of their
voices. The night ended off with a late-
night bus drive back to our separate hotels
for recovery.
T
his experience is one I have been
looking forward to since 2005 when my
uncle won the local WorldSkills
competition and had the opportunity to go
to Helsinki in Finland. As the time drew closer
for us to head to Abu Dhabi, the more
excited I became. I had never been
overseas before and this truly was a once-in-
a-lifetime opportunity.
However, when the big day finally
arrived, disaster struck: I missed my
connecting flight to Johannesburg due
to the big storm that had passed through
Durban on 10 October, and all roads to
the airport were blocked. Luckily, we could
arrange another flight for me the next day,
but it meant that I would be traveling on
my own ... In a way, this turned out to be a
good thing as it gave me time to mentally
focus on the tough competition ahead.
With thousands of competitors descending on the venue,
it was a bit chaotic at first to try and find everyone’s
assigned work station.
Tyrone Bunce (front) taking a selfie with the South African
team all kitted out.
COLD LINK AFRICA • March | April 2018
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
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