annualreview2012

Photo Credits: © Jon Lee, Ian Barnes Photography, Scott Farrell, Damith Herath, George Grodzicki

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Contents

This Annual Review 2012 includes the following:

President’s Report ...............................................................4Director’s Report ................................................................5Division Committee ...........................................................6Membership Statistics ......................................................7Division Events .....................................................................8Year of Regional Engineering Team ........................ 14Group Reports .................................................................... 15Sponsors .............................................................................. 30

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President’s Report

President’s Report

Brendyn Williams BE(Civil)(Hons) MIEAust FIPWEAPresident: Engineers Australia Sydney Division

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to our new Sydney Division Annual Report. While there is much information available on our website, it is often a moving feast and sometimes difficult to see where we’re going and what we’ve achieved as a whole. An Annual Report provides an opportunity to showcase the incredible range of activity that Sydney Division has delivered during 2012 – a year which I believe has been pivotal to re-pointing and re-energising Engineers Australia.Since being introduced to Engineers Australia as a student at UTS in 1988, I’ve come to realise that the greatest ‘value’ of being a member of a professional body is engagement with other like minded professionals, and working together towards achievement of common objectives - membership is the gateway to engagement. Involvement with a variety of EA groups associated with my areas of engineering practice have led me to better understand the importance of ensuring that our activities are relevant and visible

to the engineering community. During my term as Division President this year I have had the opportunity to better understand the complexity of Engineers Australia, and I’ve attempted to share this understanding with the broader membership.Sydney Division includes over 22,000 members located throughout the 80% of regional NSW which it covers, with nearly 50 technical, special interest and regional groups. It has been a pivotal year for Sydney Division, with establishment of a NSW Coordination Committee with Newcastle Division; a Year of the Regional Engineering Team committee; a Board of Engineering Practice for coordination of the CPD Programme; and a Regional Chairs Group for facilitating engagement activities throughout NSW.During this the Year of the Regional Engineering Team 2012 I’ve managed to visit many of our Regional Groups, including those centred at Wollongong, Nowra, Penrith, Mittagong, Wagga Wagga and Dubbo. I’m encouraged by the enthusiasm of our regional members, and have appreciated the hospitality extended to myself and Steve Finlay during our visits.A focus on leading the engineering profession in NSW has seen ongoing emphasis on collaboration initiatives, particularly with IPWEA and Consult Australia, and progress towards improved engagement with Politicians, Government and the Media. Joint Events have also been held with the Safety Institute, the Environment Institute, and others with links to engineering.Engineers Australia’s support for The Warren Centre’s PPIR Implementation Project included hosting of Seminars in Chatswood and Wollongong with great interest

and participation. Other special events included a CEO Breakfast with new CEO Steve Durkin in April, and attendance at the Steve Wozniak WOZ Live premier event in May.Other Division-wide activities included Australian Engineering Week in August; the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala Dinner in September; Fellow’s Luncheon’s at NSW Parliament House in November and March; and Chartered Workshops and Discover Engineering Days scheduled at strategic locations throughout the year including at Carringbah, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga and Blaxland.The Year of Humanitarian Engineering 2011 reminded us that the engineering profession is about people. I want to take this opportunity to give my personal thanks to the many staff and volunteers that have been part of my journey this year. During the year I’ve attempted to stay connected to specific groups of personal interest, and wanted to thank those involved with the Quality in Engineering Panel, the Risk Engineering Society, and of course Sydney Division Committee. Greater engagement with EA subsidiaries has been achieved this year with Engineering Education Australia and Engineers Media. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the scope of their activities, particularly with involvement in the EA Photographic Competition and the Engineering Leadership Residential.Looking forward, let’s continue to ‘fly the flag’ for the engineering profession, better communicate the importance of the engineering profession to the general public, and encourage our colleagues who aren’t currently members of Engineers Australia to join or re-join so that together we can be a more relevant and representative professional body in 2013.

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Director’s Report

I have been with Engineers Australia since September 2009 and the future looks even more promising and perhaps challenging than when I started. Looking back over the past three years and the last 12 months in particular I believe we have achieved some really great outcomes.We have continued to run a highly successful series of high quality events. The showcase of engineering excellence in the Engineering Excellence Awards. A highly successful student outreach program through the Honeywell Engineering Summer School (currently in its 25th year) focusing on regional students and targeting female students. The Autumn Engineering School is in its second year and targets metropolitan students. Discover Engineering Days have been run for a number of years by the Education and Assessment subcommittee for Years 10 and 11 high school students. The first regional Discover Engineering Day was held in Wollongong in August 2012.

The Careers Expo conducted with Young Engineers Sydney continues to attract high numbers. Australian Engineering Week during the first week of August was full of exciting activities and events. However we still need to look at better ways of engaging with the community in what engineers do for society. Our Women in Engineering and Young Engineers continue to run very exciting events with the

trivia night in engineering week and the gala dinners, being just two examples of these exciting events. The Fellows’ Luncheons continue to provide valuable networking and an opportunity for young engineers to engage with experienced engineers through the CELM Sydney sponsorship program.

Our revenue income is highly dependent on sponsorship and in the current economic climate sponsor dollars have proven to be very difficult to acquire. This has dramatically impacted on the ability of a Women in Engineering and Young Engineers Sydney to deliver their usual programs. Sponsorship for the excellence awards has also reduced severely in 2012. Hopefully 2013 will bring about a change and bring the sponsors back to support our activities.

Our CPD activities have also been highly productive throughout the year with over 250 presentations, site visits etc. attracting more than 5000 members delivering over 10,000 CPD hours. A magnificent outcome and special thanks to all the panels, groups and societies for their tireless efforts.

The Year of Regional Engineering Team has not delivered outcomes many of us would have expected, however, there are some standout with Dubbo, Riverina and Western Sydney Regional Groups holding activities they would not have otherwise held. Our President Brendyn Williams has also made a very big effort in visiting our active regional groups throughout the year.

Congratulations once again to Marlene Kanga for her election to the role of National President in

Director’s Report

Steve Finlay FIEAust CPEng FIPWEADirector: Engineers Australia Sydney Division

2013 and I know that our division committee will be delighted to work with Marlene in achieving her vision for Engineers Australia to be relevant to every engineering professional and to promote engineering in the community. It is also significant that the National President for 2014 will also come from Sydney Division and congratulations to Alex Baitch on his election to that position.

Engineers Australia cannot achieve what it does without the volunteers who do so much to promote the profession of engineering and the benefits that engineers deliver to society. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you. We in the Division Office look forward to continuing to provide excellent member service and assist you with all the things that you do so well.

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2012 Division Committee

2012 Division Committee

The Division Committee determines the strategies of Sydney Division in pursuing Engineers Australia’s objectives, provides leadership and direction to Sydney Division groups, division office bearers and division volunteers, and liaises with the division staff. Sydney Division committee also provides advice to Council on behalf of the members of the Division, and monitoring of the division on behalf of Council. Additionally Sydney Division Committee is responsible of providing a public voice for Engineers Australia within the Sydney Division.

Committee MemberDavid EdwardsFIEAust CPEng

Committee MemberJulie Mikhail

MIEAust

National CouncillorBruce Howard FIEAust CPEng

Committee MemberAllan SangsterMIEAust CPEng

Committee MemberSamuel Green

GradIEAust

Committee MemberMichael Myers

FIEAust CPEng EngExec

National CouncillorProf Alex Baitch

HonFIEAust CPEng

Past PresidentMaryam Khajeh

MIEAust

Committee MemberJohn Stornelli

MIEAust CPEng

Committee MemberChris Skinner

MIEAust CPEng

Committee MemberTed Tooher

FIEAust CPEng EngExec

National Deputy PresidentDr Marlene Kanga

FIEAust CPEng

Deputy PresidentJohn Nichols

FIEAust CPEng

Committee MemberDr Michael LucasMIEAust CPEng

Committee MemberNorm Himsley FIEAust CPEng

Committee MemberKevin Dixon

FIEAust CPEng

Vice Deputy PresidentAlexandra Meldrum

FIEAust CPEng

PresidentBrendyn Williams MIEAust FIPWEA

Engineers Australia Sydney Division is governed by the Sydney Division Committee

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17,500

19,500

21,500

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

Membership Statistics

Engineers Australia Sydney Division currently serves over 22,000 members, in metropolitan and regional New South Wales

Sydney Division Membership Statistics at 30 JuneGrade 2007/08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 %incr last yr

Graduates 3,216 3,086 3,000 3,018 2,951 -2.2%

Members 7,633 7,843 8,075 8,185 8,352 2.0%

Fellows (& others) 1,320 1,296 1,309 1,333 1,322 -0.8%

Sub total 12,169 12,225 12,384 12,536 12,625 0.7%

Students 6,524 7,372 7,794 8,351 8,841 5.9%

Total 18,693 19,597 20,178 20,887 21,466 2.8%

Membership Statistics

Membership – Sydney Division

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Division Events

March Fellows’ LuncheonFriday, 9 March 2012

The March Fellows’ Luncheon at Parliament House was hosted by Mr Craig Baumann MP, with guest speaker Richard Tamba, and special guest Dr Elizabeth Farrelly, Opinion Columnist Sydney Morning Herald and 160 Sydney Division Fellows and their guests.

We welcomed ten new Fellows and four Honorary Fellows into Engineers Australia Sydney Division. The New Fellows welcomed at the Luncheon were: Juan Figueroa, Hany Ghaly, Andrew Isaac, Angelo Mavris, Dr Martin O’Shea, Dr John O’Sullivan, Chelvaratnam Paheerathan, Richard Tamba, Ivan Tarjan and Scott Wright.

The guest speaker, Richard Tamba, CCEO (Certified CEO) of Nautitech and Entrepreneur of the Year, Sydney Division 2011, captivated the audience with his presentation about the growth of his Engineering Company in the International market place. Richard informed the audience about the professional steps taken in his career to reach his current occupation. He also discussed how Nautitech kept abroad of the changes in the market and how Nautitech continue to keep up to date with current consumer needs and trends. Richard also discussed in some detail how the development of his products within the Automotive, Marine and Mining Industries.

The Luncheon was closed by Alexandra Meldrum, Sydney Division Vice Deputy President, who delivered the Vote of Thanks.

Division Events

Major events organised by Engineers Australia Sydney Division during 2012

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Division Events

Discover Engineering Day at CaringbahThursday, 22 March 2012

The first Discover Engineering Day for 2012 was held at Caringbah High School on 22 March 2012. The day saw an attendance of over 120 students from surrounding schools including Cronulla High School, Gymea Technology High School, Bethany College and Port Hacking High School.

The students were introduced to the world of engineering with a presentation by our careers manager Jenny O’Donovan. Throughout the day the students then saw presentations from our Student Engineer David Zhao and Professional Engineer Andrew Dyer.

When the students were not captivated by our presentations they were given the opportunity to rotate around to a range of different activities that helped them learn more about engineering as a future career path. Activities on the day included an Education hub with ambassadors from University of Sydney, UWS, UNSW, UTS, UOW and TAFE NSW, and a search and rescue robot from the University of Technology Sydney. Students also got to try their hand at some engineering of their own by competing in a marshmallow catapult competition and testing their own paper towers . The engineers of the winning paper tower came from Gymea Technology High School. The highlight for most of the students on the day was a presentation from a member of the UNSW RoboCup Team. Brad Hall showed the students how the robots work and explained the real life use of this technology.

After all their hard work students were treated to morning tea and lunch provided by Caringbah High School. A big thank you to Caringbah High School for allowing us to use their school venue.

Young Engineers Australia Sydney Careers EveningMonday 2 April 2012

The YEAS Careers Evening took place on Monday 2 April at the Sydney Masonic Centre. The event was supported by 26 exhibitors and attracted 600 students from over five universities.

The event was opened by Pat James, Chair of Young Engineers Australia Sydney Division, who was the Master of Ceremonies for the Forum “Getting a Job” which was panelled by five industry representatives.

The industry representatives were; Steven Lindsay – Lindsay & Dynan; Jolene Ou Yong – RailCorp; Sophie Dowling – TransGrid; Mary-Ellen Christie – Fulton Hogan; and Jenny O’Donovan – Engineers Australia. The panel addressed questions from the audience in regard to resume writing, interview skills, and how to get job placements in the industry.

The exhibition was opened to the students after the forum which provided the students the opportunity to mingle with the exhibitors and gain valuable information and guidance for future graduates and employment opportunities.

The 2012 Careers expo exhibitors were: Abigroup Contractors, Arup, Aurecon, Cardno, Coffey Geotechnics Pty Ltd, Defence Force Recruiting, Defence Materiel Organisation, EA Books, Engineering Education Australia, Fulton Hogan, Golder Associates, HATCH, Honeywell, ICD Asia Pacific Pty Ltd, Joy Mining Machinery, Keller Australia, Lindsay & Dynan Consulting Engineers, NSW Public Works, RailCorp, ResMed Ltd, Roads and Maritime Services NSW, Snowy Hydro Limited, Taylor Thomson Whitting, TransGrid, URS Australia P/L and Rio Tinto.

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Division Events

Abigroup Autumn Engineering School16-20 April 2012

The Abigroup Autumn School is an Engineers Australia Sydney Division initiative. With the support of Abigroup, NSW and ACT ‘Engineering’ Universities and participating Rotaries was successfully run for the third year. The major aim of the Autumn School is to give NSW high school students a better understanding of what engineering is and how it works in everyday life.

During the week-long program the Autumn School students met and interacted with professional engineers employed by government, private companies, researchers and academics from a wide range of engineering backgrounds. They gained valuable insight into career opportunities available to men and women in engineering. Visits to industry provided a valuable opportunity to gain first hand experience in the role of professional engineers in a wide range of activities, including the management of major projects. The students learnt about the role of professional engineers in society and different disciplines within engineering.

The Autumn School brought together 50 Year 11 and 12 students from the Sydney and some regional NSW areas. Some of the students were funded or partly funded by Rotary and their high schools. During Autumn School students attended lectures and demonstrations at the University of Sydney; University of New South Wales; University of Technology, Sydney; and Australian National University. Site visits the students attended included Cotter Dam, Weir Minerals, Cochlear and Transport Management Centre. Another significant program inclusion was the Careers evening where students had the opportunity to meet and talk informally with a broad range of engineers.

CELM NSW CEO Inaugural Breakfast18 April 2012

The Chair of CELM NSW James Phillis recently hosted the inaugural CEO Breakfast at the Sydney Hilton with our CEO Stephen Durkin as guest speaker. The National Deputy President Marlene Kanga was also a special guest.

The breakfast was attended by CEOs and senior management leaders including many of our PDP partners. It was a very interactive Q&A session with Stephen sharing his views on the way forward for Engineers Australia centred on the four key themes of:

• Developing a member-focused culture• Being visible and accessible and relevant to members• Being commercially viable, and• Professionalism

CELM NSW is looking forward to hosting this CEO Breakfast as an annual event in its calendar.

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Division Events

Australian Engineering Week6 – 11 August 2012

Australian Engineering Week is over for the year, and once again was an extensive week jam-packed full of highlights and amazing events.

Australian Engineering Week officially commenced on Monday 6 August with the Migrant Engineers Workshop held at UWS College in Westmead. The objective was to provide Job Seeking Strategies for the migrant/overseas qualified engineers and improve their chances in securing employment in the Australian engineering industry. The renowned Harricks Address then took place at the NSW Parliament House in the evening where the event explored Frank Sartor’s career through engineering eyes and discussed the intellectual influences in his political life. It was delivered as an interview with Andrew Botros and focused on the policy, governance, planning, infrastructure and visions for NSW and ultimately it addressed the role of engineering in all of these matters of public importance.

The Great Engineering Challenge took place on Tuesday 7 August at UNSW. This has been the most successful challenge to date, with teams comprising of Year 10 and 11 students from across Sydney, with great female student participation. The day comprised of 3 hands-on challenges, with the overall winning team being Ulladulla High School. The Regional Great Engineering Challenge was held on Thursday August 9 with over 15 teams and 200 students. The overall winning team was from St Johns College Dubbo.

The Next Step – Careers Presentation Sponsored by Hyder Consulting was held later that evening on Tuesday at Engineers Australia. We had some of the best in Engineering and in HR to help answer all those questions relating to resume building, internships and interview skills.

Adequate Infrastructure – Achievable Goal or Pipe Dream, the Engineering Week Forum took place on Wednesday 8 August at the AGL Theatre. A panel of four expert speakers; Brendyn Williams, President at Engineers

Australia, Brendan Lyon, Chief Executive from Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, Richard Johnson, Technical Director from Hyder Consulting and Chris Walton, CEO from APESMA all discussed the current status of NSW infrastructure including the identification, funding, approval and delivery of infrastructure projects in NSW.

The Engineers Breakfast held on Thursday 9 August at Museum of Contemporary Art and was sponsored by Engineering Education Australia. Gary McLaren, Chief Technology Officer from the NBN Co. spoke about how the company will provide the infrastructure that will allow wholesale and retail service providers to deliver advanced broadband services to homes, schools and businesses with speeds of up to 100 megabits per second. The breakfast also included a display of pictures from the finalists of the National Photographic Competition, and a chance for fellow engineers to network with other Professionals.

There were also 6 site tours held throughout the week to sites such as Sydney Harbour Pylon, ANSTO Discovery Tour, Coal Services Mine Rescue Facility, Warragamba Dam, University of Wollongong’s SMART Building and ABC Studio.

The CPEng Workshop was held on Friday 10 August at Engineers Australia which assisted those who wanted to upgrade their professional status by becoming a Chartered Professional Engineer. This workshop was a complete success as the Sydney Division team conducted the workshop so people can accomplish the first draft stage of applications. The Young Engineers (YEAS) Trivia Night was held later in the evening at Paddington RSL raising money for Engineers Without Borders (EWB). The night saw some impressive costumes as teams battled it out to be the ultimate Trivia Champions. YEAS managed to raise over $2500 and should be congratulated for their effort.

The week ended with the Sydney Women in Engineering Winter Gala Dinner at Museum of Contemporary Art on Saturday 11 August. The black tie affair was a celebration of women in engineering and was officially the closing event for the 2012 Engineers Australia Engineering Week festivities.

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Division Events

Engineering Excellence Awards21 September 2012

Jean Kittson, Master of Ceremonies, captivated the 450 guests from the moment she walked on stage on Friday 21 September at The Westin Hotel, Sydney. Guest of Honour Sir William Tyree OBE delivered an insightful, presentation for the guests in regard to early highlights to the building, development and history of Tyree Industries Pty Ltd. Throughout the evening fourteen Excellence Awards, ten Highly Commended Awards, and four Individual Awards were presented to the Engineering Excellence Award 2012 Finalists.

Atomo Diagnostics Pty Ltd with joint entrant Ide Group was presented with the prestigious Bradfield Award for the MicroRapid Integrated Rapid Blood Test Device. Chief Judge Norm Himsley said “MicroRapid has developed the world’s first, fully integrated hand held device for blood based lateral flow tests. This product is effective, efficient, safe, user friendly and cost competitive, which may well eventually dominate the market.”

The President’s Award was awarded to Partridge for Halo: wind activated kinetic sculpture. Brendyn Williams, President of Sydney Division said “In choosing this year’s President’s Award, I was particularly mindful of selecting an entry that embodied many aspects of engineering – innovation, creativity, design, quality, form, function and sustainability.”

Five of the Excellence Awards finalists and winners have been invited to have their projects displayed in the Success and Innovations Gallery at the Powerhouse Museum. Their projects will be seen by a half a million visitors during the Year Exhibition.

The Excellence Awards committee extends their thanks to the Excellence Awards Sponsors for their ongoing support of the Awards program, the 42 Excellence Awards judges, and the 13 Individual Awards judges.

Education & Assessment ForumWednesday, 27 June 2012

The annual Education & Assessment Forum was held on Wednesday 27 June at the lovely Chatswood Mantra. This was a new venue for the function and was received very well by all those in attendance.

Chaired by Norm Himsley – Chair of the Education & Assessment SubCommittee, the Forum aims to facilitate the working toward of common goals within engineering education between relevant institutions and Engineers Australia. Representatives from the Board of Studies, TAFE NSW, University of Western Sydney, University of New South Wales and University of Wollongong were present as well as many Engineers Australia representatives covering different facets of the organisation.

From discussion throughout the afternoon it was clear that the common goal was to make both the study and the practice of Engineering more prevalent. While Engineers Australia, Sydney Division runs and supports many programs that encourage engineering, there are many great initiatives that we are still unaware of and would benefit from being involved with. There were also several suggestions on ways in which collectively the group could foster the profession including the thought that there should be a program to display and potentially develop the ideas of Engineering Student Thesis’.

We look forward to continuing our relationship with all those involved with the Forum and reflecting on our development again next year.

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Division Events

Fellows’ LuncheonFriday 9 November 2012

The Fellows’ Luncheon on 9 November at Parliament House was hosted by Craig Baumann MP, with guest speaker Andrew Leventhal, and special guests Professor Mary O’Kane, NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, National Councillors Bruce Howard and Alex Baitch, 15 Honorary Fellows, and 150 Sydney Division Fellows and their guests.

During the Luncheon we welcomed 27 new Fellows into Engineers Australia Sydney Division. The new Fellows welcomed at the Luncheon were: Dr Eric Ancich, Rod Aistrope, Dr Anton Aseervatham, Vikas Bansal, Akhil Bhatnagar, Manuel Caballes, Ian Cox, Leon Fabrikanov, Kevin Leedow, Zarko Lepojevic, Melvyn Maylin, Terry Miller, Dennis Nothdurft, James Patrick, James Phillis, Dr Jiping Pan, Dr Ricardo Peculis, Andrew Russell, Jamie Shelton, Peter Souflias, Guy Templeton, Hamish Tyrwhitt, Andrew Vann, Christopher Vonwiller, Peter Waugh, Peter Wellings and Gary Zamel.

The guest speaker, Andrew Leventhal, Senior Principal Geotechnical Engineer, GHD, and Professional Engineer of the Year 2011, spoke to the gathered Fellows on a few issues associated with the recent longwall mining of the Bulli Seam beneath the Main Southern Railway. Additionally Andrew spoke about the monitoring that was put in place to manage infrastructure elements (such as 100 year old brick arch culverts) which were subjected to 0.6m vertical subsidence. The case history was a world first where the mining was unrestricted and the rail management systems permitted unrestricted, safe, rail traffic. The messages that the Fellows and their guests gained from the talk included identification of ambient temperature effects upon relatively rigid track structures.

The Luncheon was closed by John Nichols, Sydney Division Deputy President, who delivered the Vote of Thanks.

Discover Engineering Day15 November 2012

November Discover Engineering Day was held at Blaxland High School on 15 November 2012. The day saw an attendance of students from surrounding schools including Cranebrook High School, Nepean High School, Penrith Christian School, Quakers Hill High School, Kingswood High School and Australian Islamic College as well as students from Blaxland High School.

To start the day the students were introduced to the world of engineering with a presentation by our Manager Career Development Centre, Jennifer O’Donovan. Throughout the day the students then saw presentations from both our Student Engineer and Professional Engineer, Maritsa Kacopieros and Jonathan Barnes.

When the students were not captivated by our presentations they were given the opportunity to rotate around to a range of different activities that helped them learn more about engineering as a future career path. Activities on the day included an Education Hub with ambassadors from UWS, UNSW, UTS and TAFE NSW and Defence Force Recruitment . Students also got to try their hand at some engineering of their own by competing in a Crash Barrier competition and creating and testing paper towers. The students also experienced the chemical reactions created by BOC and had the opportunity to eat ice cream made from liquid nitrogen. RoboGals provided the students with an activity where the students had to individually program robots. The engineers of the winning paper tower came from Blaxland High School and the winning crash barrier was from Quakers Hill High School.

After all their hard work students were treated to morning tea and lunch provided by Blaxland High School. A big thank you to Blaxland High School for allowing us to use their school venue, and all the volunteers involved with making the day a big success.

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Year of Regional Engineering Team

Year of Regional Engineering Team2012 was the Year of Regional Engineering Team (YoRET) with the theme Regional Engineering: The Heart of Australia

Engineers Australia marked 2012 as the Year of the Regional Engineering Team. A year to focus on members of the engineering profession who don’t live and work in metropolitan centres, and therefore don’t have access to the resources that those in capital cities often take for granted.

EA Sydney and Newcastle Divisions came together to form a coordination committee for YoRET. The committee worked with our kindred organisations IPWEA, Consult Australia and AWA to arrange and promote activities to celebrate the YoRET. Better supporting the engineering profession, and thereby improving outcomes for clients and communities, is the primary objective of this initiative.

Committee: Brendyn Williams President Sydney Division (Chair), Ron Banerjee President Newcastle Division, Stewart McLeod Chair Dubbo Regional Group & YoRET SIG representative, Greg Mashiah Chair YoRET Special Interest Group & Chair Northern Rivers Regional Group, Murray Thompson Mid North Coast Regional Group, Annalisa Contos Sydney Division and Jill Kilby Dubbo Regional Group.

YoRET Activities by Sydney Division Date Activity

29 Feb Representatives of the NSW Coordination committee met at the Hawkesbury River to discuss ideas and launch the collaboration. Some points of discussion were: better ways to engage with politicians; having a ‘collective’ or joint NSW response to government issues; collaborative approach to events; how best to provide CPD to Regional Engineers; engagement with other engineering bodies.

18 May Premiere Movie Screening ‘ Revenge of the Electric Car’ & Electric Car Show by Dubbo Regional Group

17 – 20 Apr Regionally based Chartered Workshops were hosted at Blue Mountains, Parkes, Dubbo and Bathurst by Sydney Division aimed at demystifying the process for applying for Chartered status.

07 Aug Discover Engineering Day by Riverina Regional Group

20 – 22 Sep Hunter Valley: Risk Engineering Conference 2012

23 Nov RailCorp’s Bathurst Rail Fabrication Centre & Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum visit by Western Sydney Regional Group

29 Nov Cadia Valley Operations Site Tour and Impacts of WHS Act Masterclass by Central West Regional Group

Major events organised by Engineers Australia Sydney Division during 2012

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Regional Groups

Central West Regional GroupThe group has organised two site tours and intends to continue to arrange events in 2013 to establish itself in the Central West and grow its member numbers and participation.

We have established relationships with the local IPWEA and AusIMM groups and intend to continue to host events in conjunction with these groups.

A number of events have been discussed for 2013 and with EA support the group will continue to grow.

Technical Activities In the calendar year of 2012 we have attended the following activities:

Date Activity

29 Aug Oberon timber Mill Site inspection

29 Nov Cadia Mine site tour and WHS Act Masterclass

CommitteeSteve Martin (Chair), Richard Noonan (Secretary), John Boyd and Zahir Dewji

Dubbo Regional GroupThis year’s standout activity was the Australian premiere screening of the film “Revenge of the Electric Car” at the Dubbo regional theatre on 18 May. This was a public event widely advertised and resulted in an audience of 140 people attending. Engineers Australia received a great deal of positive publicity as a result.

The executive welcomed two new members during the year (Chris Bassingthwaight and Matthew Clark) and sadly farewelled Siva Varathan who had been a stalwart of the group since its creation in 1995.

The group now supports two “challenges” for high school students in each year, the University of Newcastle Science & Engineering Challenge and the Engineers Australia Great Engineering Challenge.

The Chair, Stewart McLeod, attended the Division’s Strategic Planning Workshop held at Chatswood on 29 October, chairs the division’s newly created Regional Chairs Committee, and represents the division on the EA National Regional Special Interest Group.

Technical Activities List of Technical Activities held during November 2011 to November 2012:

Date Activity

29 Nov 11 Site visit to Apex oval storm water harvesting & playing field reconstruction project in Dubbo (hosted by Dubbo City Council)

29/30 Mar University of Newcastle ran the Western Plains Science & Engineering Challenge in Dubbo – EA always provides 2 to 3 volunteer supervisors for each of the two days

19 Apr Dubbo group hosted a Regional Roadshow evening presented by Richard Hanna on how to apply for Chartered Status and membership queries generally

18 May Australian premiere film screening of “Revenge of the Electric Car” + display of fully electric & hybrid cars at the Dubbo Regional Theatre including a Tesla Roadster which reached Dubbo from Sydney on a single charge . This was nominated as the Dubbo group’s year of the regional engineering team special activity for which a $500 grant was provided

5 June Return site visit to Apex oval storm water harvesting & playing field reconstruction project in Dubbo (hosted by Dubbo City Council)

12 June Lecture on Solar Power in Regional NSW by Dubbo engineer Matt Parmeter (hosted by Dubbo field Naturalist & Conservation Society in Dubbo)

9 Aug Regional Great Engineering Challenge held in Dubbo. 18 schools, 49 teams, 198 students from as far away as Bathurst & West Wyalong, 3 activities. This is the 3rd GEC held in Regional NSW to date.

22 Oct Informal dinner get-together in Narromine 30 Oct Richard Hanna presented to migrant engineers

in Dubbo on resume writing/job seeking skills & EA generally.

15 Nov Drinking Water Management presentation & Dinner held in Parkes – Speakers Kamal Fernando & Annalisa Contos

27 Nov End of year Dinner in Dubbo (Cattlemens Motel) – Speaker Ed Heyting, Project Director Cobbora Coal Mine Project 70km east of Dubbo.

CommitteeStewart McLeod (Chair), Chris Dalitz (Secretary), Owen Johns, Alexandra Hartwig, Jillian Kilby, Chris Bassingthwaight and Matthew Clark

Group Reports

Annual reports by the Regional Groups, College Branches, Special Interest Groups, Technical Societies and Committees

of Engineers Australia Sydney Division

Group Reports 15

Group Reports

Illawarra/Sutherland Regional Group (ISRG)This year had a theme: The Year of the Regional Engineering Team. It has been a deserved recognition of Engineering in Regional Australia. The Illawarra is a prime example of excellence in Regional Engineering, and the team celebrated this with what we in the Committee believe was a busy and successful year.

It was a year the ISRG Committee experienced increase growth in activities and new challenges. The Outstanding Achievement Award in Maths & Science for Year 10 High School Students has continued to grow in popularity. This year, it grew to include 37 High Schools in the Illawarra/Sutherland Region. Again, our generous sponsors make this achievement possible.

Technical Activities We are proud of the number, diversity and standard of Technical Seminars provided in 2012. The 2012 program showcased a year of very informative and up-to-date seminars to our Members and Guests.

Date Activity

April Managing Risk in Structural Steelwork. Guest Speakers: Philip Sanders, Executive Director, ACRS and David Bell, OneSteel Business Development Manager NSW & QLD.

April Heavy Transport Safety & Engineering – Guest Speaker: Mike Robertson, Engineering Manager, Engistics.

May In conjunction with the EA Water Panel: “Compound Extremes Quantifying Interactions Between Catchment Flooding and Storm Tides in the Coastal Zone” by Seth Westra (University of Adelaide)

June Professional Performance Innovation & Risk (PPIR) Project – Guest Speaker: Brendyn Williams, Principal Consultant, Pentagon Management Pty Ltd & President Engineers Australia Sydney Division.

July Development of an Australian Formula One Engine Technology – Guest Speaker: Tony Wallis, Managing Director BRV Pty.

August AEW event

Women In Engineering – Illawarra Event – High Tea at the Chifley Wollongong – Guest Speaker: Dr Diane Harland, Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, University of Wollongong.

August AEW event

Discover Engineering Day – Illawarra Senior College, Port Kembla.

August AEW event

Operational Issue Associated with TransGrid’s Western 500kV Project – Guest Speaker: Darren Spoor, Senior Engineer, TransGrid.

August AEW event

Site Visit – University of Wollongong SMART Building – Tour Guide: Tanya Brown, Chief Operating Officer, SMART.

Sept Port Kembla Coal Terminal Upgrade Project – Guest Speaker: Roger Stewardson, Engineering Manager, PKCT Asset Management Team.

CommitteeTrevor Wilkinson (Chair), Elaine Bailey (Secretary), Kevin Kouhbor, Van Nguyen, Peter Nasta, Chris Hadenham, Belinda Margetts, Nick DiBono, Michael Muston, Dr Muhammad Hadi Andrew Spence, Dr Glen Green, Dr Michael Yastreboff, Ben Margetts, Pieter Van Breda, Rosemary Crowhurst and Dr Dawit Seyoum

Monaro Regional GroupTechnical Activities Seminars organised by Monaro Group during 2012 were:

Date Activity

28 Feb Presentation on Jindabyne Dam flushing flow releases

3 Apr Presentation on Cooma – Bega 132kV network upgrade and Intelligent Network Community, Bega

CommitteeRichard Clarke (Chair)

Riverina Regional Group (EAR)The Committee of the Engineers Australia Riverina Regional Group (EAR) is pleased to report on following activities during 2012. A total of 8 Committee Meetings were held for EAR during the year. Chairman Ian Davies has participated in the Regional Group Chairs teleconferences and meetings. In Ian Davies’s absence overseas, Shalini Chinta attended the Office Bearer Induction run by Sydney Division.

There was a noticeable decline in the number of people attending site visits as the year progressed. This is probably due to a combination of work pressure, the fact that there a limited number of interesting sites to visit in regional areas, and some of the visits required substantial travel time. Hopefully this can be overcome in 2013 as there will be a number of major construction projects being undertaken in the Wagga area next year.

Technical Activities The following technical meetings/seminars have been arranged in 2012:

Date Activity

18 April Technical presentation by Grp Capt Christopher Crowley of RAAF Base Wagga titled: Planning and Managing the Long Aviation Life Cycle.

12 June Visit to Riverina Oils & BioEnergy (ROBE) plant. The visit was attended by 15 members who enjoyed an excellent presentation and site tour conducted by ROBE staff.

29 June Presentation on AS1554 Welding Standards by Craig Poulsen, Head of Engineering at the Leeton Campus of Riverina TAFE.

27 July Visit to Windowie Creek Bridge Embankment Protection Works.

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Group Reports

Date Activity

7 Aug The first Discover Engineering Day held in the Riverina was held at Kooringal High School, Wagga Wagga. The day was attended by 63 students from High Schools in Wagga and the surrounding area.

13 – 15 Aug EAR Chair Ian Davies attended the “Build-a-Bridge and get over it” camp to assist with mentoring students.

9 Oct Visit to Wagga Wagga City Council’s Sewage Treatment Works.

9 Nov EAR End of Year Dinner.

17 Nov Visit to Hume Dam Concrete Buttress Construction Works. This site visit provided a rare opportunity to inspect a major engineering project that is being constructed below the normal discharge water level of the river outlet from the dam.

CommitteeIan Davies (Chair), Scott Farrell (Deputy Chair), Shalini Chinta (Secretary), Bryan Short, Ragavan Vythilinkam, Jeevahan Swaminathan (resigned 21.09.12 due to relocating), Steve Warrell, Nicholas Rees (resigned 21.05.12 due to relocating) and Tom Mackerras (remote member based in Griffith)

Shoalhaven Regional GroupThe Shoalhaven Group generally holds 4 site visits a year where we visit a project site or other establishment of general engineering nature. We follow this up with a dinner and get-together afterwards.

Technical Activities In the calendar year of 2012 we have attended the following activities:

Date Activity

12 April Visit to the HMAS Creswell gymnasium where the group was given a guided tour of the new facility which boasts fantastic architectural and structural aspects.

28 June Robert Barr who was this year named the IEAust Electrical Engineer of the Year opened his national speaking tour with a presentation at Wollongong University’s West Nowra Campus. This event was attended by Stephen Finlay and Brendan Williams

27 Sep Visit to Wollongong Universities Innovation Campus where the group was given a guided tour of the campus and its magnificent facilities

CommitteeMark Klein (Chair), Greg Westlake (Secretary), Caroline Griffiths, Robert Barr and Nick Osterloh

Southern Highlands & Tablelands Regional Group (SHTRG)This has been another very busy year of activities, firstly with our monthly Seminar Series from March to October, and secondly our participation in key events aimed at promoting Engineering as a challenging career option for young people.

Our Seminars Series this year has had the theme “Engineering Challenges”, in which we have looked at recent advances in a range of engineering disciplines including medical bionics research, mining technology, health informatics, bionic eye research, the square kilometre array radio telescope, the search for the Higgs boson particle, advances in prosthetics and, single atom silicon transistors for advanced ultra-high speed supercomputers.

SHTRG Committee has worked very hard to pull together this diverse and ambitious seminar program, and we wish to express our thanks to the committee for making these Seminars ‘happen’ – it takes a lot of team effort. In recognition that we are one of the premier groups in this 2012 Year of Regional Engineering Team, we were invited to write a keynote article for the August issue of EA’s EngZone eNewsletter.

We acknowledge and sincerely appreciate the considerable time and effort our expert Guest Speakers put into preparing their presentations and travelling here to the Southern Highlands. We would like to thank all our Guest Speakers whom we have been privileged to welcome and learn from over the past year.

We would also like to thank the helpful and courteous RSL staff who work hard to make our Seminar Dinners so enjoyable. We look forward to returning here in 2013, when the theme for our Seminar Dinners will be “Catalysts for Engineering Innovation”, for which your Committee would welcome your feedback on suitable topics.

We wish to thank our members and patrons, for your support and commitment in making our Seminar Dinners such a success – all our efforts are in vain without your continuing support and encouragement.

As mentioned, our Group has also been actively involved in encouraging young people to consider engineering as a challenging career through our involvement in the highly successful Rotary-Engineers Australia Southern Highlands Science & Engineering Challenge and the Careers Expo in June, and our participation in the Chevalier College Careers Day in August.

Technical Activities

Date Activity

29 March Advances in Medical Bionics Research seminar

26 May Advances in Global Mining Research seminar

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Group Reports

Date Activity

1 April Rotary – EA Southern Highlands Science and Engineering Challenge

31 May Health Informatics to Improve Patient Safety seminar

5 June Southern Highlands Manufacturers Cluster Careers Expo

28 June Advances in Bionic Eye Research seminar

26 July The Square Kilometre Array Telescope seminar

30 Aug The Quest for the Higgs Particle seminar

27 Sept Advances in Prosthetics seminar

25 Oct Transport Through Single Atom Silicon Transistors

CommitteeTom Romberg (Chair), Gerald di Corpo (Secretary), Rod Aistrope, Will Eddowes (Treasurer), Terry Hams, John Moreland, Claudia Novati and Cary Stapleton

Western Sydney Regional Group (WSRG)Western Sydney Regional Group (WSRG) was established in 1991 to enable engineers in Western Sydney to show case their work, as well as to provide professional development in our backyards. Throughout the years, WSRG has successfully held a large number of events for all engineers, regardless of specialisation, age or field of practice. WSRG organises events in Greater Western Sydney for all engineers.

Technical Activities Following Technical activities were organised by WSRG during 2012:

Date Activity

26 Mar Greystanes Creek rail bridge renewal Seminar

3 Mar Storm water Management in Western Sydney Seminar

24 May Chartered Workshop

5 June Greystanes Creek rail bridge renewal Site visit

18 July Site Visit to Warragamba Dam

24 Sept Steel Reinforcing Institute of Australia & Concrete Institute of Australia University Lecture Series

11 Oct Life After Uni Presentation

6 Nov Coal Seam Gas Seminar

7 Nov Networking for Newbies – Engineering your future!

18 Oct Chartered Workshop

19 Nov Site Visit to St Marys WRP & Hawkesbury-Nepean Modelling Presentation

12 Nov 2012 AGM

23 Nov Site Tour of RailCorp’s Bathurst Rail Fabrication Centre and Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum

Date Activity

1 Dec Western Sydney Regional Group Christmas Event 2012

CommitteeJohn Stornelli (Chair), Jonathan Barnes (Deputy Chair), George Grodzicki (Treasurer), Con Calfa, Dominic Cancian, Peter Jezierski, Stephen Lewis, Sanshi Liu, Steve Middleton, Olivia Mirza, Stefan Mozar, Marlene Van der Sterren and Daniel Burton (UWS Campus Coordinator)

Young Engineers Illawarra (YEA-I)The 2012 YEA-I Committee has held a lot of successful events this year, in particular the Engineers Networking Evening. Having events like this shine a welcoming light on the Division both supporting local Businesses and Students. It would be great to see this event held strong for coming years.

For events like this to be possible, sponsorship and volunteered time is required so we would like to thank all our sponsors this year: Faculty of Engineering – University of Wollongong, Douglas Partners, GHD, Hatch, Coffey Geotechnics and BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal

We would like to thank all the members of the YEA-I Committee for your time and dedication this year. Also we would like to thank Elaine Bailey, the Illawarra/Sutherland Regional Coordinator, for her continuous support to the YEA-I Committee, the local community and businesses.

Technical Activities Date Activity

27 March Resume Development/Interview Techniques & Work Experience Preparation Workshop Graeme Hodder & Jonathan Pelman from 360H.

March Engineers Networking Evening with guest speaker Jonathan Pelham from 360HR.

12 June eChartered Workshop by Roland De Broglio from Engineers Australia Sydney Division

20 June Public Speaking Skills Workshop with guest speakers Holly Zhu, Neil Grant, Jim Ollis and David Pollum.

6 Aug Engineering Week: Public Presentation Competition.

August Engineering Week site Visit to Coal Services Mine Rescue Facility.

25 Sept eChartered Workshop by Roland De Broglio from Engineers Australia Sydney Division.

CommitteeDrew Clements (Chair), Jane Smalley, Emelia Fabris, David Pollum, Craig McDermott, Matthew Aberline, Richard Peters, Ruchi Chhikara and Piers Hardwich

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Group Reports

College Branches, Special Interest Groups, Technical Societies and Committees

Australasian Tunnelling Society – Sydney Group (ATS) The aim of the ATS on both a regional and national basis is to promote tunnelling in all forms. Since approximately 2003 we have held tunnelling courses in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and a soft ground seminar in Perth, we have produced a DVD promoting tunnelling to young people and held technical paper writing contests for young engineers and the winners have been sent to international conferences.

It has again been a relatively quiet year on the tunnelling front in Sydney with no major projects under construction save for the following smaller but still challenging projects, the Opera House VAPS project, CBD cable tunnels, the widening of the Hills M2 Norfolk Tunnel, the Wynyard Walk pedestrian link (awarded) and the North Strathfield Rail Underpass (designer appointed, contractor/builder award imminent. EOI short listed tenderers are working on their North West Rail Link submissions due early next year for the civil station and tunnel works.

ATS Sydney Group has had a representative attend the AustRoad Tunnel Guidelines committee meetings this year as was previously done in 2011. A site visit was made to the East Link and City Link road tunnel controls rooms associated with the Melbourne meeting.

The Sydney Group via a specially convened committee is responsible for organising the 15th Australian Tunnelling Congress to be held in September, 2014. AusIMM will be appointed to help organise the conference which is likely to be held at the Hilton Hotel (awaiting quote confirmation from this venue).

Craig Burrell has been one of three ATS representatives commenting on the Safe Work Australia document “Draft Guide for Tunnelling Work”. Public comments closed in August.

Peter Watson assisted by John Brown has been organising a charity golf day for the 14th March next year. The venue is Ryde Parramatta Golf Club and the Charity being supported is the Gavin Medical Research Institute. We are using Brisbane ATS golf day as a model to develop this event. Further details will be made available very early in the New Year.

Technical Activities Attendance has been strong with between 40 to 60 attendees for sessions organised by ATS.

Date Activity

15 Feb Specification and Performance of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete by Julian Borgert and Alan Ross

3 May Constructing the Tunnels for the Victoria Desalination Project by Glyn Edwards

18 April Special Meeting

Urban Tunnelling: Constraints and Challenges by Prof. Andre Assis (on short visit to Australia)

13 June AustRoads – Guide to Road Tunnels, Introduction, Design and Commissioning, Operation and Maintenance by Victor Shapilsky and Ted Nye

15 Aug Design of the City East Cable Tunnel by Matt Frewer and Rob Nievergelt

17 Oct Vehicle Access and Pedestrian Safety Project (VAPS) – Sydney Opera House by Mark Adams and Nik Sikol

21 Nov Widening the Hills M2 Norfolk Tunnel by Garret O’Connor and Andrew Marsonet

CommitteeTed Nye (Chair), Peter Watson (Secretary), Rob Nievergelt, Craig Burrell, Daryl Gilchrist, Jessica Qiu, Paul Roberts, Matt Frewer, Alex de Aboitiz and John Brown.

Australian Engineering WeekThe Australian Engineering Week (AEW) committee coordinate the Sydney Division Engineering Week campaign. Australian Engineering Week events are organised by people from all walks of life; teachers, students, universities, industry and many more. AEW aims to educate the community about the work of engineers and their contributions to the community, encourages students to become part of the engineering profession and rewards members for being a part of Engineers Australia and the industry.

CommitteeJohn Nichols (Chair), Andrew Dyer, Ann Pitkeithly, Bob Kendres, Chun-kan Leung, Col Hackney, Deon Rowley, Derek Cheung, Gitanjali Pradhananga, Ian Ackland, Ivona Maric, John Donoghue, Jon Lee, Kyaw Lwin, Richard Barnes, Sanshi Liu and Tom Elliot.

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Group Reports

Australian Geomechanics Society (Sydney Chapter)The AGS (Sydney Chapter) has maintained its usual schedule of monthly meetings attracting on average about 60 attendees. We have had 4 international speakers this year, 3 of which have been sponsored by the AGS national committee.

The young geotechnical professionals night continues to be successful This year it attracted 8 abstracts of which four were selected for presentation. The AGS provides a cash prize. The winner was Sam Mirlatifi for his presentation on the performance evaluation of a 21m deep excavation stabilised by combined soil nails and anchors. As a result Sam will be supported to attend the International YGP conference in Paris in 2013.

Our main and most successful function was our annual symposium, this year on the subject of roads and railways. We had 120 attendees and a variety of excellent presentations. The venue was the Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour.

Technical Activities

Date Activity

8 Feb 46th Terzaghi Lecture: Geosynthetic reinforced soil from the experimental to the familiar, Professor Bob Holtz (USA)

14 March Christchurch Ground Treatment, Mark Koelling (Keller, NZ)

11 April Modelling of stability and risk of geotechnical systems in highly variable soils, Professor Vaughan Griffiths (USA)

9 May AGS Research award presentation. Anna Heitor (University of Wollongong), Chunshun Zhang (University of Sydney)

13 June Management of subsidence impacts on Hume Highway, Henk Buys (AECom)

25 July Sustainable resilient ground engineering, Nick O’Riordan (UK)

8 Aug Young Geotechnical Professionals Night. four short presentations

12 Sept Liquefaction Hazard in Australia (and Christchurch), Tim Mote (Arup)

10 Oct Symposium, Advances in geotechnical aspects of roads and railways, 14 speakers

6 Nov Fundamental issues in developing a code of practice for geotechnical design – Eurocode 7, Brian Simpson (UK)

4 Dec Geosynthetics, Steve Corbett (UK)

CommitteeDavid Airey (Chair), Sally Peacock (Secretary), Craig Curnow, Henk Buys, Hana Liu, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Hadi Khabbaz, Hossein Taiebat, Chun Yean Tey, Jason Surjadinata, Clinton Every, Andrew Hunter, Linton Speechley and Olaf Stahlhut

Australian Society for Defence Engineering (ASDE)This report summarises the activities of the New South Wales Chapter of the Australian Society for Defence Engineering (ASDE) for 2012. Committee meetings were held on 17th April and 3rd September 2011 and a final one is planned for December. The Annual General Meeting was held at Victoria Barracks on 15th November.

Our relationship with the Australian Industry Defence Network (AIDN) of New South Wales, established in 2010, continues and gives us access to their Newsletter and they receive an invitation to our presentations. Both organisations continue to cooperate to seek other mutual benefits.

Our Chapter continues its association with the Sydney Aerospace and Defence Interest Group (SADIG) an initiative of the NSW Government. The Chairman and Treasurer both attended the formal launch of the Group on the 30th April 2012 and the Chairman attends the meetings of its Industry Supply Chain Sub-committee.

For the presentation on 7th May by Commodore Purcell on the Rizzo Reforms we invited the Army School of Military Engineering and a large contingent of students attended.

We continue to receive great support from the Sydney Division and work closely with them where possible and in our range of interests. We have continued to advise the Newcastle Division of our presentations and one of our Committee hosted the Eminent Speaker Presentation by RADM Moffitt to that Division.

The Chairman attended the inaugural meeting of the Sydney Divisions Board of Engineering Practice.

The Committee worked with the National Office of Engineers Australia to prepare its submission in April in response to the Skills Australia Discussion Paper “Defence Industry Workforce Strategy”.

Technical Activities The following presentations have been held in 2012:

Date Activity

6 Feb Aircraft Maintenance in the RAN – Chief Petty Officer Gordon Davis

7 May Life Cycle Management and Rebuilding Engineering Capability in the RAN post the Rizzo Review – Commodore Mark Purcell

2 July LHD Amphibious Assault Ships: Realising Platform Performance – Rowan Tink, Business Development Manager, BAE Systems – Australia (Maritime)

2 Sept The Australian Army School of Military Engineering – Staff of the School of Military Engineering

2 Oct Eminent Speaker Presentation: Future Submarine ~ Few Easy Choices – Rear Admiral Rowan Moffitt AO RAN

Most of our presentations were recorded and available EA website as video streams.

CommitteeDoug Roser(Chair), John Elliott (Treasurer), Chris Skinner, Tom Fink and John Brett. 20

Group Reports

Biomedical Engineering College – Sydney BranchThe Branch representative, Bruce Morrison was nominated to fill a casual vacancy created by the departure of the previous representative to another city. Mr Morrison did not stand for election but rather nominated Mr Willy Van den Berg who was elected unopposed and will take over as the Branch Representative on 1 January, 2013.

The Sydney Division Biomedical Branch did not have a committee although Mr Morrison attempted to set up an informal group with some of the Sydney based Biomedical Engineers. During the year the Branch attempted to organise some joint activities with the Newcastle Division BME Branch.

Technical Activities In 2012 Biomedical Branch held two technical events, which are listed below:

Activity

Forum on the Transportation of People with Disabilities.On Saturday 3rd November 2012, the National Committee for Rehabilitation Engineering in association with the Sydney Biomedical Branch, held a forum on the Transportation of People with Disabilities. Speakers flew for the forum from the United States and Europe and joined with attendees from around Australia. Speakers included: Miriam Manary from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in the USA, Karl-Erik Westman from the Swedish Institute of Assistive Technology, and Aleid Hekstra from the Elderly and Disabled Project Consultancy in The Netherlands

Workshop on AS/NZS 3003:2011 “Electrical installations – Patient areas”The revised standard AS/NZS 3003:2011 “Electrical installations – Patient areas” was released on 1st April 2011, and compliance with the new standard has been required since this date for new installations and completed work. A workshop on 21 November 2012, was presented by the College of Biomedical Engineering and the Sydney Biomedical Branch.

CommitteeBruce Morrison (Chair)

Board of Engineering Practice (BoEP) The Board of Engineering Practice (BoEP) was established in 2012. BoEP is a standing sub-committee reporting to the Sydney Division Committee of Engineers Australia.

The BoEP is established to effectively manage and advance the body of knowledge, in accordance with the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) guidelines of Engineers Australia, principally by coordinating the direct provision of effective professional development events for Division members.

Purposes• To provide a forum for Units to interact and discuss

CPD issues• To coordinate a program of technical activities.• To examine and report on matters referred to it by the

Division Committee.• To analyse the appropriate reports on CPD. • To facilitate some alignment of the Sydney Division • Program with college CPD direction

Meetings The BoEP meets quarterly – four times per year. Meetings are usually held at the EA Offices at Chatswood.

Reporting Quarterly reports to the Sydney Division committee. The November meeting of BoEP sets the coordinated program for the following year.

CommitteeAlexandra Meldrum(Chair). The Board consists of the Sydney Division based Chairs of Colleges, Technical Societies, Panels, Special interest Groups and Regional Groups, and the Sydney Division representatives to the National College Boards.

Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management2012 has been a year of growth and development for a relatively new CELM Board. The transition commenced by Alexandra Meldrum in 2010 is well and truly in progress. There are, however, still many challenges ahead. As a volunteer organisation, we are still struggling to achieve the necessary numbers to make the Board fully effective.

Some Highlights for 2012:• Our Mentoring Program has grown strongly from the

successful 2011 pilot. CELM Sydney is now setting the benchmark for CELM nationally

• Very successful ‘first ever’ CEO breakfast was held in April• We are starting as a group to achieve consistency and

quality in the development and implementation of our strategic plans

• Strong active participation in the National Leadership Conference in Adelaide by the Sydney Board

• Ongoing engagement and dialogue with CELM Nationally and all CELM Divisional operations

• Consolidation of the Sydney Fellows Luncheon sponsorship

• Overall, the CELM Sydney Board did deliver on six of the nine key strategic actions planned for 2012 including a full seminar series

Areas for Improvement:• A more robust seminar program – Although we’re

“getting there”• A broader and more diverse Board• More balanced Board participation and contribution;

“doing what we say”• Young Engineers Leadership Reception which was not

delivered this year due to a lack of sponsorship• Working with and between various Divisional and

Regional groups. Attempts to engage with Regional groups did not get much traction

• Volunteer engagement

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Group Reports

For 2013, possible areas of focus include working on the noted areas for improvement, a more robust and ‘secure’ seminar program, co-opting other Board members to improve diversity and numbers, and more work on volunteer engagement and networking. The new Board will meet in early 2013 to put the key strategic actions in place for 2013.

Technical Activities During 2012, CELM NSW held monthly board meetings and 2 Strategic Planning Sessions. CELM NSW Chair participated in CELM National Business Plan Meeting in March and CELM National Joint Chairs Meeting in May, Additionally CELM NSW provided number of sponsorships to young engineers and female engineers to attend Sydney Division Fellows’ Luncheon.

The following table highlight other activities of CELM Sydney during 1 Jan – 31 Dec 2012:

Date Activity

1 Mar Launch of 2012 CELM NSW Mentoring Programme

20 Mar CELM NSW Seminar Series “Engineering Ethics” – Dr Don Hector

18 Apr CELM CEO Breakfast (Hilton Hotel, Sydney)

30 May – 1 Jun

CELM National Conference, Adelaide

17 July CELM NSW Seminar Series “Passing the Baton and the Role of Leadership in Inspiring the Next Generations of Engineers” – Dr Michael Myers OAM

6 Sept CELM Mentoring Pilot Review

16 Oct CELM NSW Seminar Series “Leadership and Management. Are they the same in today’s business world? There are talkers and there are doers, which one are you?” – Mr Terry Oaks Ash

20 Nov CELM NSW AGM

20 Nov CELM NSW Seminar Series “Who Said Underground Infrastructure Is Boring?” – Mr David Hudson

CommitteeJames Phillis (Chair), Ian Ackland (Secretary), Jon Lee, Darko Stevanovic and Sameh Ibrahim

Civil & Structural Engineering PanelThe principal activity of the panel is to develop and present its annual program of 10 technical sessions. There is typically no charge for these technical sessions. The sessions are well attended and are consequently held at the Zenith Theatre to allow for audiences of up to 250. In 2012, the average attendance rate has been approximately 220.

Using funds raised through special paid seminars, the Panel has also established annual prizes for final year engineering students at University of NSW, Sydney University, University of Technology and University of Western Sydney.

Technical Activities List of Technical Activities held/planned during 1 Jan – 31 Dec 2012:

Date Activity

28 Feb Hunter Expressway Alliance: Interface between geotechnical constraints and viaduct design and construction

27 Mar AS 4100 Steel Structures – develop, harmonise or replace?

17 Apr The use of Limit State Design in Foundation Engineering

22 May Safety in Design and the new Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act 2011

26 June Steel Fibre Reinforced and Ultra High-Performance Concrete

24 July Light Rail in Sydney

28 Aug Detailing of Reinforced Concrete Structures

25 Sept Timber Topic: Victoria Harbour Building, Melbourne

23 Oct Building the North West Rail Link

27 Nov Third Party Accreditation of Steel Products

CommitteeRichard Hitch (Chair), Ken O’Neill (Secretary), Daksh Baweja, Matthew O’Hearn, Stephen Foster, Rick Pilz, Gene Hulowatyi, Rocco Bressi, Jillian Kilby, John Nichols, Nick Livanes, Brendon Hyde, Scott Munter and Philip Blundy

22

Group Reports

Coastal, Ocean and Port Engineering Panel (COPEP)During the year the name of the Panel was formerly changed from “NSW Maritime Panel” to “NSW Coastal Ocean and Ports Engineering Panel”, as it more accurately reflects the activity of the panel members and to also bring into line with other similar EA groups interstate. In August the Panel traditionally holds a Half Day Seminar with a number of presenters in conjunction with PIANC Australia. This year the seminar was “Sydney Harbour: Natural Environment, Transport and Infrastructure” with approximately 90 attendees. Two portable banners were designed and procured which are to be used at NSW COPEP meetings and related events. NSW COPEP maintained liaison with other EA related events and close association with PIANC Australia.

Technical Activities Monthly presentations by industry professionals were undertaken between February-October on the third Monday of each Month at EA Auditorium in Chatswood, following the regular monthly Panel meetings. The Panel presented the following monthly presentations in 2012:

Date Activity

20 Feb Safety of people and vehicles due to wave overtopping by James Carley (Water Research Laboratory, UNSW)

19 Mar The Performance of Levees During Extreme Events (With Particular Reference to the Thames Estuary Floods of 1953 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005) by Dr Philip Smith (Royal Haskoning)

23 Apr A Case Study on the Use of Cement Deep Mixing for a Port Reclamation Project by Patrick Wong (Coffey Geotechnics Pty Ltd)

21 May Engineers Australia update – the NCCOE Guidelines for coastal implications of climate change by Doug Lord (Coastal Environment P/L) & Alessio Mariani (UNSW Water Research Laboratory)

18 June Storm surge flood level modelling during cyclones for Port Hedland by Paul Branson & David Taylor (Cardno)

16 July In conjunction with the EA Water Panel: Compound extremes Quantifying interactions between catchment flooding and storm tides in the coastal zone by Seth Westra (University of Adelaide)

20 Aug Half Day Seminar – Sydney Harbour: Natural Environment, Transport and Infrastructure

17 Sept Cabbage Tree Harbour Dune Toe Revetment Novel Design and Construction by Lex Nielsen (WorleyParsons)

15 Oct Port Botany Bulk Liquid Berth 2 Site Visit and presentation by Michael Turner (WorleyParsons), co-hosted by Sydney Ports and WorleyParsons

Nov Annual Panel Dinner and AGM

CommitteeAlan Betts (chair), Alexis Berthot, Chris Adamantidis, Doug Lord, Gary Blumberg, Goran Dimovski, Indra Jayewardene, James Carley, Jillian Smith,Kate Panayotou (secretary), Matt Blacka, Patrick McCallum, Peter Horton, Stephen Driscoll, Tony Navaratne and David Taylor

Construction Engineering PanelTechnical Activities Seminars organised by Construction Engineering Panel during 2012 were:

Date Activity

12 June Challenges and Risk Management in the construction of No. 1 Shelley Street, Sydney.

11 Sept Construction of Bridgeworks in Extremely Congested Urban Environments

13 Nov Design and Construction of the Ballina Bypass

CommitteeMarton Marosszeky (Chair) Carlo Garofali, Tim Pittaway, Steve Boss, Norm Lovemore, Stephen Sancbergs, Bill Stavrinos and Michael Wardinger

Education and Assessment Sub CommitteeEngineers Australia, as the peak professional body representing the profession of engineering in Australia, must develop and maintain communication channels with the major bodies responsible for the education of the students enrolling in engineering studies and the education of engineers for the future. This is achieved at various levels and forums by Engineers Australia at a national level. There is also a responsibility for Engineers Australia to develop and maintain effective communications with the various trainers and educators impacting on the engineering profession at the local level, in Sydney Division. Consequently, the Sydney Division Education & Assessment Committee has been developed to maintain this communications network.

Activities The Education & Assessment Committee of Sydney Division focuses on promoting engineering as a profession to school students through a number of different events, including Discover Engineering Days.

CommitteeNorm Himsley (Chair), Astrid Perdriau, Ian Ackland, Jeffrey Zou, Jim Vickery, Jon Lee, John Perdriau, Peter Andrews, Richard Hanna, Rob Kirk, Roderick Nesbitt and Stan Scahill

23

Group Reports

Engineering Heritage Committee (EHC)The committee has a quiet year compared with previous year’s activities. Some of this relates to difficulties with authorities approvals for Historic Engineering Marker projects scheduled in 2012 and some relates to changes in committee members availability. One of the major issues to be addressed in 2013 is re-invigoration of the committee website, which is now outdated.

Technical Activities

Date Activity

April Proving Military Engineering Heritage (Joint event with ASDE)

June HMAS Australia: Our Submerged Flagship

August Training of Operators of Heritage Steam Equipment

We have a good selection of lectures for 2013 which we plan to publicise much more broadly. We also have a good heritage recognition programme for 2013.

Engineers Australia Engineering Heritage Recognition Programme This year has not seen any new engineering heritage marker installations because of difficulties with Local Authorities and State Agencies approvals, however work is well advanced on the following projects which are proposed for 2013.• Moruya Granite Quarries• Adelong Goldfields• Menangle Rail Bridge (150 years) • Future projects for 2013 or 2014 include Portland

Cement Works

CommitteeSimon Wiltshier (Chair), Steve Lockhart (Secretary), Michael Clarke, Glenn Rigden, John Heathers, Neil Hogg, Jon Breen, John Gibson, Phil Willis, Doug Boleyn, Scott Renwick, Brad Duncan, Ian Bowie and Amie Nicholas

Excellence Awards CommitteeThe Engineering Excellence Awards Sydney (EEAS) recognise the expertise of both individuals and engineering organisations in our community. The Awards are the pinnacle of the Divisions professional calendar. The Awards comprise of fourteen categories and four Personal Awards. EEAS provide an opportunity to encourage excellence through the identification and promotion, of both within the profession and the community at large, for outstanding achievements in the advancement of the science and practice of engineering.

CommitteeScott Wright (Chair), Amal Hanna, Bill Thompson, Bruce Howard, David Kinniburgh and Norm Himsley

Honours and Awards CommitteeThe role of the Honours and Awards Committee is to identify, recognise and reward: outstanding achievement in engineering, conspicuous service to the engineering profession, eminence in engineering or an applied science, conspicuous service to the Australia people and outstanding achievement. An additional role is to promote engineering and the value added by the engineering profession to the health, wealth and well being of the Australian people.

CommitteePeter Tyree HonFIEAust CPEng (Chair), Ronald David Christie AM HonFIEAust CPEng, David Graeme Croft AM HonFIEAust CPEng, John Gilmour Nutt AM FTSE HonFIEAust, Mike Dureau HonFIEAust CPEng FTSE FAICD JP, Rolf Prince AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng PR Eng and Graham James Davies FIEAust

24

Group Reports

Joint Chemical Engineering Committee (JCEC)Joint Chemical Engineering Committee is buildup of EA Sydney Chemical Branch and IChemE NSW Chapter. A helpful collaboration has occurred with the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Foundation at University of Sydney to boost numbers at technical meetings and provide extra administrative and organisational support.

We have succeeded in encouraging new committee members to join and carry the committee’s activities forward in the future under renewed leadership.

NSW JCEC has organized monthly technical meetings, with average attendees of about 40. The symposium about Coal Seam Gas on 10 July attracted almost 200 persons, and we limited the numbers to the first 150 who replied due to EA Auditorium capacity limitations.

JCEC also organized a workshop on Graduate Career Perspectives mainly targeting our 3rd or 4th year undergraduates from University of New South Wales and University of Sydney. Feedback from both Universities is very positive.

Technical Activities The following technical meetings/seminars have been arranged in 2012:

Date Activity

27 March Design of Experimentation and its Application in the Chemical Industry

18 April Integrated Process Synthesis: Designing processes with reduced CO2 emissions. A new approach to Applied Thermodynamics.Understanding and applying these concepts

15 May Wayne's War Stories: A sample bag of anecdotes from the consultant-for-hire

12 June High resolution X-ray microtomography and its application to the study of porous material

10 July Symposium on Coal seam gas (CSG): Engineering, environmental, regulation and community perspective

30 Aug JCEC Postgraduate Symposium (Best presentation competition)

23 Oct In situ solid-phase crystallisation of dairy powders: A process perspective.

CommitteeTim Langrish and Emily Leow (Joint Chairs), Jeffrey Shi (Secretary), Merv Jones, Deb Raha, Ian Ackland, Billy Chan, Wayne Davis, Jackie Fung, Vic Kortian, Les Russel, Dominique Vagi, Cheryl Wong (USyd student rep) and Alex Dunn (UNSW student rep)

Joint Electrical Engineering Institutions’ SydneyElectrical and ITEE Branch of Sydney Division in Collaboration with IET and IEEE NSW Chapters successfully organise over 20 technical presentations each year as part of Joint Electrical Engineering Institutions’ Seminar Series. Two half day seminars on Titanic 100th Anniversary and Cyber Security were the highlights of the seminar program.

Technical Activities

Date Activity

9 Feb System Engineering – RAM

23 Feb Building a Spatial Information and Mapping System (SIMS) for the Planning, Response and Recovery Phases of Disasters and Emergency Events

8 Mar Mentorship – Mentoring, What does it mean for Engineers?

22 Mar Turning On My Ears – Cochlear implantable hearing solutions

12 Apr Learning from the Titanic – Half day seminar

26 Apr Wireless Communications for Greater Road Safety

10 May High Reliability Electrical Systems for Data Centres & Critical Facilities

14 Jun Data Centre Technology & Energy Efficiency

28 Jun Cyber Security – Is Electronic Voting Safe?

12 Jul Taggle: Innovation in wireless asset tracking and utility meter reading

26 Jul Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan – 100% Renewable Energy Generation

9 Aug Billy cart Engineering

23 Aug Passive Sonar Signal Processing for Underwater Vehicles

13 Sep Substations of the Future

27 Sep Sleeping for a living

10 Oct Cyber Security Half Day Seminar

11 Oct QR Code and Geo-Location Information Technology Application

25 Oct Arc Flash and its Mitigation

8 Nov NBN Network Design

22 Nov AGM, & Student Prizes. Eminent speaker presentation by Dr Robert Barr – National Professional Electrical Engineer of the Year (NPEEoY) 2012

6 Dec Solar Flagships Research Infrastructure @ UNSW and Associated Research Agenda

13 Dec Ultra High Capacity Optical Transmission Systems

CommitteeGohulan Markandoo (Chair), Allan Sangster (Deputy Chair), Kim Yan (Secretary), Mark Edmunds (Deputy Secretary), Richard Clarke (Treasurer), David Edwards, Amal Hanna, Peter Henderson, Peter Hitchiner, Yi Li, Mai Yeung and Chris Skinner

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Group Reports

Nuclear Engineering Panel (NEP)The panel held five committee meetings and arranged five technical presentations in 2012.

With the assistance of EA Sydney Division staff, the NEP established its own website on Engineers Australia Website. The site provides information on the members and work of the panel, as well as details of events, and information on nuclear issues. The NEP is now using online registration system for all the technical presentations and this is working well.

The NEP chairman attended the Sydney Division inaugural Board of Engineering Practice meeting and the Strategy meeting.

Technical Activities The following technical meetings/seminars have been arranged in 2012:

Date Activity

3 March The annual 4 Societies Meeting (EA-NEP, ANA, AIE, NSW-RS) was hosted by the NSW Royal Society. The presentation by Dr Andrew Smith (ANSTO) on “Counting Atoms for a Living – Tales of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry” was well attended as usual. The NEP will be the host for the meeting in 2013.

March NEP took the opportunity whilst Jack DeVine, an eminent nuclear expert and former Senior Vice President of WorleyParsons US Nuclear, was in Australia for him to give a presentation on “The Safety of Nuclear Power”.

May For the May edition of Sydney Division e-newsletter the NEP Chairman was invited to write the lead article. As a result, NEP presentation held on May “Developing Advanced Structural Materials for use in Next Generation Nuclear Power Plants”, Dr Lyndon Edwards ANSTO) attracted Sydney members who may not normally attend NEP presentations.

July Fukushima – Second Year: Doses and Health Effects, Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson

September Economics of Nuclear Power, Martin Thomas

November Thorium Reactors – Advantages and Challenges, Dr John Harries

CommitteeTony Irwin (Chair), Don Higson (Secretary), Martin Thomas, Barrie Hill, Bob Fry, Neil McDonald, Peter Airey, Roger Alsop, John Harries and Therese Donlevy

Quality in Engineering PanelTechnical Activities

Date Activity

14 Mar Energy Research Site visit to UNSW Tyree En-ergy Technologies Building (TETB)

6 Dec Innovations in High Early Strength Rapid Set Concrete Site Visit: VCA, Richmond Road, Marsden Park

CommitteeBrendyn Williams (Chair), Ari Fernando, Deryck Clarke, Ellen Zhao, John Brett, Michael Berman and Shailesh Tyagi

Risk Engineering Society (RES)Technical Activities

Date Activity

30 May Software Reliability – An Oxymoron? Seminar

31 July Best Practice Systems Engineering in Transport Projects seminar jointly presented with Systems Engineering Society Transport Working Group (NSW)

20 – 22 Sep Risk Engineering Conference at Hunter Valley

12 Dec RES NSW AGM and 2 technical presentations by Mr Marcus Punch – ALARP as far as reasonably practicable and Emeritus Professor Jean Cross – What do we mean by level of risk?

CommitteeRuben Welschen (Chair), Brendyn Williams, Brian Truman, Ian Ackland, Jean Cross, Pedram Daneshmand, Peter Flanagan, Skender Bregu and Steve Bickley

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Group Reports

Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA)RINA NSW Section organise nine technical meetings jointly with the Sydney Branch of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.

The RINA is a joint organiser of the International Maritime Conference that was held in conjunction with Pacific 2012 International Maritime Exposition held at Darling Harbour on 31 January – 3 February. RINA NSW Section Committee and members assist in the review of papers submitted for the Conference, chairing of sessions and in the crewing of the RINA stand at the Pacific 2012 exhibition.

The RINA NSW Section and IMarEST Sydney Branch also organise an annual Christmas function for members and others from the maritime industry in Sydney, on board the vessel James Craig moored in Darling Harbour.

The RINA NSW Section has also arranged for a number of their technical meetings to be video recorded and made available on the Engineers Australia website for members and others, including those resident outside of the Sydney area and interstate, to view the meetings.

Three members (Craig Boulton, Adrian Broadbent and Craig Hughes) of the committee of the RINA NSW Section also sit on the Council of the Australian Division of the RINA.

Technical Activities

Date Activity

8 Feb Fuel, Diesel Engines and Exhaust gas Emissions by William Bixley, RoTech Engineering

7 March Racing for the America’s Cup by Andrew Baglin, University of NSW

4 April Shipping Disasters and their Effect on Ship Design and international Conventions by Alan Taylor, Royal Institution of Naval Architects

2 May LHD and LSD –– the Evolution of Australia’s Amphibious Capability by John Jeremy, Royal Institution of Naval Architects

6 June Marine Fouling Control technologies by Jonathan Crossen, International Paints

4 July Thordon Bearings by Josh Sayed, Jacmor Engineering

1 Aug The Age of the Armoured Battleship by John Jeremy, Royal Institution of Naval Architects

5 Sept Towards More Sustainable Shipping: Results and Lessons Learned from the FellowSHIP Project by Rod Humphrey, Det Norske Veritas

3 Oct Wärtsilä After Treatment Solutions for NOx and SOx Emissions from Shipping by Aslak Soupanki, Wärtsilä Environmental Solutions

6 Dec SMIX Bash RINA and IMarEST

CommitteeAlan Taylor (Chair), Anne Simpson (Secretary), Craig Boulton, Phil Helmore, Adrian Broadbent, Rozetta Payne, Valerio Corniani, Graham Taylor, Nate Gale and Rob Tulk

Society for Sustainability and Environmental Engineering (SSEE Sydney Chapter)SSEE Sydney started the year by having a change in the Committee’s Chair with Michele Philips handing the Chair over to Matthew Guy. Michele helped the Committee in many ways by building up the number of Committee members, increasing the attendance of events (some events having up to 85 attendees), reinvigorating the relationship with the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) (which SSEE have a MOU with), and making further engagements with property companies and Government. SSEE Sydney would like to thank Michele for her great work and are keen to continue undertaking interesting activities and positive initiatives with their new Chair.

Technical Activities

Date Activity

June Coal Seam Gas (CSG) Seminar was presented by John Ross, the Manager of Hydrogeology for AGL. John talked about AGL’s current developments of CSG in NSW covering the common public concerns of impacts on water resources, water quality, catchments, and well integrity.

Aug Seminar on industrial ethanol production was presented by Ming Leung from the Manildra Group who is the manager of the Shoalhaven Starches Plant in Nowra. Ming talked about the products being produced from the Nowra plant which included starch, gluten, glucose, ethanol, dried distillers, and grain (DDG).

Nov November Seminar by SSEE was on new solar PV power projects being developed in Western NSW. These two projects will be developed by AGL at Broken Hill and Nyngan producing a total capacity of 150MW which is the largest solar projects in the Southern Hemisphere.

SSEE Sydney have also established good working relationships this year with other professional organisations including the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ), Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA), and the Australian Land and Ground Water Association (ALGA). One of the events SSEE Sydney took part in was a student night hosted by ALGA with many of the professional organisations attending the event to encourage student to get involved in the different organisations.

CommitteeMatthew Guy (Chair), David Gamble, Pedro Arrondo, Tom Fink and Aravind Srinivasan

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Group Reports

Society of Fire Safety (SFS)The Society of Fire Safety was established to foster excellence in fire safety in Australia. As a learned Society, the aims are to draw together individuals who are actively engaged in fire safety, to provide a national focus and leadership for the development, understanding, practice and application of fire safety engineering to achieve reductions of risk for life, property and environmental damage and the implementation of cost-effective fire safety codes and regulations.

The key SFS achievements in 2012 are: Continue to provide technical seminars which promote excellence in the practice of fire safety engineering.• Attend meetings and maintain effective communication

with Fire & Rescue NSW, the Building Professionals Board, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure.

• Provide submissions to in relation to proposed fire safety related legislation.

• Liaise closely with SFS members, initiating comment and promoting debate on selected fire safety engineering issues.

Technical Activities During the year SFS committee held six Committee meetings, two meetings with Fire and Rescue NSW, three meetings/consultation sessions with BPB and met with Minister for Planning & Infrastructure representatives during October. Seminars:

Date Activity

15 Feb Design Fire Modelling Inputs

18 April Seminar Fire Resistance of Masonry and Concrete

20 June Seminar Tenability Criteria

15 Aug Seminar Fire Resistance of Steel and Timber

17 Oct Seminar Communicating with Fire and Rescue NSW

5 Dec Seminar Evacuation of People with Disabilities

CommitteePeter Gardner (Chair), Micael Lundqvist, Sarnia Rusbridge (Secretary), Atul Bhargava, David Boverman, Stephen Grubits, Carlos Quaglia, Daniel Levy, Sandro Razzi, Bruce Bailey, Vivek Apte, Darin Evans, Mike Donnegan and Derya Horasan

Transport Engineering PanelTechnical Activities

Date Activity

April Submission to NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan Discussion Paper

August Held , in conjunction with National Committee on Transport Engineering (NCTE), GTA Consultants, the Premier’s Council for Active Living, and NSW Health, the “Bang for Your Buck – Designing, Funding and Maximising The Use of Footpath and Cycleway Infrastructure” seminar attended by more than 40 people in Parramatta.

October Submission to Transport for NSW with regard to the Draft NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan

CommitteeRonaldo Manahan (Chair) and Chris Skinner

Water Engineering PanelThe Water Panel has ongoing relationships with other EA panels and societies. We have co-hosted an evening lecture annually by a distinguished hydro-geologist with the Sydney branch of the IAH, co-hosted a lecture with COPEP (Maritime Panel) and have assisted the Western Sydney Panel with speakers for their seminars.

The Sydney Water Panel also organised and hosted the 34th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium on behalf of the EA National Committee on Water Engineering. This conference held at Dockside in Darling Harbour had 190+ technical papers and 270+ attendees.

Technical Activities The Sydney Water Panel has hosted a truncated seminar programme this year due to the commitment of the panel to organising the Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium in November 2012. Still, a range of evening technical seminars have been hosted in 2012 these included:

Date Activity

22 May Collaborative approaches to multi-level governance in the water sector

26 June 2011 Murrumbidgee Flooding

16 July Co-hosted with COPEP seminar on Interaction of Catchment and Coastal Processes on Flooding and Inundation

28 Aug Real-time Weather Prediction

25 Sept Climate Change and IFD

CommitteeGrantley Smith (Chair), Chris Thomas (Vice Chair), Monique Retallick (Secretary), Peter Brady (Publicity), Mark Babister, James Ball, Karen Brakell, Scott Button, Will Glamore, Ian Rowbottom, Rhys Thomson, Seth Westra (corresponding member) and Marlene van der Sterren

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Group Reports

Women In EngineeringWomen in Engineering Sydney Division (WIE) is a special interest group within Engineers Australia that promotes the awareness of female engineers, encourages young female students to study engineering in universities and supports the retention of women engineers in the workforce. Each year WIE holds a range of events from a sit down breakfast to cocktail evenings, panel discussions and company site visits; all of which provide an opportunity for networking and promotion.

In line with the theme Year of Regional Engineering Team, WIE attempted an overnight regional tour to Wollongong, which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to low numbers. The highlights of the year were the relaunching of our mentoring program under a new format, and the continued growth of our Winter Gala as one of our key events.

Administratively, liaising with other organisations continued in particular the universities where strong communication lines and points of contact have been established. Also sponsorship remained at similar levels to previous years allowing for all the events to be run at the same high standards and industry contacts have increased.

2013 is set to continue along the same track with a continued focus on improving our mentoring program as well as establishing a new schools outreach program.

Technical Activities In 2012 WIE Sydney Division ran all the usual events with great feedback and numbers. Events were as follows:

Date Activity

Jan Strategic Planning Meeting

March International Women’s Day Cocktail Evening & launch of mentoring program at Verandah Bar – “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures”

April Family Day – Kayaking at Narrabeen Lake

May Mentoring Event – Start up training

June Panel Discussion – “Women Striving for Leadership – Is it worth it?”

August Winter Gala – MCA, Guest Speaker Prof Mary O’Kane

September Mentoring Event – Ann Rolfe Training

October Eminent Speakers Breakfast, Shangri La, “Leadership in the 21st Century” and launch of Industry blue print and presentation of WIE Scholarship

November AGM

December Christmas High Tea – Swissotel

CommitteeJulie Mikhail (Chair), Jade Gan (Vice Chair), Jessica Qiu (Secretary), Bei Na Wei (Treasurer), Mai Yeung (Mentoring Coordinator), Gillian Pak (Publications Coordinator), Yee Yeng Lambropoulos (Website Coordinator) and Sherry Moghadassi (National Representative)

Young Engineers Australia Sydney (YEAS)During the year, YEAS was involved in hosting a series of Communication workshops aimed to establish communication as much more than just an accessory for the technical professional. YEAS also organised the Careers Evening which attracted more than 600 attendees in April.

Technical Activities

Date Activity

2 April YEAS Careers Evening

28 April Young Engineers Communication Program Workshop 1: Fundamentals of Communication

28 July Young Engineers Communication Program Workshop 2: Advanced Communication Skills

18 July Young Entrepreneurs Workshop

20 Oct The Communication Masterclass

CommitteePatrick James (Chair), John Van Rooyen (Secretary), James Bencke (Immediate Past Chair), Rhys Kelly, Marko Stankovic, Samuel Green, Matthew Tildesley, Jackson He, Tom Connell, Kyaw Lwin, Ivona Maric, Sanshi Liu, Derek Cheung, Hannah Mahoney-Hayes, Jon Lee, Terri Lin and Simon Reynolds

Other GroupsThe other active groups within Sydney Division are: • Electric Energy Society of Australia (EESA)• Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA)• Royal Aeronautical Engineering Society (RAES)

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Sponsors

Sponsors

Engineers Australia Sydney Division gratefully acknowledges the support of our sponsors:

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ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA SYDNEY DIVISION

Level 3, 8 Thomas StreetChatswood NSW 2067

Tel: 02 9410 5600

sydney@engineersaustralia.org.au engineersaustralia.org.au/sydney