Engineering South Australia, October 2012

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SOUTH AUSTRALIAENGINEERINGSOUTH AUSTRALIA

OCTOBER 2012

Aerialicious performing at the start of the 2012 South Australian Engineering Excellence Awards. See pages 3-4 for results and more details.

ENGINEERING SOUTH AUSTRALIA1

CONTENTS

DIVISION EXECUTIVE

SPONSORS

President Gerry Doyle FIEAust CPEng

Deputy President John Olson RFD FIEAust CPEng EngExec FAICD

Immediate Past President Dr David Cruickshanks-Boyd FIEAust EngExec

Executive Director Caroline Argent MAICD

Deputy Director Sarah CareyProduced By Engineers Australia South Australia Division

Level 11, 108 King William Street Adelaide South Australia 5000 tel 08 8202 7100 fax 08 8211 7702 www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa

www.facebook.com/EA.SouthAus

http://twitter.com/Eng_SouthAus

President’s Message

Excellence Awards Results

Division Updates

News

Member Profile

Upcoming Events

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3-4

5-7

8-9

10

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Division Partner

Division Supporters

ARE YOUR DETAILS UP TO DATE?

Just a reminder to all the South Australia Division members that it may to be time to log on to the Engineers Australia website and confirm that your details are up to date.

With everything so hectic when changing jobs or moving house it is easy to overlook updates to your Engineers Australia membership contact details.

While you’re there why not reacquaint yourself with your membership benefits, the advocacy and policy papers, upcoming South Australia Division events or update your CPD record?

This Engineering South Australia newsletter is published by the South Australia Division of Engineers Australia and reports impartially on items of interest to Engineers in South Australia. The statements made or opinions expressed in the newsletter do not necessarily reflect the view of Engineers Australia.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA’S RAP?

Through our Strategic Plan and Code of Ethics, Engineers Australia has emphasised its commitment to "use our members' knowledge and skills for the benefit of the community to create engineering solutions for a sustainable future."

A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is Engineers Australia's commitment and response to 'closing the gap'.

Engineers Australia's RAP details steps and priorities that the organisation will undertake to assist in helping to achieve Indigenous equality and to help build positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

To view Engineers Australia's RAP please visit:www.engineersaustralia.org.au/about-us/reconciliation-action-plan

Online CPDMembers of Engineers Australia are able to access Continuing Professional Development (CPD) from a number of locations around Australia through the online CPD.

Access this at any time through www.engineersaustralia.org.au/webcasts/mediavisionz

Many other presentations are available through the South Australia Division website at http://tinyurl.com/saresource or http://tinyurl.com/sadivgroups

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Regular readers of my columns would be aware that I have five young boys aging from nearly 9 down to twins who have just turned 3 at the start of this month. Over the last few weeks I had the joy of being the primary carer for them while my wife went overseas to visit friends and relatives.

In the weeks leading up to this time I had a number of people telling me how much I would enjoy coming back to work, to the point that it started to get a bit frustrating – almost like people didn’t believe I could look after 5 children. It got me thinking about how people react to different scenarios and how helpful it is when people are positive about what you can do. I will come back to this thought later.

Well, I did the 18 days as primary carer for the boys and we had a blast. I probably spoilt them a bit but we did things that we couldn’t normally do and I got involved in what they do. I really enjoyed the time with them and I think they enjoyed the time with me. This time provided many precious memories that I will hold dear and made me realise that these beautiful children are only going to be young once and if I don’t prioritise time to spend with them, I will miss out. And just for the record, I cooked, I cleaned, I did the washing, I changed nappies, I did school runs and kindy runs and it was a bit monotonous but I found joy in just being part of their lives.

I have already suggested to my wife that she might get to go away again, not that I am trying to get rid of her, but because it actually did us both good. But that can wait a few years. The other thing that occurred to me when she got back was how two actually makes the whole thing easier – we could share it so one of us could do the shopping without having to drag some children around, we could fit in exercise or just time away and we could share the challenges.

I came to a realisation that my priorities were not helping me to lead the most fulfilling life I possibly can. I need to prioritise my relationships with my family more than I have been, so that I can be part of their lives rather than the guy who comes home exhausted at the end of the day and leaves really early the following morning.

So for me this whole experience was a positive one that has made me think about my priorities and what is important in my life. It has made me realise the value of relationships and the value of support. I am grateful for this very gentle wake up call and encourage you to use my wake up call rather than waiting for your own to reconsider your priorities.

So to go back to the reactions of people as I embarked on this. There was nothing malicious about the comments I received and, in truth, I think it is more a reflection of Aussie humour than anything with any pre-meditated thought. But the lack of positivity that this would be a great opportunity to invest in my kids was a bit saddening. On this front I have also realised, again, the importance of the words we use and how much they can impact people. I strongly believe that we should use words of encouragement in the workplace and in our industry to build one another up to do the best engineering work we can.

One source of encouragement and recognition is the Engineering Excellence Awards which I recently had the joy of being the President for, this was a genuine showcase of some of what makes engineering great. I was overjoyed to see a project from the non-traditional engineering disciplines awarded the Malcolm Kinnaird Engineering Excellence Award. Congratulations to all involved in all of the projects and to the individual winners on the night.

The Engineering Excellence Awards are one of the high points of the engineering calendar each year and it was really pleasing to see so many people in attendance and the number of really strong projects. I encourage you all to get along to next year’s and put your projects up for awards.

To try and share some of the success stories and raise the profile of engineering in the community we are looking at running a session which is open to the public and provides some more information on some of the projects which were nominated for awards. We plan to target it at people who generally do not have a great exposure or understanding of what engineering is, to highlight the role of engineering in society.

Again, my congratulations to all involved in engineering in South Australia this year.

Gerry Doyle FIEAust CPEng President Engineers Australia South Australia Division

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE


A duo of astonishing aerialists welcomed guests at the 2012 Black Tie Ball, held on Friday 21st September 2012. This night gathered almost 400 guests, including His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR CompIEAust, Governor of South Australia and Leader of the Opposition Isobel Redmond MP as well as Duncan Kinnaird, on behalf of Malcolm Kinnaird AC DUniv FTSE HonFIEAust, and supporters and sponsors of the South Australia Division. Together, everyone gathered to celebrate engineering excellence in South Australia.

The South Australia Division would like to congratulate all of the 28 entrants who have contributed to the profession and the wider community.

Entering projects for awards such as these allows the engineering profession to showcase its achievements and highlight the significant importance of the engineering profession and the people within.

Excellence Awards:

The Six Degree of Freedom Hexapod Robot for Biomechanical Research won the Malcolm Kinnaird Engineering Excellence Award; the highest engineering excellence award conferred at the South Australian Engineering Excellence Awards. The project, a joint venture by the Flinders University and the University of Adelaide has revolutionised joint simulation in humans and the way biomedical engineers understand joint motion, elasticity and plasticity to advance medical treatments. Traditionally biomechanics research has only applied loads in one or two directions; however this new technology simulates actual joint motion more accurately which is essential for the development of more robust artificial joints and replacing damaged or diseased tissues.

The Engineering Excellence Award for Innovation Research and Development was presented to the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC) for the Submarine Structural Life Validation Project. The project addresses the life-fatigue and fracture analysis of Collins Class Submarines allowing for a safer submarine to be delivered back into the water on time, maximising time at sea, as well as the life of the submarine itself.

The Adelaide Central Reinforcement – Powering South Australia project was awarded the Engineering Excellence Award for Project Infrastructure. The project, a joint venture by ElectraNet and Parsons Brinckerhoff provides an alternative energy supply to Adelaide’s CBD and surrounding suburbs, as required by the Australian Energy Regulator. The $190 million project comprised of an 18.5 km 275 KV underground cable from Torrens Island power station to Adelaide’s CBD, as well as a new city west substation at Keswick.

The Adelaide Film and Screen Centre Studio, by AECOM Australia was awarded the Engineering Excellence Award for Buildings and Structures. AECOM’s acoustics team worked in collaboration with the Film Corporation to identify the requirements around acoustically sensitive spaces to meet Dolby Premier Mixing Studio certification, (a measure of technical excellence at every level of a studio’s operation). The premises incorporates two soundstages; the Dolby Premier Studio, various post-production areas including edit rooms, an additional dialogue recording room (ADR) and Foley sound effects room, as well as a 96-seat screening theatre.

Commendation Recipients:

Innovation / Research and Development• Hub Central Air Conditioning – O’Connors, The

University of Adelaide, Kellogg Brown and Root Pty Ltd, Baulderstone Pty Ltd and Seeley International

Products and Manufacturing Facilities• Waratah Training Simulators – Sydac Pty Ltd• CTX 3030 Metal Detector – Minelab Electronics• AWD Block Movement Project – ASC Pty Ltd

Project Infrastructure• Michael Herbert Bridge – GHD Pty Ltd, Fulton

Hogan and City of Holdfast Bay

Individual Award Recipients:

Petroleum engineer, Tom Gouldie FIEAust CPEng, was awarded the South Australian Professional Engineer of the Year. Tom is a long term professional petroleum engineer with practical experience in most facets of drilling, evaluation, producing and operating oil, gas and geothermal fields. In the last 25 years he has focused on health and safety management relating to work on drilling, fracture stimulation, completion and workover of oil, gas and coal seam gas wells. He currently works as an Operations Integrity Engineer at Santos Ltd.

The South Australian Young Professional Engineer of the Year was awarded to Dr Cristian Birzer MIEAust, a Mechanical Engineer with a PhD from the University of Adelaide. Cris works at the University of Adelaide in the School of Mechanical Engineering and the Centre for Energy Technology as a Senior Research Associate. As the Outreach Coordinator for the School of Mechanical Engineering, he is tasked with encouraging secondary school students to enrol in mechanical engineering at the University of Adelaide.

The South Australian Engineering Associate of the Year was presented to Andrew Morrison AMIEAust. Andrew has been a valued member of the Tonkin Consulting team for over 20 years and part of a number of high profile South Australian projects where his engineering skills have been highly valued. Andrew was the lead designer on the Port River Expressway Stage 1, the South Road Superway Early Works package and the Robe Terrace upgrade. Andrew has complete respect from his peers and his reports. He has demonstrated consistent leadership in the business through involvement in management activities and ensuring that the design and drafting team continues to operate as a team, looking out for each other and supporting each other to achieve outstanding results.

Once again, we congratulate all those who entered the South Australian Awards this year. We wish the best of luck to those who won an Excellence and Individual Award who now get to compete at the National Engineering Excellence Awards, to be held at Parliament House, Canberra Tuesday 20th November 2012.

Further information and an electronic publication of all the entrants: http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/south-australia-division/awards

Photos from the 2012 Black Tie Ball: http://www.facebook.com/EA.SouthAus

Sharryn Fensom Events Coordinator Engineers Australia South Australia Division

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Left to Right: 2012 Young Professional Engineer of the Year Dr Cristian Birzer MIEAust and presenter Tony Norrish FIEAust CPEng FICE CEng, GHD; 2012 Engineering Associate of the Year Andrew Morrison AMIEAust and presenter Vickie Chapman MP, Member for Bragg; and Tom Gouldie FIEAust CPEng and presenter His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR CompIEAust, Governor of South

Australia

Winner of the Malcolm Kinnaird Engineering Excellence Award Dr John Costi MIEAust (left) and Richard Stanley of Flinders University with Malcolm Kinnaird’s son Duncan Kinnaird (middle).

Left to Right: Excellence Awards being presented by: Peter Seltsikas MIEAust, of SA Water, presenting to AECOM; Greg Walters FIEAust CPEng EngExec of Sinclair Knight Merz, presenting to the representatives of ASC; and Philip Motteram MIEAust CPEng from Aurecon,

presenting to the representatives of ElectraNet and Parsons Brinckerhoff.


A WIN FOR THE COUNTRY

An inaugural debate, run by the Women in Engineering Committee in South Australia, on Thursday 30th August 2012 was a great success. The topic: ‘For Engineers: Life is Richer in the City’ was enjoyably controversial. Speakers came from as far as Roxby Downs, and as close as Grenfell Street. They represented a wide range of industries – defence, constructing, mining and water. The winner was decided by audience vote; audience members were polled as they entered the venue, and again by secret ballot after the debate ended. Consequently, speakers focused on informing, entertaining and persuading the audience. The city side showed their beautiful heels and told of their fantastic food, coffee and culture; noting that good coffee is proportional to the happiness of an employee (Seriously, guys we’re engineers – culture to us is a beer, a steak and perhaps an internet connection). Whereas the country side used flannel shirts and great definitions of excellengineers (a city engineer who just does calculations and write lists) and adventengeers (engineers who go out into the country and change the world) to convince the audience that life outside of the CBD is more interesting. Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) was a controversial point discussed by both teams. The arguments from both teams had the audience laughing and a very vigorous question time indicated that all attending had been given food for thought.

Women in Engineering Committee Engineers Australia South Australia Division

For Engineers: Life is Richer in the CityAgree Disagree Undecided

Pre-Poll 55% 35% 10%

Final Poll 45% 55%

So here is quick little ditty About why it’s great to work out of the city Out in the ‘burbs, remote or regional towns There is a chance to have fun and be circus clowns

Wind turbines, prop planes, big mines and great wines Are just a few of the projects that happen out of town

Country life Can get you out of strife Reduce stress Improve the quality of your life

- A short poem used by the country side in the ‘For Engineers: Life is Richer in the City’ debate

Left to Right: Speakers from the ‘For Engineers Life is Richer in the City’ debate, Tom Swanson GradIEAust, Dr Susan Pearce, Rachel Harch GradIEAust, Keir Anderson GradIEAust, Michelle Thompson

MIEAust CPEng and Stewart Jones


WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

Top Left: IET Retired presenter Dr Robert Dickinson MIEAust - Director, Hydricity Systems Australia, at the presentation on Wednesday 29th August 2012.

Top Right: Prof Don Sinnott FIEAust CPEng (Ret) presenting on Radar at the JTP Electrical and Electronic meeting Tuesday 21st August 2012.

Middle Left: Alan Perkins - Program Manager, Accessible City, Adelaide City Council, presents on the Adelaide City Council’s draft Integrated Movement Strategy 2012-22 Wednesday 22nd August 2012.

Middle Right: (left to right) Michael Forbes MIEAust CPEng with Railway Technical Society of Australasia guest speaker Alex Samayoa MIEAust CPEng, Associate - Transport Services, Aurecon for the presentation on Thursday 6th September 2012

Bottom Left: (left to right) EESA SA Branch Chair, Martyn Pearce MIEAust CPEng (Retired); Eminent Speaker Dr Robert Barr FIEAust CPEng and Electrical Branch (SA) Chair, Anthony Mew MIEAust at the Electrical College Eminent Speaker presentation held Tuesday 11th September 2012.

Bottom Right: Ben Heard - Director of ThinkClimate Consulting and Founder of Decarbonise SA presents at the JTP Electrical and Electronic event Tuesday 18th September 2012.

‘PASSING THE BATON’ AT YEA-SA COFFEE CLUB

On the 8th of August 2012, Young Engineers Australia - South Australia (YEA-SA) launched a new series of events entitled “Coffee Club”.

These story-sharing events are intended to follow on from the “Passing the Baton” theme at the Engineering Leadership Conference 2012, which was held in Adelaide during May 2012. The theme is represented through group mentoring sessions with a CEO/Director/Senior Manager. The discussions focus on their career pathway, leadership experiences, inspirations, important attributes they seek in upcoming leaders and how their own mentors helped them. The groups are small (numbering 6-8 people) to provide sufficient opportunity for interaction, making these events exclusive opportunities to get a firsthand account of some truly inspirational stories from the leaders of our industry.

For this first session, six young engineers sat down to chat with Andy Milazzo MIEAust CPEng, DPTI Transport Services Executive Director. Some of the key messages that we took away from the session include: the importance of self-awareness; finding mentors not just in a more senior person but also looking to your peers and juniors; seeking and accepting constructive feedback and how different people may have different expectations of good communication. We enjoyed our tea and coffees and the opportunity to speak with Andy.

For more information on the Coffee Clubs or if you would like to get involved, please contact [email protected].

June Sim GradIEAust YEA-SA Committee Member Engineers Australia South Australia Division

Young Engineers


From Wireless to Astronomy: Lessons from an Engineering Career -

Eminent Speaker on 13th August 2012Presenter: Dr Trevor S. Bird FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng

On the 13th of August 2012 the Engineers Australia ITEE College and South Australia Division ITEE Branch hosted Dr Trevor Bird, introducing to the audience his strong engineering background and professional experiences in antennas & propagation technology in his career.

Dr Bird’s presentation evolved from wireless to astronomy, illustrating the very early days of communications, wireless beginnings 1890’s through to 2000’s when wireless creates mobility. He listed important names of communications evolution, G. Marconi, J.C. Bose and A.S. Popv along with their discoveries.

His presentation was complete with detailed illustrations of the first mobile phone in 1922, first magnetron in 1939, transistor development in 1947, first synch satellite in 1963 etc.

Dr Bird took us through his significant career in the world of antennas and propagation technology, covering key achievements of design development of antennas, how to establish high gain and low cost on designs.

We learned about his academic achievements from his early days in his home town in Victoria, through to his PhD studies at Queen Mary College in the UK in 1978.

Trevor provided us with quality technical data, information on antennas radiation patterns, measurements, his involvement with Plessey working on VSWR frequency response of periodic radar array, conformal antenna array mutual coupling and more. He explained his involvement during the development capability of the shaped beam antenna for New Zealand with CSIRO.

He also shared information about his time with IEEE as editor in a Chief Role and his publications list, along with some real hints of when to write publications and considerations to be taken along the process.

Trevor has been involved in more than 100 Engineering Projects covering a large area from measurement techniques, reflectors antennas, microwave components applications, AUSSAT, CSIRO multibeam feed and WLAN. His involvement with AUSSAT III development (dielectric loaded horns) Parks Multibeam Feed System III – CSIRO Multibeam Earth Station design start to end.

He shared information regarding his involvement in roles held on several major communications projects in Australia such as AUSSAT II & III, CSIRO multibeam III, CSIRO Multibeam Earth Station taking him across the world pioneering technology and science.

During the presentation future technology was touched on with a discussion about “Towards Terahertz”; based on radio spectrum frequency increasing 10 times every 20 years, at this rate by 2020, 0.5 to 1 THz will be used for wireless communication.

Today Dr Trevor Bird does consultancy in research, books, papers, student supervision and societies’ involvement. He closed his presentation with a very positive recommendation list, suggesting all to develop a long-term view of technology.

For those commencing some of his recommendations were:

Work with good people; build the depth and breadth of your overall knowledge; build reputation for information and not aggravation; maintain long term research interests; just do it, but background thinking and planning is vital; and achieve balance in your life and get involved in your profession’s activities.

Marcelo Botelho TMIEAust CEngT Chair, ITEE Branch Engineers Australia South Australia Division

ITEE COLLEGE EMINENT SPEAKER BRINGS ADVICE TO ADELAIDE

2012 Annual Division Meeting and christmas networking event

SAVE THE DATE!

Thursday 13th December 2012Adelaide Zoo, Immersion

More information available at:www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa/events

Left to Right: Presenter Dr Trevor Bird FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng and Chair, ITEE Branch Marcelo Botelho TMIEAust CEngT


ADELAIDE WORK PLACEMENT GIVES STUDENT A LUCKY BREAK

A few months ago Barry Wilton, Aurecon Business Development Manager, wanted to contribute to the community of Roxby Downs. After some brainstorming and planning a new initiative was born. The Adelaide work placement programme is designed to not only give students at Roxby Downs High School an opportunity to do work experience in the Adelaide office but also to help year 10 students with writing resumes, interview techniques and most importantly understanding what engineering is all about.

After a presentation from Aurecon, students were able to apply for the work experience position. Barry and Port Augusta Manager Raymond Pillion interviewed the candidates.

"Raymond and I were impressed with the quality of each of the students we interviewed, they were enthusiastic and thankful for the opportunity," said Barry.

The winning candidate has now been decided with year 10 student Nissa Gordon, joining the Aurecon team in the Adelaide office later this year.

For more information on this initiative please contact Anna Kelly, Marketing and Communications, Aurecon, on 08 8237 9963

Anna Kelly Marketing and Communications Aurecon

Roxby Downs Area School Principal, Ann O’Sullivan, Winner Nissa Gordon, Jo Gordon and Aurecon’s Roxby Downs Office

Manager Steve McGough.

Young Engineers Australia - South Australia Gala Night - “Sunset in Spring”Save the date - Saturday 10th November 2012The YEA-SA group will be holding the inaugural YEA-SA Gala Night, themed “Sunset in Spring Time”, on Saturday 10th November 2012. This will be a great chance to catch up with old friends, make new ones and meet important contacts in industry over refreshments.

More information will become available shortly through the South Australia Division Events page at www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa.

Darren Cripwell MIEAust CPEng, an Electrical Engineer and Director of Power System Design Pty Ltd (PSD) reached Chartered Status in August 2012. The impetus to achieve Chartered Status with Engineers Australia took hold last year, recognising the requirements of our key South Australian clients (SA Power Networks, ElectraNet, Santos) to demonstrate competence. Darren recognised that achieving CPEng status provides an internationally recognised badge of competence. In addition to attaining CPEng status Darren also obtained RPEQ status.

“PSD has given me the opportunities to manage and work on some challenging projects, which enabled me to demonstrate that I had met the performance criteria for Chartered Status,” Darren said about the achievement.

PSD is a highly experienced design and construction company working for electrical utilities oil and gas and mining clients. PSD is able to develop, engineer and implement projects of any size in the electrical supply industry and as a leading system integrator we provide innovative cost effective solutions to our clients. PSD has established itself as an industry leader in this complex field of engineering having completed a number of state of the art IEC61850 projects.

Power System Design Pty Ltd

PSD DIRECTOR ACHIEVES CHARTERED MILESTONE

Left to Right: Darren Cripwell MIEAust CPEng and Engineers Australia South

Australia Division Industry Relationship Manager Jason Thornhill


POWER GENERATING NEW WORK FOR GHDThe environmental impact of electricity production and distribution will soon become as important to the community as reliability of supply and pricing, says a consultant with more than 30 years’ experience in the energy sector.

Greg Rice is GHD’s Business Leader for Power and has worked in the Australian power sector since 1980. He believes community attitudes and government policy will have a marked impact on how the local energy market evolves.

“Traditionally the need to manage increasing energy demand over a long period of time has been the driving force of industry and infrastructure change, but this is changing,” said Mr Rice. “I believe the Australian electricity sector will see more change in the next decade than witnessed in the past 30 years.”

Last year, Australia consumed more than 200 billion kwh of electricity. However, the country’s usage profile is changing, with consumption falling by 3.2% since 2008 but peak demand spikes continuing to increase on average by 2.4% per annum.

“Today 78% of Australia’s electricity is generated from coal fired generation, with an additional 12% by gas. The remainder is generated by hydro, solar panels or wind farms,” he said.

“There are a number of emerging renewable options for producing large scale electricity, such as gas, wind farms, solar, geothermal, biomass, tidal and nuclear but there are no silver bullet solutions.”

South Australia is leading the country in wind generation, with this source currently providing more than 20% of the state’s electricity capacity and several new wind farm projects being considered by the State Government.

“By 2030, I believe Australia’s electricity will be generated from a mixture of sources including fossil fuels but the industry will be dramatically different to what it is today,” said Mr Rice.

“It is quite possible that a different production and distribution methodology may be more commonplace in coming years, where smaller generation sources are distributed across the network and the amount of power available will dictate the load that can be carried.

Additional incentives are a rapid escalation in electricity prices, pricing reviews into the electricity market and rapid developments in technology such as smart metering.

“This will result in a greater drive for efficiency amongst end users, a different usage pattern and introduction of innovative technologies both on the network and in the home to manage and control load.”

Government policy is also driving new growth in the renewable energy sector.

“The Federal Government has a target to have 20% of Australia’s power generation come from renewable sources by 2020,” Mr Rice said.

“This, combined with the introduction of a carbon tax from July 2012 as part of a clean energy future policy, will further drive an industry move to renewable energy sources.”

For more information or to arrange an interview with Greg Rice please contact Chris Marks at Corporate Conversation on 08 8224 3535

GHD

Engineering Executive WorkshopSave the date - Tuesday 12th February 2013 @ 6pm

Through its Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management, Engineers Australia has developed a competency-based assessment and accreditation framework for the Engineering Executive. Engineering Executive (EngExec) is a post-nominal that recognises the achievements of members who satisfy relevant leadership and management competency standards. It suits engineers with a proven professional engineering track record who are interested in pursuing management and leadership opportunities in both the private and public sectors.

A workshop will be held Tuesday 12th February 2013 to provide opportunities to find out more about Engineering Executive status. More information will become available shortly through the South Australia Division Events page at www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa.


In this edition of Engineering South Australia have provided a profile of one of the judges involved in assessing entries for the 2012 South Australian Engineering Excellence Awards, who we would like to acknowledge for their contribution.

MEMBER PROFILE

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Jason Rollison MIEAust CPEngWhy did you decide to become an engineer?From an early age I liked to build things and I wanted to understand how things worked. I was arguably an engineer before I received my qualification.

What do you like the most about the engineering profession?The variety of roles (and projects) that engineers can be involved in.

If you could have worked on any engineering project, throughout history, what would you choose?The Apollo program – A project that was defined by a simple vision (land humans on the moon and return them safely to earth) that was established before a number of the problems were defined, let alone the solutions.

What do you see as one of the biggest issues facing the engineering profession?Managing the flow of engineers from under-performing to over-performing sectors of the economy (and regions), whilst maintaining a high standard of service across all sectors (and regions).

What is the greatest piece of technology released in the last decade?The Prius – a collection of technologies that was commercialised within the last decade. It changed the status-quo when it comes to passenger vehicles,

particularly those dedicated to inner-city commutes.

Why are you an Engineers Australia member?To keep up to date with what’s going on in the profession.

If you could take a year off to study anything, what would it be?Marketing/PR – The ‘right’ solution is located between the best technical solution and the solution that stakeholders believe to be the best. Effective communication allows the gap between the two to be closed.

What do you feel is the engineering profession’s strongest asset?At its core, engineering is about solving problems - and there will always be problems that need to be solved.

What are your hobbies?It comes back to the reason for being an engineer - building and renovating.

What is your motto?Not making a decision is, in itself, a decision – and sometimes it’s the worst one.

What would be your ideal working holiday?It depends on how I’m feeling, sometimes I think grape-picking in the south of France would be ideal (something outdoors, which doesn’t require much thought), but other times I think that it would better to use my skills and abilities – assisting people to re-build after a natural disaster.

Who would you most like to meet?My great-grand children – and I’m happy to wait.

For nearly 50 years, Charles Todd led the way in the introduction of electric light to the streets and buildings of Adelaide. Starting with demonstrations to excite and inspire the general public and concluding with his stewardship of the regulations which guided the developing electricity supply industry, Todd played a key role. Electric light was as much a part of his vision as the connection of Australia to the rest of the world by telegraph.

The recent Todd Symposium held during Science Week in August 2012 revealed some of the wide-ranging achievements of this extraordinary man - from the first weather forecasts to the realisation that our world is just a tiny part of a vast universe. Coupled with an appalling sense of humour (“I’d be odd without my T!”), Sir Charles Todd has certainly left his mark and was inducted into the Engineers Australia South Australia Division Hall of Fame in 2008.

At the Symposium, Richard Venus MIEAust was invited to speak about Todd the electrical engineer (or "electrician", as they were usually called in the late 19th century); however, many people were unable to attend and so Richard will present an expanded version of his talk on Wednesday evening 14th November 2012 at 6.30pm at the annual group meeting of Engineering Heritage SA in the Sir Robert Chapman Theatre.

The date has been chosen to coincide with the day the Overland Telegraph construction party returned in triumph to Adelaide in 1872. Richard will also present a brief report on the heritage recognition ceremony held near Frews Ponds in the Northern Territory on 22nd August 2012, the date on which the telegraph line was finally joined.

Richard Venus MIEAust Engineering Heritage SA Engineers Australia South Australia Division

CHARLES TODD, THE GOVERNMENT ELECTRICIANOn Thursday 22 August 1872, railway engineer Robert Patterson seized hold of a piece of No 8 SWG galvanised iron wire and attempted to complete the Overland Telegraph Line. Connected to the single wire earth return line at various repeater stations were hundreds of Meidinger cells giving the line an operating voltage of 120 volts. Patterson quickly let go and thought about it for a while. Then, using a handkerchief to grasp the wire, he successfully completed the join on his second attempt.

Adelaide was now in direct communication with Port Darwin. Unfortunately the undersea cable from Banjoewangi in Java had developed a fault and it was not until the following October than a message could be relayed across Asia, the Middle East and Europe to and from London. What is still regarded as one of Australia’s greatest engineering feats was finally completed.

The route through the centre of Australia, which closely followed the path taken only a few years earlier by John McDouall Stuart, was not the choice of the British-Australian Telegraph Company: they simply wanted to cross the tip of the Northern Territory to join the Queensland network at Burketown. Instead of giving the company permission, the South Australian Government made the audacious counter-offer of building a line themselves from Adelaide.

However, connection with an undersea cable had been under consideration for some time and South Australia’s pre-eminent telegraph engineer Charles Todd had considered the various options which included a line through Western Australia. His report on Anglo-Australian Telegraph Schemes was submitted to the South Australian Parliament in 1869 and printed as a Parliamentary Paper complete with maps showing the various routes under consideration.

140th Anniversary of the Completion of the Overland Telegraph

John Little (later Darwin postmaster), Robert Patterson (who joined the line), Charles Todd, and surveyor Alexander Mitchell at the Roper River camp in about March 1872

Sir Charles Todd was admitted to the SA Division’s Engineering Hall of Fame in April 2008. In this 140th anniversary year of the Overland Telegraph, we have used the surplus from our very successful SA Engineering Heritage Conference held during History Month to purchase and have bound a copy of Todd’s report. This will be on display at a Todd Symposium to be held on Friday 17 August at the SARDI Lecture Theatre, Waite Institute (further details will be provided). The following week, a national engineering heritage marker will be unveiled on 22 August near the location where Robert Patterson finally joined the line. Richard Venus, Engineering Heritage SA

Charles Todd in around March 1872


OctoberMonday 22nd

Engineers Australia Division Regional President’s Visit - Mt Gambier Speaker: Division President Gerry Doyle FIEAust CPEng, National Assessor Maurice Berry FIEAust CPEng and Industry Relationship Manager Jason Thornhill Enquiries: [email protected]

Tuesday 23rd ~ 5.30pmJTP Electrical and Electronic “Student Papers Night” Enquiries: [email protected]

Wednesday 24th ~ 12.30pmRetired Engineers Group Luncheon and Annual Group Meeting - “Aspects of Regional Engineering for South Australia” Enquiries: [email protected]

Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th ~ 9.00am to 5.00pm

University of Adelaide School of Mechanical Engineering ”MechExpo 2012 - 18th Annual Mechanical Engineering Honours Project Exhibition” Venue: Adelaide Showgrounds. Goyder Pavillion Goodwood Road, WAYVILLE Enquiries: [email protected]

Thursday 25th ~ 5.30pmMechanical Branch “BASF Australia - Engineering Polymers” Speaker: Ken Briggs Enquiries: [email protected]

Tuesday 30th ~ 9.30amBiomedical College “Biomedical AS3003 Workshop” Enquiries: [email protected]

Tuesday 30th ~ 5.30pmRoyal Aeronautical Society Technical Presentation Enquiries: [email protected]

Wednesday 31st ~ 5.30pmAustralian Geomechanics Society “Eurocode 7: Fundamental Issues and Some Implications for Users” Speaker: Brian Simpson Enquiries: [email protected]

NovemberThursday 1st ~ 5.30pm

Railway Technical Society of Australasia “Design Issues with the 4000 Class EMUs” Speaker: Simon Mitchell & Randall Barry, DPTI Enquiries: [email protected]

Tuesday 6th ~ 5.15pmEngineers Australia Chartered Workshop - “Prepare Your Chartered Status Application” Speaker: South Australia Based National Assessor Enquiries: [email protected]

Tuesday 6th ~ 5.30pmMechanical Branch Annual Group Meeting and Presentation

Speaker: George Nairne Enquiries: [email protected]

Saturday 10th ~ 6.00pmYoung Engineers Australia - South Australia YEA-SA Gala NightVenue: Next Generation, War Memorial Drive NORTH ADELAIDE Enquiries: [email protected]

Wednesday 14th ~ 12.15pmIET Retired Luncheon - “T-Ray Imaging and Sensing”Speaker: Professor Derek Abbott Enquiries: [email protected]

Wednesday 14th ~ 6.30pmEngineering Heritage “Charles Todd, the Government Electrician”Speaker: Richard Venus MIEAust Enquiries: [email protected]

Tuesday 15th ~ 6.00pmSociety for Building Services Engineers “Destination Control - Future of Lift Controls”Enquiries: [email protected]

Monday 19th ~ 5.30pmAustralian Geomechanics Society Annual Group Meeting and Presentation Enquiries: [email protected]

Tuesday 20th ~ 5.30pmJTP Electrical and Electronics “National Broadband Network – Update”Speaker: Peter Triantafilou – Principal Policy Officer – Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology, Government of South Australia Enquiries: [email protected]

Wednesday 21st ~ 5.30pmStructural Branch “Cost Versus Value: The Role of the Consulting Structural Engineer”Speaker: John Nolan Enquiries: [email protected]

Thursday 22nd ~ 5.30pmFootings Group Annual Group Meeting and PresentationEnquiries: [email protected]

Thursday 22nd ~ 5.30pmRoyal Aeronautical Society “The Flying of Veteran Aircraft” Speaker: Air Marshall C R Spink Enquiries: [email protected]

www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa

UPCOMING EVENTS

Unless published otherwise all presentations are scheduled to be held at the Engineers Australia South Australia Division. Event details are subject to change. Please check our website prior to

the event for current information and updates. Level 11, 108 King William Street ADELAIDE SA 5000.

Please register online at www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa where you see this symbol

Division ClosureThe Engineers Australia South Australia Division would like to advise that we will be closed from COB on Friday 21st December 2012 and re-opening at 9.00am on Monday 7th January 2013.

Documents

Engineering South Australia, October 2012