At the 2009 Australian Engineering Excellence Awards (2009 AEEA) gala dinner at the Great Hall of Parliament House Canberra last night, Wednesday 25 November, four members of Australia’s engineering team were also honoured with individual awards.

2009 Professional Engineer of the Year – Simon Bartlett - Brisbane

The Professional Engineer of the Year Award, sponsored by Standards Australia, is made annually to a practicing professional engineer, judged against criteria that considers competence and significant achievement in community affairs, proficiency in the use of communication skills in engineering projects and a demonstrated understanding of the role and purpose of the engineering profession within society.

Simon Bartlett is a leading engineer in Australia’s electric power industry. For over 37 years, Simon has been the initiator and driving force behind a range of new technologies and innovative designs, maintenance and work practices in the Queensland generation and transmission sectors. He is currently Powerlink’s Chief Operating Officer, leading an organisation with more than 240 professional engineers undertaking hundreds of engineering projects.

Simon was awarded a Certificate of Special Commendation from the Prime Minister and the Queensland Premier for outstanding leadership in Cyclone Larry Relief Effort in 2006. Simon also initiated and led Powerlink’s Community Goodwill Programs including Powerlink Greenworks and Townsville’s Community Environment Fund.

2009 Snowy Hydro Young Professional Engineer of the Year – Adrian Clark - Sydney

The Snowy Hydro Young Professional Engineer of the Year acknowledges and rewards young professional engineers who have reached and high level of achievement and involvement in engineering and community affairs.

Adrian Clark is responsible for leading the team developing and implementing the EnergyAustralia smart grid program. This program is a major transformation in the electricity industry, whereby intelligent sensors and analytics are being overlayed across the end to end electricity grid to enable it to become more reliable, efficient, customer friendly and to accommodate renewable energy generation.

Adrian is well known both locally and internationally as an expert in the emerging field of intelligent networks. Prior to this role Adrian was instrumental in the development of EnergyAustralia’s telecommunications strategy and the establishment of major programs to build and operate a utilities-specific next generation telecommunications network.

2009 Engineering Officer of the Year – Captain Keith Chambers - Townsville

The Engineering Officer of the Year Award is presented to an Officer member of Engineers Australia who has demonstrated competence and significant achievement in community affairs and understanding of the role and purpose of the engineering profession with society and proficiency in the use of communication skills.

Captain Keith Chambers is the Headquarters 3rd Brigade Staff Officer, Grade Three, in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering for Defence, as well as the senior Army engineering representative to the Commander 3rd brigade. He is the Senior Technical Advisor in the Defence Materiel Organisation. As well, he is the Artificer Sergeant Major of the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment, leading the largest engineering refurbishment of engineer plant equipment, post Interfet East Timor, since Vietnam. Keith was a contributor to the White Paper on Defence Engineering. He was also elected Officer Fellow Chartered Engineering Officer in 2008.

Keith was commissioned as an Army Officer in 2005 and has since climbed the ranks within Defence. He was responsible for the overall logistic plan to ensure aviation capability was delivered to the battlespace in Afghanistan during a tour in 2006-2007, as well as providing timely and logistical advice in the support of aviation operation to the ADF.

2009 Technologist of the Year – Tom Maher - Darwin

The Engineering Technologist of the Year Award is presented to a Technologist member of Engineers Australia, who has demonstrated competence and significant achievement in community affairs, a demonstrated understanding of the role and purpose of the engineering profession within society and proficiency in the use of communication skills.

Tom Maher has over two decades of experience in the construction, maintenance and management of civil assets as an engineering technical officer with the Northern Territory Government and local governments in Queensland and Christmas Island. Tom has overseen major construction in these areas and of subdivisions and maintenance of airstrips in a number of Aboriginal communities throughout the region.

He has provided technical support on an extensive list of civil projects and has worked on major civil contracts for Queensland’s Department of Main Roads. Tom is a leading asset management practitioner within the Northern Territory local government and is a proactive team player who supports staff members and local governments Australia-wide in improving asset management practices.

Further information and photos about all the 2009 AEEA project winners, finalists and personal awardees is available at www.excellenceawards.org.au .

Media Contact: John Bright – 0407 234 490 / jbright@engineersaustralia.org.au Engineers Australia is the common name of the Institution of Engineers Australia with a membership of almost 90,000