Written by Engineers Australia, Canberra Division Manager Keely Quinn.
2016 has been a year of change for Engineers Australia, Canberra. In February, Vesna Strika left Engineers Australia after working with the organisation for 20 years. Vesna’s passion and vibrancy in the role will be remembered by all who dealt with her, and the Freefall Pin Oak Forest at the National Arboretum Canberra will be a legacy that she will be proud of into the future.
When I started with Engineers Australia, Canberra in June, I was welcomed by the hardworking office bearers, who had continued, in great success, to deliver quality CPD for members and support the Engineers Australia, Canberra office with assistance and expertise. The passion, enthusiasm and commitment of our office bearers, volunteers and members, ably supported by Kiri Robbie, ensured the success of a wide range of events, including the Engineering Games, the WWI Commemorative Dinner, Science in ACTion, Fellows Luncheon, Printing Our World, the Undergraduate Project Presentation and Australian Engineering Excellence Awards Canberra, to name just a few. Thanks and gratitude must go to Kiri Robbie, who single handedly ran Engineers Australia, Canberra’s day-to-day business, as well as organising key events in a time of constant change.
Shared leadership and collaboration also saw Engineers Australia, Canberra extend its relationships with key stakeholders in government, industry and academia, as well as contributing to key policy conversations relating to defence, transport, energy, cyber security, building regulation and tendering. Engineers Australia, Canberra’s growing contribution to these conversations in 2016 is central to our strategic objective developing the voice of the engineering profession in the ACT now and into the future.
During the 2016 ACT election, we were pleased to see both the Opposition and the Government undertaking to appoint a Chief Engineer for the ACT. We also welcomed the announcement that Labor would further the registration of engineers in the ACT, and we have contacted the Chief Minister to pledge our assistance with this process, to make the ACT one of the leaders in this move for a consistent approach to registration of engineers.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Engineers Australia, Canberra’s 2016 President Alan Thompson FIEAust EngExec CPEng for his contribution and efforts this year. Engineers Australia, Canberra welcomes Nick Clarke AFIEAust CEngA EngExec NER as the 2017 President.
Nelson Mandela once said “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears”. In Engineers Australia, Canberra, we have been making positive changes, and will continue to do so in 2017, to reflect our hope and vision to be “the trusted voice of the profession”, the best home for engineering professionals and relevant to all engineers in the ACT.
Image: stock image of Canberra.