Image caption: The Hon Karen Andrews MP and Mr Stuart Lister. Image supplied by Mrs Andrews electorate office. Reproduced with permission.
Engineers Australia member Mr Stuart Lister HonFIEAust was presented with a community service award by the Hon Karen Andrews MP on 28 September 2015.
Mr Lister received the McPherson Community Achiever Award in recognition of his service as Chair of the Cypress Gardens Retirement Community for over 14 years.
“I learnt this lesson early in my career: we must not stand aloof from the community. Our training and experience as engineers provides us with unsurpassed talents which in turn enable us to make the world a better place.
“I would love to get the message to engineers that they should make a significant voluntary effort to contribute to the betterment of the community at large.” Mr Lister said upon receiving the award.
Hon Karen Andrews MP, Assistant Minister for Science and Federal Member for McPherson, said “I had the great pleasure of meeting with Stuart many years ago when we were both engineers at Gladstone Power Station.”
“Over the years Stuart’s selfless nature has not changed and I was thrilled to be able to present him with a McPherson Community Achiever award for his many years of outstanding service to the Cypress Gardens Community.
“This award was well deserved and I thank Stuart for his steadfast contribution over so many years,” Mrs Andrews said.
Mr Lister has played an active role for long periods in many volunteer and charity organisations, universities and institutes. He was Chair of Engineers Australia’s Honours and Awards Committee for Queensland Division for several years.
“I feel that these various types of activities have been beneficial in my development and understanding of the community and their expectations of engineers.
“One example of giving back was as a Charter Member setting up the Lions Club of Collinsville to instil a community spirit in the town where I had responsibility for establishing the Collinsville Power Station,” said Mr Lister.
“I know that many engineers either do not get engrossed in external activities or do not disclose such involvement. For example, I know that many engineers are active as Leaders in the Scouting Organisation, where they make a significant contribution to the development of our young people in the community but this never seems to be recognised.”
Mr Lister first became a member of Engineers Australia as an electrical engineer in 1950. He is thankful for his terrific family of a wife, four sons, ten grand-children and 11 great-grand-children.
Do you know someone who deserves individual recognition?
Nominations for the 2015 Eric Brier Memorial Award are currently open and will close on 30 October 2015.
This Queensland Division award recognises an individuals’ significant contribution to advancing the public status of the profession of engineering, particularly in the field of sustainable development.
Click here for more details and to nominate a Queensland member.