Engineering Discipline / qualifications?
After finishing high school in Sydney in the mid-1980’s, I attended the University of NSW, and qualified with a Bachelor of Engineering, Civil in 1988. It was my 4th year major in Geotechnical Engineering that launched me in the direction of geosciences and materials; this lead to my Master of Engineering Science degree also at UNSW, followed up with a Master of Technology in Road Pavements through Deakin University some years later.
What is your job title and function?
Currently I am in the Northern Territory Public Service, with a role as Director of Civil Asset Management in the Department of Infrastructure.
The role is a challenging one with 30 staff members across five discipline areas, including Bitumen Services, Road Maintenance, Traffic Signal Group, Road Operations, and Road Inspection and Data Acquisition.
Where are you located?
My family and I live in the northern suburbs of Darwin, and the commute to Palmerston each day is a pleasant drive against the normative peak flows. What a pleasure!
Why are you and Engineer / how did you get into Engineering?
I had the fortunate experience of living in Brussels, Belgium when I was 10 years old, and there happened to be a significant underground city railway project being constructed along our street. I recall watching from our fifth floor apartment, as diaphragm walls, sheet piling and general earthworks were all happening on our front doorstep. Santa gave me a ‘Mechano’ set that year, and my course in life was set …
Tell us about your first engineering role?
Dames & Moore, now URS, was my first employer, a multi-disciplinary consulting group, where I spent the first few years logging test pits, drilling boreholes, testing dirt in the lab, and mapping endless terrain. At $18,000 per annum, I was stoked!
Dames & Moore sent me to Darwin for a temporary 12 month stint back in 1993, to cover for another engineer on leave. My first project for the Department of Transport and Works was the geotechnical investigation work for the Edith River Bridge. When I was awarded the ‘NT Young Engineer of the Year Award’ back in 1994, little did I know some 20 years later I would be raising my family here.
Most Challenging / Interesting job you have ever worked on?
A very interesting role I had in the Department for several years was that of NT Pavement Engineer, focussed on program delivery of the Federal and NT Governments pavement rehabilitation strategy. The role required a solid understanding of road performance indicators as well as significant travel across the NT with regional staff. Developing and overseeing implementation of the strategy was great fun, and let me visit most parts of the Territory at my employers expense.
If you weren’t an Engineer, what would you be doing?
Studying fine arts to become an internationally recognised art critic, visiting the great art museums around the globe. Either that or spending time watching my two favourite football teams – the Sydney Swans and the Saint Mary’s football club in Darwin… year round football.