Since 2015, the ATS has ensured the voice of the next generation of tunnellers is heard at the national level through the appointment of an ATS Young Members’ (ATSym) Representative who sits on the National Executive Committee. Brodie Aitchison was appointed as the third ATSym representative in 2021.

Brodie is a chartered civil engineer specialising in tunnels and underground spaces. He is an active member of the Queensland ATS committee and was a key member of the ATSym team developing the Tunnel Design Guideline. His key areas of interest and aspiration are to develop and implement innovative technologies with sustainable methods within the tunnelling industry.

How and when did you get involved with the ATS?

I joined in 2011 when I first got into tunnelling. The regular technical sessions at Spring Hill in Brisbane were one of the places I first got to see how great the organisation was in bringing people together. The events were always packed with really interesting speakers. In 2018, an opportunity came up to join the Queensland Committee and in 2021 I was voted in as the Young Member’s Chair.

What made you decide to get so deeply involved?

The ATS is a very solid industry body and it offers great opportunities to be involved with the industry beyond the company you work for. There’s opportunity to meet and work with industry experts and to really broaden your outlook on tunnelling and open new doors.

What have been the main benefits?

Opportunity, growth and knowledge.

What got you into tunnelling in the first place?

Like most people I got into tunnelling by pure chance. I was looking for an interesting job out of uni and there wasn’t much on offer in Adelaide at the time so I applied for a job in Brisbane as a civil engineer in a tunnelling department. I got a phone call mid-lecture one afternoon confirming I was successful and started a few months later. (Full disclosure, I knew very little about tunnelling and was very lucky to go straight onto a major project – Legacy Way – where some great tunnel engineers showed me the ropes.)

Why is the young members arm of the ATS important to the organisation as a whole?

Young members are the future. It’s that simple. The enthusiasm and ideas that can be brought up from the young members is key to driving the ATS forward and ensuring the organisation stays relevant.

How long will you stay in the position?

Probably a couple of years. Everything should have a time limit and I want to make sure others get the opportunity too.

What are you most personally proud of in terms of your contribution to the ATS?

My involvement with the young members side of things and particularly being on the working group that created the ATS Tunnel Design Guideline. This initiative was recognised for its contribution to industry in 2021 by winning the Engineers Australia President’s Prize.

What do you hope to achieve in your time as Young Members’ Chair?

I am working to get a strong young members’ base across the country and to set us up as a sub group where we can plan and do our own things such as events and more initiatives like the design guide. I also want to make sure our group is diverse, not only in gender but with a good representation of contractors, clients, designers and suppliers.

What role will ATSym play in the future of the organisation?

We will hopefully be able to bring new ideas and ways of reaching and staying engaged with the industry and universities.

What’s the most interesting project of your career and why?

Legacy Way for sure. I knew very little, and everything was new and exciting. The tunnel team was very small (five people), so I had the opportunity to look at almost everything across the job. Going to site really cemented it though: 12m diameter TBMs, drill and blast cross passages and working with specialist tunnelling contractors from overseas was an eye opener. I’ll never forget going out to the Toowong cemetery at night and hearing the rumble from the machine just below the surface.

Featured image: Brodie Aitchison speaking at the Young Members’ event at the ATS2020+1 Conference in Melbourne.

Above: Brodie Aitchison and colleagues at the tunnel breakthrough between Kingsgrove and Bexley tunnelling sites on the WestConnex new M5 Project.