To celebrate St Barbara Day and World Tunnel Day the ATS Queensland chapter hosted a celebratory dinner at The Charming Squire in South Bank, Brisbane. The event is one of the most highly regarded events in the tunnelling calendar which saw over 65 guests attend.
Out fearless leader
Diane Mather the Queensland ATS Chapter Chair kicked off the evening proceedings summarising the great year that the ATS QLD chapter has had including planned events for 2020. It should be noted that Diane is the first female ATS Chair and she has set the bar high by delivering a high number of quality events throughout 2019 and extending the engagement of the ATS within the tunnelling industry. Diane and the ATS have been working very hard on improving diversity and inclusion and this was clearly evident on the night with a significant number of female tunnelling guests at the dinner as well as people from all over the globe. This was great to see.
Special Guest – Mates in Construction
Special guests Paul Bryan and Erin Oldman from MATES in Construction attended the event providing a short presentation about the charity which was established in 2008 to reduce the high level of suicide among Australian construction workers. Paul shared insights into the level of suicide in the construction industry, even revealing the high number of people at the dinner who had been impacted by suicide. Paul also gave some invaluable advice towards the approach of actively speaking out and offering assistance to those who appear to be going through difficult times. The ATS were honoured to have them attend the event.
Santa visited
There was a special appearance from Santa who assisted with the ATS Young Members door prize raffle. Prizes were kindly donated from Barchip, Bamser, Aurecon, Engineers Australia and Andrew Ridout – Thank you.
The 4th of December is a very special day for the tunnelling and mining industries. It is a chance for everyone to get together for an evening to celebrate the industry we work within and the amazing projects we are able to make possible. It is also a chance for us to remember our heritage and those that have come before us and to look forward to the future.
Alan Robertson
Alan Robertson received a very special thanks for his commitment and contributions to the ATS and tunnelling industry over the many years. Alan has been worked tirelessly behind the scenes to establish a relationship with the Mt Coot-tha Quarry and to organise The Day In The Quarry Event which has proved invaluable to students and young engineers. The ATS and tunnelling community cherish his contributions.
Key Events for 2020
– A day in the Mt Coot-tha Quarry – 14th March 2020
– Projects in the Pub with Matt Lennon- March 2020
– 2020 Australasian Tunnelling Conference in Melbourne – 2nd December 2020
Event Sponsors and Organisers
A special thanks goes out to the event sponsor, Barchip and the event organisers. In particular the ATS Queensland Chair Diane Mather who was instrumental in organising the event.
