The Newcastle rendition of the 2023 Engineers Australia Excellence Awards - People & Projects Newcastle have seen a number of the region’s top engineers and their projects rewarded for their contribution to the steel city’s built environment.
Engineers Australia GM Newcastle, Helen Link, says the role of the engineer can never be understated in crafting outstanding design outcomes.
“The Engineers Australia Excellence Awards celebrate excellence in engineering and remind us of the enormous impact engineers have on our daily lives,” she says.
“This recognition gives them a platform to both highlight their groundbreaking work and advocate for the engineering profession, laying a foundation and inspiration for those coming after them. We are not just applauding their achievements, but also setting a standard and vision for the future of engineering.”
Newcastle Project of the Year was awarded to ENV Solutions for their repairs of Lismore’s garbage dump and sewage plant, titled the Biological Leachate Remediation, or BLR. This method used a mix of techniques to clean the water, removing things like metals and harmful chemicals. ENV's approach was not only friendly to the environment but also cost-effective, and may be adopted again in future for similar projects.
The Newcastle Professional Engineer of the Year was named as Tanja Rosenqvist. A major advocate of the engineering profession and community, Rosenqvist favours a human and planet-centred approach to engineering, spending nearly a decade improving water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions in low-income nations.
The award for the up and comer, the Newcastle Emerging Professional Engineer of the Year, was awarded to Joe Townsend. Holding a number of senior leadership roles with NSW Business Chamber and Australian Business, Townsend’s passion for his profession is tangible. Regarded for his hands-on approach, Townsend envisions a future “where the engineering profession is increasingly influential, impactful, and held in high esteem by the broader community.”
The winners from the Newcastle region and others across the country will now progress to the national awards in Melbourne on November 29.
