IPWEAQ UPDATES
SWQ BRANCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Dereck Sanderson SWQ Branch President
As I write this, many areas of the Darling Downs and South West are under siege from flooding with disaster response and recovery teams actioned and working around the clock. It has been a busy weekend and will only get busier as the water gets away and the true extent of the damage is revealed. We have flood waters across our area from Brisbane all the way to Goondiwindi and West to Miles, with the Lockyer Valley being hardest hit. Predictions of rain easing Saturday 26 February did not eventuate, with the rain system stubbornly sitting over the top of the south-east corner. Creek levels rose quickly, approaching levels not seen since the devastating floods of 2011. Conditions have eased but there is just enough rain falling to keep creek levels up and many roads closed. We have vehicles stranded in the middle of the Warrego Highway that will need to be moved before we can safely open the road. I am very proud of the way our different agencies across government work together to manage these types of disasters. Through collaboration, we are able to deliver the best outcomes for our communities. Some responders have worked 36 hours straight and although this is not to be encouraged, it demonstrates a commitment to community. We all have crews out in challenging condition to initially warn motorists of road safety issues and restrictions then focussing
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on providing emergency vehicle access and then repairing priority roads to minimise the impact on the broader community. I’m also proud of how well areas of the road network that were badly damaged in 2011 are holding up now. Clearly, the engineering involved in rebuilding our assets was of a high standard and that is why every community needs its engineer. The ongoing frustration though, is educating people about the risks of attempting to cross flooded roads – the message just doesn’t get through to everyone. And given the herculean efforts of everyone involved in these flood recovery efforts, nerves can get a little frayed as energy levels understandably fall so please ensure you take care of yourself and your team mates. Later this month, we will host another joint branch conference with our colleagues from the SEQ Branch and along with our host council, Toowoomba Regional Council, we look forward to
welcoming a delegation of 200+ professionals from our industry. The venue this year is the Highfields Cultural Centre with the conference dinner at the Highfields Pioneer Village. There have been suggestions that the Pioneer Village has had some hauntings but as engineers, this is not likely to distract us from socialising or an old-fashioned roast dinner. We are offering two Tech Tours this year to accommodate the larger delegation. Tours depart by bus from the venue Tuesday 29 March at 3pm and return 5:30pm. Choose from: Wagners CFT Facility tour This exclusive tour of Wagners CFT facility featuring manufactured composite fibre material. Credited with manufacturing and installing the world’s first composite road bridge in a public road network and the first clip-on pedestrian walkway/cycleway onto an existing bridge, this tour
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2022
