EXCELLENCE AWARDS
WOMAN IN ENGINEERING With the 2021 IPWEAQ excellence awards just a few weeks away, this issue we highlight past winners of the Woman in Engineering award: Angela Fry (2016), Glenda Kirk (2017), Natasha Murray (2018), Kym Murphy (2019) and Tiffany Parker (2020).
I am part of the executive management team, using my engineering expertise to ensure that Council’s corporate vision and objectives can be achieved through provision of quality infrastructure and services.
Angela Fry | 2016 The highlight of winning this award in 2016 was the realisation that I was a role model for other younger females trying to navigate a path in this heavily male-dominated industry. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over the past five years, particularly through my ongoing involvement with IPWEAQ. We are seeing greater numbers of females studying engineering, starting their career, and staying in the industry long term. After more than 20 years, I can genuinely say I still love my job and the work that I do. I loved being onsite in construction for the first phase of my career. Then when I had my kids, I was able to transition into more flexible part-time work. My return to fulltime was exciting, interesting and challenging but always achievable. My boys are now in high school, and even though they are unlikely to follow in my footsteps as engineers, I am always actively and strongly encouraging all young people, males and females, to become engineers. We get to be creative and curious. We get to collaborate and connect. And best of all, we get to build and grow our communities to make them a better place to live.
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Glenda Kirk | 2017 I commenced my career as a project manager in the private sector, first in Cairns and later in Western Australia. I moved into local government in 2010 as a project engineer with Cassowary Coast Regional Council delivering major projects, before moving into the role of civil works engineer where I was responsible for a broad range of functions including NDRRA, transport infrastructure and asset management. Born and bred in Mareeba, I returned home to be closer to family in 2016 when an opportunity arose at Mareeba Shire Council to deliver several major projects before taking on my current role as Director Infrastructure Services in 2017. Your current role and general responsibilities As Director Infrastructure Services at Mareeba Shire Council, I am responsible for leading my team in planning, construction, maintenance, and strategic management of Council’s portfolio of transport, drainage, water, wastewater waste and recreational infrastructure.
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2021
Some major projects that I have completed at Mareeba Shire Council include the Mareeba Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade in 2017 to achieve environmental compliance and to cater for the growing population, and the Mareeba Airport upgrade in 2019 to provide the infrastructure needed to expand flight training, attract aircraft maintenance businesses, and establish Mareeba as a hub for the general aviation industry. More recently, I have led a strategy to improve water security throughout the Shire, which includes a twostage project in Chillagoe for construction of a new clearwater reservoir and development of a new bore and pipeline to supply raw water to the treatment plant, which is expected to break a five-year period of Level 3 water restrictions for the town by early 2022. My team is also developing a Parks and Open Spaces strategy, underpinned by an asset management plan to enhance Council’s portfolio of recreational infrastructure and improve liveability while ensuring long-term financial sustainability. The impact of the Award on your career Receiving the IPWEAQ’s Woman in Engineering award in 2017 was quite a surprise for me and it was humbling to be recognised by my peers for my contributions as an engineer. It provided me with awareness of other female leaders in the sector and I believe the professional relationships I have gained with these amazing women are largely a result of the confidence and recognition gained through the award.
