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March 2024 Mar 13, 2024 | 1 mins read ![User Icon](https://www.awa.asn.au/hubfs/website-assets-2021/icons/icon-user.svg "User Icon") by Nic Morgan ![](https://www.awa.asn.au/hubfs/Nic%20Morgan%20Cropped%20Widescreen.jpg) The autumn chill is already being felt in the Canberra air, as the tree-lined streets start their transformation of the city skyline into an amazing mosaic of yellow, orange, red and purple.  With summer behind us I reflect back to last spring when the BOM declared El Nino and the daily media clips were full of stories from around the country of impending drought, the commencement of water restrictions and warnings of a potentially catastrophic fire season.  Fortunately, such events were avoided in our region and our dams remain near full. Despite this, uncertainty is a key challenge faced by our industry and we continue to focus on building resilience and planning for an increasingly uncertain future, and the next drought. ![ACT Award Winners 2023](https://www.awa.asn.au/hs-fs/hubfs/ACT%20Award%20Winners%202023.jpg?width=263&height=176&name=ACT%20Award%20Winners%202023.jpg)On Thursday 15 March around 100 water sector colleagues from across the ACT region converged on Old Parliament House to celebrate our industry’s achievements at the ACT Water Leaders dinner. It also presented an opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues who share a vision of sustainable water management and to be inspired by an industry that plays such a vital role in sustaining country, communities and our livelihoods. Ngunnawal elder Bradley Bell provided a heartfelt Welcome to Country and spoke with passion on the importance of water for country and culture. ACT Vice President, Maritsa Kacopieros, facilitated an engaging fireside chat with ACT water industry stalwarts Dan Spackman and Richard Frost as they reflected on the industry and its evolution over recent decades. Congratulations to all the nominees, and to our worthy winners who will now go on to represent the ACT at the National Awards to be announced at OzWater ’24. Check out the winners and photos [here](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/celebrating-the-winners-of-the-act-water-awards-2024). Our Young Water Professionals (YWP) continue to be active, with a great turnout at our recent YWP sundowner event. There has also been excellent feedback from mentees and mentors alike, who have been involved in the ACT/NSW YWP mentoring program. The program is wrapping up in the coming months, but relationships developed through the program will be sure to continue and grow. Finally, save the date for the ACT Water Matter’s Conference to be held on 13 June 2024. Stay tuned for further updates soon! 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