by Water Source
We are deeply saddened to share that Grant Leslie, a long-time member, collaborator and beloved friend of the Australian Water Association, has passed away.
Our thoughts are with Grant’s family and loved ones, and with all those whose lives were touched by his warmth, generosity and tireless contributions to the water community.
From his early days in the Royal Australian Air Force to becoming a nationally respected water professional, Grant’s career was as diverse as it was impactful. After entering the sector in the mid-1980s, he went on to shape critical areas of industrial water treatment, trade waste compliance, environmental monitoring and water recycling.
Grant’s work at GM Labs, Ecowise Environmental, the Water Services Association of Australia, AWA, and most recently as Country Director at Balmoral Group Australia, reflects a lifelong dedication to advancing our sector through practical expertise, collaboration and care.
Grant’s legacy includes not only the countless projects and programs he led, but also the people he mentored and inspired along the way. He championed operator training, trade waste policy, environmental compliance, and meaningful partnerships – always with good humour and an unshakeable sense of purpose.
Named as one of the 2023 Legends of Water, past NSW Branch President, a proud 5S member and NSW Water Professional of the Year in 2020, Grant brought passion and perspective to every role he held.
Grant’s legacy will be experienced and remembered by many for decades to come.
Below, we are sharing reflections from Grant’s peers and colleagues. We remember him with immense gratitude and admiration.
Annette Davison
Grant Leslie was a giant in the water industry. And I say that not because of his towering intellect, or his professionalism, or the mark he will leave on our industry. He was all of those things of course, but to me, the thing that I will always remember, is his ability to lift people up, that he was never transactional in his dealings with people, that he treated everyone as equals, and that he always had the time of day for anyone he met.
Grant didn’t have a conventional trajectory into the water sector and that always stuck with him and made him the humble and supportive person he was. Grant never had tickets on himself. Grant was always the first to laugh at his “mistakes”, including an incident with a log and a fire (but that’s a story for another day).
Above all, I will remember Grant as a fun, cheeky, kind, smart human being, the kind that only comes along every so often in our lives, if we are very lucky. My heart goes out to his wife Leanne and the other loved ones he has left behind. Grant my friend, I will miss you terribly.
Graham Attenborough
Grant called himself a Chief Thinker in the latter years of his long career in the water sector. The impact and legacy he has left runs deep across the sector and his legacy will last well beyond the many years he dedicated to making a difference.
The same can be said for the non-profit organisations that he was involved in. Grant was much more than a Chief Thinker, he was a Chief Doer and to those many people he worked with, mentored and inspired, he will always be remembered as a Chief Friend. Thank you for everything you were and did for many. You will be sorely missed.
Nanda Altavilla
Even though Grant won the Water Professional of the year in 2020, he cherished the Legends of Water title most, as he was chosen by his peers in NSW. He used this platform to advocate on the importance of water operator training, one of his enduring legacies in the industry across Australia.
Personally, he was a gregarious and generous friend with the most wicked sense of humour. He freely gave this time and wisdom to all. He will be sorely missed and forever remembered.
Christobel Ferguson
It's so awful and unfair to lose Grant. He was a beacon of positivity to everyone he met and he mentored so many water professionals, including myself. It was a privilege to work with him at Ecowise Environmental and ALS. He was always looking forward and finding ways to do innovative projects that pushed the boundaries of what was achievable. His courage and bravery in the face of illness was typical of how he lived his life. He leaves behind many friends.
Annalisa Contos
I met Grant in the early 2000’s as a member of the NSW AWA Branch Committee, and we’ve been friends ever since. I’ll remember Grant for his passion, humour, and generosity. Grant looked over the horizon to solve the problems others hadn’t even identified yet. His work driving the recognition and formalisation of water industry roles, led to nationally accredited training and census recognition of water industry roles.
The skills shortage discussion our sector is having today stem from his decades-long advocacy. His legacy lives on in the people he mentored, the policies he influenced, and the strong, connected water community he helped build.
Doug Moorby
I first met my good friend Grant long before coming into local government. Over the years we enjoyed a mutual interest in training of all types and sat together more than once on various industry training boards. We were both announced as Legends of Water in 2023 and to my and Grants immense disappointment I came down with COVID a couple of days before, we had planned a little light-hearted tag team comedy performance for the award night.
Grant was a classically funny guy with a huge sense of humour. I will miss our long chats about everything water and training. Most of all, I will miss the jokes and friendship. He promised me when I got sick that he would make it to the 2024 Legends of Water dinner so we could see each other, and he did. It was the absolute highlight of the night for me beyond all else and will remain a treasured memory of a good friend and colleague.
Carmel Krogh
I can't remember when I first met Grant. It seems like I’ve known him forever. He was one of those people who seemed to be everywhere and interested in everything. He was so passionate about the water sector and strove to make a difference in so many areas. He was always so upbeat and was such a great guy to have on your side.
Grant was a truly dedicated, ethical professional who cared very deeply about doing the right thing and was always willing to lend a hand. I am very proud to have known him both as a colleague and a friend.
Corinne Cheeseman
It’s incredibly hard to say goodbye to someone like Grant.
I first met Grant in the early 2000s, not long after I joined AWA. As NSW Branch President, he’d often drop by the office – always smiling, always generous with his time. That’s who he was: warm, humble, and genuinely committed to others. Grant was a cherished part of the AWA family – a colleague, mentor and passionate advocate for the sector. He brought humour, care and practical wisdom to everything he did, from shaping policy to championing operator training.
Grant made people feel seen and supported, and his legacy will live on. We’ll miss him deeply. Our thoughts are with his wife Leanne, his family, and all who knew and loved him.
Amit Chanan
Just a couple of years ago we celebrated Grant as one of the 2023 Legends of Water, and I remember feeling a sense of ‘how appropriate!’ deep in my heart when I heard that announcement.
Grant was not only a true legend of the water sector but also a big-picture thinker and philosopher. We first crossed paths many, many moons ago, and through the years, as our roles changed and evolved, and as we grew in our professional lives, we remained friends.
Our work together spanned the truly weird and wonderful, from working on fishways in regional New South Wales to crafting business cases for vital water infrastructure in Fiji. Grant’s profound dedication has left an indelible mark on countless individuals and the entire water sector. His vision and passion will continue to inspire us all, and he will be deeply missed.
Trevor Sultana
Grant has set the benchmark on what makes a great water professional. If we can be remembered like he is at the end of our careers, we’ll know we’ve truly accomplished something.
Share
