John Ryan, former Queensland Branch President and Life Member of AWA, passed away recently. His colleague and friend, Warren Traves has paid tribute below to his contribution to the water sector.
John began his career as a cadet with the Sydney Water Board, attending seven years of night classes to achieve his Civil Engineering degree. After a brief time working in London, he joined GHD, where he spent the next 35 years before retiring in 1991. John worked in GHD offices in Darwin and Cairns before settling in Brisbane in 1968, working on many municipal water and wastewater projects across Queensland and the Northern Territory.
He was President of the AWA Queensland Branch from 1982 to 1984 and remained active in the Association for many years after that, becoming a Life Member in 2001. Much to the Organising Committee’s delight, John acted as the daily Newsletter “Reporter” for the 1993 AWA Federal Convention held on the Gold Coast. It was always good bumping into John in the Trade Display and catching up on his latest stories, conveyed with his wry smile and complemented by his notebook and fedora hat, complete with a press pass on the headband.
He was much liked in the water sector for his quiet composure and quirky sense of humour. AWA is grateful for John’s contribution to the water sector, and we send our sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues.
by Warren Traves
