New South Wales Legends of Water 2021 honoured
by Water Source
Over 100 people attended the NSW Legends of Water dinner on Wednesday 1 December, as the community turned out at L’Aqua by Dockside in Darling Harbour to celebrate the careers and achievements of three NSW Legends of Water: Lisa Currie, Wayne Beatty and David Kirby.
Lisa Currie is Aurecon’s Client Leader for Sydney Water. She has worked in the Australian water industry for more than 20 yearsand has held numerous technical, project delivery and management roles in both the private and public sectors. Her experience spans from drinking water, wastewater and recycled water process engineering, project delivery and operations, to water strategy and policy development, water-sensitive urban design, sustainability, advocacy for regulatory reform and organisational change management.
Wayne Beatty, the Water & Sewerage Manager (Strategic) at Orange City Council, has a broad range of experience in the Local Government Water Industry, having delivered multiple infrastructure projects as well as operating and maintaining water supply and sewerage systems over the last 30 years. As Chair of the Water Directorate, Wayne leads discussions on a range of issues affecting the water industry in regional NSW and is conversant with both technical and policy issues affecting the industry both regionally and statewide.
David Kirby is the Utilities Manager at Brewarrina Shire Council. Born and raised in Brewarrina, David is a proud First Nation Ngemba man and Grazier from the Northwest Flood Plains of NSW. David’s life has revolved around water with a deep spiritual connection as a custodian of the oldest man-made structure on earth, Baiame Ngunnghu (Brewarrina Fishtraps), which is a testament to the first recorded aquaculture and water management by humans on earth..
The Roger Pettitt Award was presented to Karen Eldridge, the Technical Director at Downer Group. Karen was awarded this in recognition of her significant, long-term contribution to the NSW Branch. The Roger Pettitt Award is the branch’s highest honour and is awarded to someone who possesses an undeniable passion for the water industry.
AWA would like to congratulate and thank everyone awarded on the night for their significant contributions. AWA also thanks Arup for sponsoring the event, and Dr Annalisa Contos, Principal at Atom Consulting, for facilitating the interviews of the 2021 NSW Legends of Water.
Images from the night can be found at the AWA Flickr page.
