Four Engineers Australia members from Victoria were among those recognised in the recent 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours, acknowledging their contributions to the engineering profession and the wider community.
Dr Mark Toner received an AM honour for his contribution to engineering and the technical sciences. Dr Toner is a former Chief Executive of the Australian subsidiary of major international Engineering and Construction group, Kvaerner E&C (originally Davy McKee, recently Jacobs, and now part of the Worley group).
He is a former member of Engineers Australia’s National Congress, a former board member for the Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management (now the College of Leadership and Management) and has served on a range of boards across the STEM sector.
Dr Toner now owns a business consultancy, Gender Matters, with his colleague Dr Gunilla Burrowes, advising organisations on gender equity issues and running workshops on how to mitigate unconscious and conscious bias.
RMIT Director of the Centre for Innovative Structures and Materials Professor Yi-Min (Mike) Xie also received an AM in recognition of his contributions to education and the profession.
Professor Xie is one of the most highly cited researchers in the field of civil and mechanical engineering in Australia, and the evolutionary structural optimisation techniques developed by his team have been widely used around the globe by architects and engineers in industrial projects.
He was awarded the 2017 Clunies Ross Innovation Award by the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering to recognise his contribution to research innovation and practical impact, and Engineers Australia awarded him the 2017 AGM Michell Medal in recognition of his “long standing eminence in mechanical engineering science or practice”.
Dr Paul Steinfort was awarded an AM for his service to the construction sector and the community. A Civil Engineering (Hons) graduate from Monash University, Dr Steinfort worked on a broad range of projects before founding PSA Project Management P/L in 1985 and delivering iconic projects such as the MCG Redevelopment.
He has managed international post disaster programs in Aceh, Pakistan, Victoria, New Zealand, Japan and Nepal, before recently turning his focus to Indigenous Projects in Australia, primarily at Utopia, Northern Territory.
Ray Farrelly was awarded an OAM for his service to civil engineering. Mr Farrelly has supported the advancement of engineering, with a focus on the road construction industry through pavement education and skills training, for many years.
Mr Farrelly has been the Chief Executive Officer for the Centre for Pavements Engineering Education (CPEE) since 2008, which fosters the enhanced knowledge and skills in the roads and pavement sector.
Prior to this, Mr Farrelly was the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Asphalt Association (AAPA), where over 27 years he played an instrumental role in AAPA being a highly regarded professional organisation and respected for its technical, training and OHS support of the roads sector.
According to Engineers Australia’s Victoria President Grant Scott, recognition of these engineers’ contributions is a testament to the diverse range of skills and talent demonstrated across the Victorian engineering profession.
“Victoria is home to an incredibly dedicated and passionate engineering profession, and it’s great to see the way these individuals and the profession contributes to the community acknowledged”, he said.
“I’d like to congratulate all Engineers Australia members recognized in this year’s Queens Birthday Honours.”
Paul Steinfort AM was also profiled on TODAY, discussing his projects and volunteer work. You can view the video here.