80 years running, and the Gippsland committee is still uniting local engineers to share information and improve capability in the region.

The Gippsland Group of the Institution of Engineers was formed in the latter years of the second world war around the time the State Electricity Commission was developing brown coal-based power generation.

As then and now, many of the engineers driving development were visitors to the Valley looking for community activity. The new group provided a forum for Gippsland engineers to draw on the resources of visiting professionals to expand their knowledge and share life experiences.

The Gippsland Committee has diverse membership and represents elements of the power industry, manufacturing and utilities. The group has always been extremely active and for most of its time has run eight to 10 formal events a year.

For much of the committee’s life, the third Thursday of the month has been designated as the night engineers get together for a site visit or technical presentation and share their experiences over a meal. Where possible, the group involves partners and family.

Engineers Australia spoke to current committee Chair Catherine Ritchie about the rich history of the committee and its goals for the future.

Ms Ritchie said the committee was, and still is, about mate-ship and a means to learn and problem solve.

“Our purpose is to unite engineers locally and share knowledge and stories to fortify our engineering capability.”

The group is traditionally hands on and, in addition to its professional development activity, fulfils several roles. 

• It is a place to welcome new engineers into the area and quickly introduce them to the network.
• It works with the local university to introduce students to the engineering community and facilitate their introduction into real life of the work force.
• Still, with the introduction of online events it focuses on live events and face-to-face contact.
• Supports and maintains interest in its membership locally and across the regions, present, past and retired.

“For those of us that are Chartered, or seeking to get Chartered, this is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate and participate in competency number 13: Local Engineering Knowledge,” Ms Ritchie said.

80 years ago, the first committee members took the initiative of formalising their informal catchup's and turning the group into a committee with voting rights within Engineers Australia.

Now, Gippsland is home to numerous energy transition projects such as the Marinus Link and various offshore wind farm projects.

In recent times the committee has sponsored major events that embrace our industry change away from fossil fuel.

• A presentation on the Star of the South project which is looking to build an offshore wind farm, featuring Myles Daniel Engineering, Procurement and Construction Director at Star of the South.
• An information evening on the development of the Marinus Link to supplement power transmission between Tasmania’s hydro system and the mainland to improve system reliability, featuring Stephen Clark, Project Director at Marinus Link.

With these projects comes great opportunity for the Gippsland Committee.

“We can soundboard relevant local enterprises such as the Latrobe Valley Authority to critique and recommend changes that would encourage greater employment in the Valley and facilitate the transition to renewables state-wide,” Ms Ritchie said.

“We have a great opportunity now to embrace and run with change. We need to partner better with Engineers Australia Victoria Committee on framework and short and medium-term goals. Let’s never stop asking ‘why?’!”

The committee are hosting a celebration event to mark 80 years of evolution from its inception in the 1940s to the current day.

Catherine will be presenting at the event and will take attendees on a journey providing a snapshot of the committee’s history, touching on significant contributions by the committee throughout the years.

You can register for the celebration event now. To learn more about the activities held in the Victorian regional groups or to join, email us.

Thank you to Catherine Ritchie and Ian Newnham, previous Gippsland Committee Chair, for sharing their information on the Gippsland Committee for this article.