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PEOPLE
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NEW CHIEF ENGINEER M.W.S.S. & D. BOARD - PERTH
OPERA TOR SUE A FIRST FOR VICTORIA
Mr. Ken J . Kelsall, B.E. Hons., F. l. E .Aust., fo rmerly Deputy Director General of Engineering, Public Works Department, W .A., ha s been appointed Chi ef Engineer of th e Pert h Boa rd in succession to Mr. H . Hunt who retired in Octob er last. Mr. Kelsall is a West Austral ian and a firm believer in his State. Following hi s earl y days at Acq uinas Co llege fro m which he enjoyed panoramic views of the Canning Ri ver a sister to the Swa n River . He joined the Public Works Departmen t and advanced into a ca reer main ly associated with water. Comme ncing with the P.W.D. as a cadet, he was appointed to the staff in 1942 and has the longes t service as an Engi neer in the Depart ment. During hi s career with the Public Works Department he was invol ved in the Kimberley Resea rch Station, the subseq uent Ord Ri ver Dam, Kununurra Aerodrome, the Yule Ri ver Water Scheme for Port Hed land and the Millstream Water Su ppl y for the iro n ore townsites .
Bill , Jack, Tom, Dick and Harry are common enough names in th e Plant Operator field and even 'Cedric' probably would not raise an eyebrow (or only a fraction) but ... Suellen!? . .. Sue for short ... well ! Yes it's tru e. The Mornington Sewerage Authority has Victoria's first lady Plant Operator and until co ntradicted, we will say Australi a's first. And a very competent and highl y qu alified Operato r too. The Morningto n Wastewater Control Centre is an ultra-modern, sophisticated treatment plant , the heart of a $6.5 mi ll ion complex serving a bays ide region. The Victorian Bra nch notes comment on the plant in thi s issue. Controlling and directing the plant under Serflor Superintendant John Pyland is Suellen Lefebvre. Sue, at 24, became the first woman in Victoria to receive the Level I Plant Operators Ce rtificate iss ued by the Ministry for Water Resources and Water Supply after the rece nt co urse at the Werribee Operator Training Centre.
Suellen Lefebvre, Plant Ope rator, Morn ington, rece ives Certi ficate from A uthority Chairman , Tom Hast. (Photo courresy, "Town Crier")
In 1954 he was transferred to the Perth Office to become involved in a wide range of water supply sc hemes for co untry towns and also in the development of roaded and bitumen catc hment areas. He advanced to Principal Assista nt Major Hydraulics Undertakings in 1962 then Engineer Co nstruction in 1968 and to Executive Engineer in 1970. In 1972 he was appointed Chief Engi neer and in 1976 the title for th e position was amended to Deputy Director of Engineering, he retained that pos ition until hi s recent a ppointment to the M.W .S.S. & D. Board. His fi rst involveme nt with the M.W.S .S. & D . Board was in 1978 when in co mpany with Mr. R. J . Fimmel he visited Europe and the United States to investi gate the design and management of th e septic lank systems in other areas. Away from the work scene Mr. Kelsall assisted the University of W .A . with lectures in Civil Engineering constru ction fo r so me 6 years; he was elected Vice President of the I. E. Australia in 1975 and 76 and was Chairman of the I.E. Aust. W .A. Di vision in 1976. His youth ful appeara nce is in part due to his interest in a va ri ety of sports. In hi s early days he was the 100 yards sprint and long jump State Junior Champion and later on captai n of the University Amateur Football Club. In both field s he was awarded a half blue in recognition of his sportin g capabi lities. The M. W .S.S. & D. Board is most fortunate in gaining Mr. Kelsall to lead it through its engineerin g future . The A.W.W.A. wishes him well in hi s new position and looks forward to him becoming in volved in the W .A. Branch act ivities. 12
Just by th e way, Sue is also a Gradu~e in Marine Biology from Townsville Univers ity after stud ies there and at La Trobe. Unab le to find a post suitable to her in the marine fi eld, she assumed the res ponsibilities at Mornington two years ago and with this experience has qu alified in no uncert ain terms for the Operators Certificate. During th e Opera tor Training Co urse, Sue made a marked impression with her kn owledge, her compete nce and her rese rved yet definite personality. In surrou ndings and work situati ons whic h cou ld have posed problems - particul ar ly fo r the fir st lady in th e field - she emerged with fl yin g colours. In fact, rumour has it she was a close co ntend er for the Operator of th e Year Award . Now that wo uld reall y have been one for the books! In February the Branch visited the Mornington Plant as reported in the ' News' and saw Sue full y in action on her ow n Plant - both very impressive . Women are enteri ng and achievin g in one-time 'men only field s' , to an ever increasing extent - and a good thing too. Mornington and Suellen are to be congrat ulated . These changes are welcome an d, as one veteran Operator at the recent Course was heard to say ' If thi s is th e shape of things to come, I was born too early! ' QUEE NSLAND UN IVERSITY SHORT CO URSES JU LY 27-31
Prin c ipa l lecturers; Prof. W. Eckenfelder, U.S.A. , Merv. Goronzy , N.S.W. , David Barnes , N.S.W. Details from Dr. P. Greenfield, Univers ity of Q'ld . 4067 . See Calendar p.28.
WATER