The Queensland water industry has played host to three events so far this year: the first Women of Water networking session for 2019, the Bulk Water Supply Breakfast, and the Queensland Water Skills Partnership Forum.

Here’s what you missed.

Women of Water

The first Women of Water Network Evening for 2019 kicked off in style on Thursday 28 February at the King George Pig ‘N’ Whistle. The Women of Water events exist to provide a strong support network for women to share experiences in a casual environment.

All water professionals are welcome, no matter your gender identity, to come and share a drink at the end of the work day. The February event was especially significant for two members, Jenny Danslow and Tara Greenhalgh, who were taking on the WaterAid water challenge for the month of March by only drinking water. Congratulations to both who raised more than $3,200. (You can still support them via the WaterAid website).

The next Women of Water event is 30 May.

Bulk Water Supply Breakfast

The Queensland Technical Breakfast was held at the Novotel on 15 March to discuss the key issues affecting bulk water supply. It was a refreshing and honest discussion, with 180 water professionals there bright and early to hear from industry leaders including: SunWater Chair Leith Boully; Seqwater CEO Neil Brennan; and Bernadette Zerbam, Executive Director of the Water Supply Division at the Department of Natural Resources, Mining and Energy.

All three panel members spoke about the challenges of water supply and their vision for the future. The challenges of both floods and droughts were topical, and with the size of Queensland and its dispersed communities the education and literacy of Queenslanders was a hot topic. At the end of the day, it’s still a question of economics and time that will be the hardest hurdles to get over.

Queensland Water Skills Partnership Forum

The Queensland Water Directorate (Qldwater) launched its 2019 calendar of events with the Water Skills Partnership Forum on 7 March. The second annual forum focused on sharing knowledge and experiences around meeting the challenges of recruiting, retaining and upskilling staff. The presentation by Terry Fagg of Western Downs Regional Council on ‘The challenges of finding and keeping good operators – the Western Downs experience’ was outstanding, and our personal favourite of the forum.

This article was written for the April edition of Queensland Source.