Changing of the Guard
A number of years ago I was having dinner at Scotty’s restaurant – a sorely missed part of Gladstone’s culinary history. It was a pleasant and uneventful evening until a lady sitting near me stood up and staggered back with a terrified look in her eyes.
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The Joy of Something New
We all look for a bit of adventure in our lives from time to time. It gives us something to talk about, and an experience to share, dream about and more often than not, save for. It’s what keeps me going – that ‘something’ to look forward to.
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The Team Behind the Team
If you’re like me, you’ve probably seen enough of Neil Armstrong over the last week to keep you going for another decade. Those first few lunar steps were one of humankind’s great achievements, and there’s no doubting the skills and courage of the two brave astronauts who first set foot on that little, moving rock, 384,000 kilometres away.
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Expect the Unexpected
The last edition of this column was titled “Living Safety” and contained the ominous words “…a busy (and potentially dangerous) time on our roads, so take extra care and be patient”. Perhaps I should have added “touch wood”.
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Living Safety
We’ve recently held a course at QER to keep our people up to date with the many legislated safety requirements that fall on us as a mine and process plant. While the legislation is a bit complicated, the heart of the requirements is very simple: managing risk to an acceptable level.
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Running on Reserve
I’m a classic motorbike fan, and one of the features I like about bikes is the reserve fuel tank which most have. It’s maybe not the most sexy feature on a bike, but it’s always there as a backup and has saved me from many a long, hot walk.
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Being Prepared
As I write this, Cyclone Oma is lurking off the coast, trying to decide whether to visit the Sunshine State. We are on alert and busily working on our preparations – clearing drains; tying everything down; stocking up on provisions and batteries. We want to be ready in case she (or he?) does wander across the coast.
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The Trials and the Blessings of Life
It’s not very long since we were talking about the devastating impacts of drought and fires in this column. Now our friends and families to the North are grappling with the consequences of flooding.
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Mapping Out a Plan
Well we have survived the Christmas – New Year season. The rellies have returned home, we’ve got through the stifling heat, we’ve had way too much to eat, spent too much money and the kids go back to school next week. (Oh the joy!!!!)
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When Being Dense is a Good Thing…
Sometimes people ask me why QER is working to develop new sources of diesel and aviation fuel for transport while other transport energy alternatives – such as electric vehicles – are being developed. The reality is that different fuels have different strengths and weaknesses. And the big strength of diesel is that it has very high ‘energy density’.
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