Last week I attended Gladstone Engineering Alliance’s annual conference with Peter Zambelli, QER’s General Manager. We also attended the Gala dinner at which the achievements of so many hard working and innovative people involved in the Gladstone Engineering sector were celebrated.

Recently a friend (and former work colleague) took it upon himself to celebrate his birthday by walking a Marathon distance at Spinnaker Park while raising charity for the Mission to Seafarers and Roseberry House. This got me thinking about how innovative, committed and energetic people in our community are.

It is a hard act to follow but here goes… I’m very pleased to be able to introduce myself as QER’s new Gladstone Site Superintendent. Firstly, I’d like to thank my predecessor, Bruce Andersen and wish him and Anna well in retirement.

After 21 years, 5040 Morning Coffees, 221,760 km travel to and from work, and at least 10 forgotten lunches my time at QER is coming to an end. I am retiring and whilst it brings with it a sense of the unknown, it also provides for a time of reflection of what was and an opportunity to say some important thank-you(s).

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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!!!!)

These days, you don’t often see the old game snakes and ladders, which is a shame because there are lessons in that game for life and business.

Perhaps the most important reason for QER to develop a Queensland kerogen fuels industry – starting here in Gladstone – is to help improve Australia’s fuel security situation. These days Australia is heavily dependent on oil and fuel imports to meet most of our freight, transport, agriculture, mining, defense and aviation needs.

I recently saw that Gladstone’s own Tondoon Botanic Gardens will feature in Australian Geographic as one of Australia’s top ten regional botanic gardens. Thie year we’ll also celebrate the Gardens’ 30th Birthday. The Gardens have come a long way from their humble beginnings, and there’s no doubt they are now an important and unique part of life in Gladstone.

Isn’t it amazing how, over time, humans have been able to overcome seemingly insurmountable problems. Very often, underlying these solutions, is science. Science is really just a way to understand the world we live in through systematic observations and experiments.

I hope you’ve had (or are still having) a great break over the festive season. It’s a wonderful time to be together with family and friends and for that well-earned rest and reflection. However, as they say, no rest for the wicked, so at QER we’re back at work and straight into it.