New members

On behalf of the ASTT, I extend a warm welcome to the following new members.

Corporate Members – Australia

Ms Katrina Field

from Minova International Ltd

Daniel McGrady

from Infrastructure Constructions

Corporate Members – New Zealand

Mr Akram Dilaimi

from Advanced Pipeline Services Ltd

Individual Members – Australia

Mr David Warner

from Jemena Asset Management

Mr Trent McKenzie

from Jemena Asset Management

Mr Bruce Horlyck

from Sastti JV

Mr Steve Walker

from Moreton Bay Regional Council

Individual Members – New Zealand

Mr Nick Bruin

from East Coast Utilities

Mr Raymond Wilson

from Delta Utility Services

Mr Connor Lomax

from Connetics Ltd

Mr Philip Dunns

from Connetics Ltd

Mr Frank Van Der Hilst

from American Augers

Mr Michael Bradley

from Horizontal Drilling Division 8th National Conference welcome This is the second time that the ASTT has utilised Chris’ team for what now looks like being yet another amazing event for the ASTT.On the program side, a special thank you goes out to the ASTT Victorian Councillor, Chris Frangos for being responsible for the difficult task of reviewing all the wonderful abstracts submitted. Chris and his team I believe have put together a program for all of us that has a bit of everything for everyone with an interest in Trenchless Technology and this difficult work is appreciated by the ASTT.

The program will be one of excellence and balance with key people including Dr Dec Downey, Principal of Jason Consultants and current Chairman of the ISTT, Dr Samuel Ariaratnam, Professor of School of Engineering at Arizona State University and Vice Chairman of the ISTT, Tan Thai Pin, Director Water Reclamation at the Department PUB in Singapore, Ross Young, Executive Director of the Water Services Association of Australia and John Roskam, Executive Director of IPA, as well as several others all presenting at the conference.

These events are dependent upon the participation of delegates and exhibitors, but one should not forget the generosity of our sponsors. To this end, a very special thank you is directed towards these companies and in particular Interflow, who is our major Platinum sponsor. Interflow continues to show its support to ASTT events which clearly demonstrates the company's commitment to the promotion of Trenchless Technology throughout Australasia.

I would also like to thank the other key sponsors, namely Vermeer for being our Silver sponsor and Parsons Brinckerhoff for being our Bronze Sponsor. This year we also have sponsorship from Digital Control Australia, Westnet Energy Global Pipe and Winslow Infrastructure and I on behalf of the ASTT thank all of you for your sponsorship support. Sponsorship support is extremely important and the ASTT appreciates this commitment towards assisting us with the promotion of Trenchless Technology throughout Australasia.

The exhibition also will be one of excellence with some 50 companies and around 1,000 square metres of exhibition space being taken up for all of us to visit and discuss the latest developments in the trenchless world. I also thank each and every one of these companies for their vital participation in what will truly be a tremendous conference and exhibition.

Update on ASTT initiatives Guidelines and Standards for the Trenchless Industry

The ASTT, in conjunction with Calibre Projects, has now completed the final draft of the development of Trenchless Guidelines, Standards and Specifications in the key areas of HDD, Pipe Bursting, Microtunnelling and Pipe Jacking. Joel Chong from Calibre Projects will be presenting this work at the conference by way of a paper, as well as a special workshop with a view of finalising the draft documents developed for the ASTT. All delegates with an interest in the long awaited development of Trenchless Guidelines, Standards and Specifications are encouraged to attend the workshop so that this initiative of the ASTT can be finalised. Joel and his support team are to be congratulated for the work they have undertaken in producing these documents within the time frame given them; well done Joel.

Development of new Competencies

The ASTT has received several requests from members of the trenchless industry seeking information on the development of new Trenchless Competencies, which are in the areas of Vacuum Excavation and CCTV Conduit Evaluation.

In response to these requests, the ASTT is pleased to advise that we have been liaising with SkillsDMC to establish these two new trenchless competencies. Details are a bit sketchy at the moment but it is envisaged that there will be a series of workshops to gather the relevant information necessary to establish the baseline for these competencies.

Any member who is interested in assisting with the development or review of the documentation should contact me immediately, as I will be seeking input from interested parties.