Time flies when you’re having fun.
How many times have we heard this popular saying and thought nothing of it?
When I reflected on the last ten years of my involvement with Trenchless Australasia and the ASTT, it was the first thing that popped into my head and although not related to Trenchless Technology, it is worthy of exploring further.
According to the online Cambridge dictionary, the phrase “÷time flies’ is “used to mean that time passes surprisingly quickly”.
In a post by writer and author Sandra Madeira in April 2012 on this topic, she stated that “In a BBC.co.uk health article called “÷Why having fun makes time speed’, they explain how scientists have come up with a theory of how time goes quickly when you are doing something you like doing and goes slow when you are bored.
The theory is that “÷patterns of activity in the brain change depending on how we focus on a task’.
Scans show that if we are using our brains to concentrate on lots of aspects of something then “÷it has to spread its resources thinly, and pays less heed to time passing’.
On the other hand if you are bored then you might concentrate on the “÷passing of time’ instead.”
As many of you will agree, the last ten years have flown by, so by definition it must have been a fun time.
I know I have certainly been challenged and had fun along the way.
The last ten years in our industry have seen significant growth and maturity.
In many ways trenchless technologies have progressed from methods used in difficult applications only to being first choice methods for asset renewals and routinely used in asset creation.
Term contracts for the renewal of sewer, water and gas assets using semi- and fully-trenchless methods are commonplace and hotly contested.
As expected, rapid growth brings with it trial and error, and over this period a lot has been learned about new techniques and we have experienced success and failure.
However, as a result quality has improved, productivity and efficiency have improved and the number of players has increased across all segments of the Trenchless Technology market.
Personally, I have been fortunate to have been involved in many trenchless projects both from a client and contractor perspective and have been involved in the improvement and introduction of new technologies and methods.
Currently, I am excited about the introduction of Scotchkote 2400 later this year into Victoria firstly and then into the rest of Australia.
This new product is at the forefront of innovative and will result in a new option for the renewal of watermains for asset owners.
In a broader sense there are many exciting new projects being planned and delivered in Victoria at the moment, many of which have been reported in this excellent publication.
Large scale infrastructure projects in rail and roads dominate headlines, however, hundreds of smaller projects are in progress across the whole state.
I encourage all project managers to produce write-ups of their trenchless projects and use the resources available through Trenchless Australasia if they need assistance.
It is through sharing of information that we will all continue to learn and grow our knowledge of what is possible using trenchless technologies.
Finally, congratulations to the ASTT and Great Southern Press on reaching this significant milestone and I look forward to another ten years of Trenchless Australasia.