At the 2007 Convention and Exhibition at the Gold Coast, we had 394 delegates, 141 partners, about 90 children (it was difficult to tell!) and 56 exhibition stands. Thanks also to everyone who has contacted the office with positive feedback about the Convention, as well as suggestions for future conventions.
In fact, you might recall the proposal that we were considering taking the Convention international – just once, in 2010 – to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There was no suggestion of making APIA an “˜international’ association, merely possibility of “˜something different’. And we were able to provide the event at a similar cost to the events held in Australia.
We would like to thank the many members who responded to the questionnaire regarding this suggestion. In fact, the proposal caused quite a dilemma. The suggestion came from members who were enthusiastic supporters of holding the Convention in KL, but many members indicated they were not in favour. As you know, APIA exists to serve its members, and after considering the responses to the questionnaire, we believe the support for the proposal is simply not strong enough.
So, while it might have been a good idea for some, it was not a good idea for enough members to make it work. Therefore, the 2010 Annual Convention and Exhibition will return to one of the members’ favourite locations – Darwin.
And, while on the topic of the Convention, you should keep in mind that 2008 is the 40th anniversary of APIA. Yes, that’s right, APIA is now middle-aged! But in its greying years, it is certainly focussing on the younger members – and developing the next generation of experts. The industry is grateful that the more experienced members are keen to provide guidance and encouragement to the younger members. There were quite a few YPF events in 2007 and there will be more in 2008, including another YPF seminar. (Remember YPF started with the inaugural Young People’s Forum held in Canberra in May 2006. The attendees were so pleased with the event, they demanded more!) The YPF seminar will be held in Brisbane and coincide with the usual May seminar, which is on 22May.
We also saw the inaugural meeting of the Pipeline Controllers in 2007, held in Adelaide. They will be continuing to get together, with another meeting planned for early in 2008. POG, under new chair Mark Walker, will meet in Adelaide on Tuesday 8 April, with the POG seminar and dinner the following day, Wednesday 9 April. And the Research and Standards Committee, now being chaired by Leigh Fletcher, will meet in late March or early April.
The Safety Committee had a successful outcome in 2007 – the launch of the APIA Safety Award. Congratulations to inaugural winner, SEA Gas. And also congratulations to other award winners: Kristin Martin and Leon Richards, joint winners of the Young Achiever Award, and Graeme Hogarth for the Award for Outstanding Contribution to the pipeline industry. Congratulations also to Keith Fitzgerald on becoming a Life Member of APIA.
On behalf of the APIA staff, I would like to welcome our new Board Members, Steve Banning, Leigh Fletcher and Murray Durham. With Murray’s election, APIA now has a very broad representation on the board, with two producers, three owners, two contractors, a large engineering company and two individual consultants.
I would also like to offer special congratulations to our new President, Ashley Kellett, and Vice President, Mark Twycross. Thanks also to Peter Cox for his decision to stay as Treasurer for another year. We thank Alan Freer for his positive contribution to the Board and to APIA, and we also bid a fond farewell to Max Kimber, who has been an active member of the Board for the past two years. We have certainly enjoyed working with him and we trust his interest in APIA will remain strong.
We’re looking forward to an active 2008 – APIA’s 40th anniversary.
Cheryl Cartwright
Chief Executive