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21 July 2008
The manager of GHD’s Shepparton office, Geoff Pettifer, has
been appointed to lead a team helping to re-build the province of
Aceh in Indonesia.
Aceh was virtually destroyed in December 2004 when an earthquake
hit off the coast of Sumatra, causing a tsunami that devastated the
region and left 230,000 people either dead or missing. Essential
infrastructure in Aceh was decimated by the tsunami, which washed
away more than 3000 km of road, hundreds of bridges, more than
180,000 houses and most of Aceh’s seaports.
GHD assisted in emergency relief and reconstruction efforts during
2005 and 2006. The company was engaged to manage the refurbishment
of a major hospital and the construction of schools, village
offices and multipurpose halls. In 2007, GHD was appointed by the
Bureau of Reconstruction and Rehabilitation for Aceh and Nias to
act as Program Manager for the implementation of the Infrastructure
Reconstruction Enabling Project (IREP). The project is being funded
by the Government of Indonesia and a multi donor trust fund managed
by the World Bank. IREP is responsible for the planning and
reconstruction of critical regional infrastructure throughout the
earthquake and tsunami affected areas and for supporting the
development of local capacity to resume responsibility for
infrastructure management.
As leader of the program management team within IREP, Mr Pettifer
will, for the next 14 months, oversee a team planning the
implementation of more than 60 major infrastructure projects. These
projects will employ more than 100 local contractors and deliver
transportation, water, power and waste management infrastructure
worth more than $250 million.
Mr Pettifer said: “This job is probably the biggest challenge and
opportunity of my career. I will get the chance to apply many of
the skills I acquired in Shepparton, and contribute to and learn
from a worthwhile enterprise with a team of international and
Indonesian specialists in engineering, environmental, financial and
community development. As well there is the opportunity to quickly
learn basic Bahasa language skills and to experience the culture,
people and community life of a beautiful part of Indonesia”.
GHD employs 6,000 people in a network of offices throughout
Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East, Americas and
Europe.
Mr Pettifer has managed GHD’s Shepparton office for the past
two-and-a-half years, overseeing a team working on local roads
projects, and water projects including the modernisation of the
area’s irrigation system, salinity monitoring, and aspects of the
Living Murray project including restoration of natural flows into
the unique Hattah Lakes.
Mr Pettifer said he was leaving his work in Shepparton reluctantly,
but hoped to return to GHD Shepparton after his time in Aceh. And
he has issued a challenge to the Shepparton community on his
departure – to win back lost opportunities in the management of its
water resources.
“We’ve lost valuable opportunities to create new, high-value crop
irrigation schemes here – for example in the good soils of the
Campaspe district – partly because we haven’t matched the
enterprise and entrepreneurial spirit of the people down the river,
around Robinvale and Mildura, who have capitalised on water traded
out of this area” he said.
“I hope that the sort of enterprise that built this food bowl in
the first place is rekindled so the Shepparton area can win back
some of the new greenfield irrigation business opportunities that
are being lost through our district’s water being traded
elsewhere.”
To arrange an interview with Mr Pettifer please contact GHD media
relations manager Mandi Zonneveldt on (03) 8687 8854 or 0427 690
763.