Newsletter No 92 July 2020 The AGM that wasn’t ... The Port of Brisbane Visit that wasn’t ... .As members will be all too aware, the AGM This proposed visit also fell victim to the which was scheduled for April had to be cancelled COVID regulations along with once the regulations for managing the COVID-19 The Fort Lytton Visit that wasn’t ... pandemic were introduced by the governments. I’m and sure though, that members would much rather have The Mid-Year Luncheon that wasn’t. avoided the malady than attend an AGM. The Committee has been unable to meet in per- Our constitution requires us to hold an AGM son, but as we live in this era of technology domina- within six months of the close of our financial year tion, we have been able to communicate via various which gives us until September. Advice has also devices. been received that, under the circumstances, a fur- Our meetings have for years been held in the ther delay would be permitted without application to SunWater offices, but these have been off limits for the authorities while the regulations make it impossi- us and for most of their staff. A skeleton staff of ble for us to meet. only 30 has been on site since the closure with the Members will be advised when the AGM is to be other office staff working from home. The number scheduled once the situation changes. In the mean- allowed in the office will be increased to 100 after time, the current Committee will soldier on. 13 July. We may be able to resume our Committee Consideration was given to holding an AGM via meetings and mail-outs soon. Zoom, but this was considered somewhat impracti- SunWater CEO cal and defeating of the collegiate aims of the Asso- It was reported in the Newsletter last December ciation.. (This could be translated rather roughly as that Nicole Hollows had resigned. No permanent having a beer with our mates!) replacement has yet been appointed. Lisa Dalton is currently acting in the position. From the Editor’s Chair The Passing of Tom Fenwick Members will no doubt be aware that former Will life ever be the same again? Commissioner of Water Resources and Director- When I last went to press, we had no real ink- General of the Department of Natural Resources, ling of the impact on the world of the corona Tom Fenwick, died on 20 April. virus named COVID-19. Tom was a man of considerable significance to the Unless a vaccine is produced, will we ever water industry of Queensland and Australia and to us return to normal? And what will the new nor- who had the privilege of serving with him and under mal be? Perhaps “working from home” will his leadership. have been so successful, that work forces will Following his death, there was a flood of tributes require less office accommodation. And per- which have been published on our web site. On page haps start and finish times may become more 5 of this Newsletter there is a brief obituary to Tom flexible, relieving public transport and traffic and a much longer and more fulsome version can be jams. Only time will tell. found on the tributes page. In the meantime, keep safe! Once COVID regulations permit, it is expected Until next time, au reservoir. that there will be a memorial function which, no Ian Pullar, Editor doubt, will be well attended . President Pete has provided some definitions of what it means to be ‘OLD’. I have in- serted these at the bottom of some pages. Do you agree? Bits and Pieces Happy Birthday Alan Commission of Inquiry Paradise Dam Alan Vizer turned 90 on 22 June. Congratulations. In April, the Commissioners published their report Marjory (Peg) Wheeler Makes a Ton on their “full and careful inquiry into the root cause of Marjory (Peg) Wheeler turned 100 years young on structural and stability issues identified with the Para- 21 March 2020. The day was celebrated with three dise Dam near Bundaberg”. The Inquiry had heard generations of her family, extended family and close testimony from a number of our members before pro- friends gathering at Marjory’s residence in Bundaberg. ducing its 562 page report. Marjory was born in Walsall in England. Her fa- This is not the place for any consideration of the ther had served in the Royal Engineers in France for technical aspects of the inquiry. However, any readers five years and as a member of the “Occupying Force” keen to know more may visit in Germany followed by 18 months in hospital recov- https://paradisedaminquiry.qld.gov.au/wp-content/ ering from chest conditions. uploads/2020/05/PDCOI-Report-April-2020_Web- When she was 18 months old, her family returned accessible.pdf to Australia, living in Bundaberg, Brisbane and Bun- The document is available to anyone and may be quot- daberg again. Her father gave her the nick-name of ed provided it is attributed to the authors. Members are “Peg” because he did not like margarine. also referred to the SunWater web page where regular Peg married Eric Wheeler on 21 April 1941. They updates on Paradise Dam remedial works are posted originally lived on and worked the family cane farm at along with details of additional work required other Splitters Creek, Bundaberg until Eric obtained a job as than just the main spillway. a cane tester at Millaquin Sugar Mill. They purchased There are a number of recommendations which an uncompleted house in Bundaberg. Eric and Marjo- could be expected to be taken into consideration dur- ry’s father completed the construction of the house ing design and construction of future dams, particular- where Marjory still resides today. ly those using roller compacted concrete. By 1951 Eric decided that his seasonal job at Finch Hatton Sugar Mill as the “Government Check Chem- Wivenhoe Dam Class Action ist” could not support his family of three children with Last year Mr Justice Robert Beech-Jones found another on the way, so he applied for a position with that the State of Queensland, Seqwater and SunWater the Irrigation and Water Supply Commission as a Wa- had mismanaged the operation of Wivenhoe dam dur- ter Officer in the then Burdekin Irrigation Scheme ing the 2011 flood and were therefore responsible for outside the township of Ayr. The “Soldier Settlement damages incurred to properties downstream of the Scheme” was designed to produce tobacco and provide dam. On 29 May the NSW Supreme Court apportioned farming opportunities for returned soldiers from the share of the damages to be paid: State Government WW2. Eric’s application was successful, so in August 20%, Seqwater 50% and SunWater 30%. 1952 they packed up the family and furniture and However, both Seqwater and SunWater have moved north to Clare outside of Ayr. lodged appeals against the original finding and the The family lived in a prefabricated masonite hut on government is considering appealing against the the banks of the Burdekin River for a few years until judgement on its share of the damages. These appeals permanent housing became available The building are unlikely to be heard before the end of the year. As consisted of 2 x 16’ x 12’ prefabricated huts joined by yet, there has been no determination of the total cost of an enclosed skillion roof. The shower, toilet and laun- the damages that have to be reimbursed. According to dry were separate buildings. There was a fuel stove in the original judgement, this is to be based on the incre- the kitchen, a wood fired “copper” and concrete tubs mental cost of the damage caused by the mismanage- in the laundry. ment and not on the total damage, some of which Peg had another child in July 1956 and in Septem- would have occurred in any case. ber 1956 Eric was transferred to Dalbeg which is lo- It will be some time before “the fat lady sings”. cated some 96 kilometres from The New Bradfield Scheme Ayr. Peg and Eric sent their With a State election coming up with- two eldest children to boarding in a matter of months, members will no school in Townsville as the doubt be aware that one of the promises local school in Dalbeg only of the Leader of the Opposition, Deb went as far as scholarship. Peg Frecklington, is the implementation of and Eric moved back to Clare the modified Bradfield Scheme which in 1958 where Peg worked as a she says will include a very large dam farm worker in the tobacco and irrigate an area in Western Queens- industry and as a book keeper land “bigger than Tasmania”. “We’re going to have to stop sit- in the Clare Shop to earn mon- ting around like this. People will We will watch with interest. ey to cover Boarding School think we’re Council workers’ fees. 'OLD' is when: An 'all-nighter' means not getting up to use the bathroom. Watery Sauces No 92 Page 2 In April 1961 Eric was transferred to Moogerah services of a fulltime receptionist. Dam on Reynolds Creek in the Fassifern Valley out- As Peg had developed potentially life threatening side the townships of Kalbar and Boonah. Peg had her health problems, Eric decided to retire in December sixth child in 1962. The farming community was not 1978 and they returned to their family home in Bunda- as friendly and easy going as the farming community berg. In March 1979, they took a Women’s Weekly of the Burdekin and it took a few years to establish World Tour on the passenger ship “Oriana”.