Mr McDonald and Mr Marletta are popular stalwarts of the Australian pipeline industry, having both filled high-profile positions - Mr McDonald as the former CEO and Managing Director of the Australian Pipeline Trust and Mr Marletta as the former National Manager Major Customers for BOC Gases.

Announcing the APIA Board’s decision to award the Life Memberships, President Mark Twycross said that both recipients had made enormous contributions to the pipeline industry.

“In reviewing Jim’s contribution to the industry, this is best summed up by the words used in his nomination – unique and outstanding,” Mr Twycross said.

“Jim began his involvement in the oil and gas industry in the Bass Strait oil and gas system, then transferred to Esso Australia’s Gippsland Production Group, where he was introduced into the world of pipelines and spent an impressive 15 years with the company.”

In 1985, Jim was appointed General Manager NT Gas and it was at this stage that he joined APIA. From there, Jim joined AGL and then APA, where he became the CEO and then Managing Director after its listing on the ASX in June 2000, a position he held until his retirement in June of this year.

Jim has had two lengthy stints on the Executive Committee and Board of APIA between 1989 to 1993 and 1998 to 2005. He was President between 1991 – 92 and 2001 – 2003.

During his time with APIA, Jim took a leading role in regulatory reform and the development of the environmental code of practice, as well as providing strong support for APIA’s research and standard work.

Tony Marletta was acknowledged for his role in APIA Conventions over the years, through his support of the Welcome Dinner, which initially began as an ice-breaking Welcome Cocktail Party.

Mr Marletta first joined the then Pipeline Contractors Association in 1973 when he was heavily involved in the welding gas negotiations for the Moomba – Sydney pipeline. From there Tony worked his way through the years, ending his career last year as the National Manager Major Customers for BOC Gases.

Outstanding Contributor Garry O’Meally has made a valued contribution to Australia’s pipeline industry in various senior management capacities for over 35 years - and even longer when you take into account that he started work with AGL in 1959.

His involvement with pipelines goes back to 1970 when he played a major part in the AGL negotiations for the purchase of natural gas from Moomba and in the early design and development of the Moomba to Sydney gas pipeline.

Garry took up the part time position as the first Executive Officer of APIA between 1997 and 1998. In this position he developed the objectives, structure and industry support of APIA to a point where it was able to select and appoint a fulltime Executive Officer and establish the office that it still occupies in Canberra.

For 2005, the APIA Board decided to jointly award the Young Achievement Award to Darren Stevenson of Agility Management and Ben Rees of Nacap.

Darren’s pipeline career commenced with the then AGL pipeline in 1996 as a Mechanical Engineer straight out of university. By 1998 Darren had taken over the full responsibility for the Roma Brisbane Pipeline Field Engineering covering all areas from metering and compression through to cathodic protection.

In 2001 Darren took full responsibility for commissioning the RBP in the 5th phase of looping, delivering the project on time and on budget.

Darren is currently Manager of Assets Integrity and Projects, which covers all minor and major projects in Queensland as well as the day to day integrity engineering of the APT pipeline assets in Queensland – over 2,100 km of pipelines and 7 compressor sites.

Ben Rees has been working with Nacap since 1997 and has been a major contributor to improved pipeline construction procedures through a demonstration of innovation and leadership at a young age and his specific expertise in directional drilling engineering.

Since his early days with Nacap, Ben has accumulated experience both here in Australia and overseas in Asia. He was seconded to the Philippines in November 1999, moved to India with the company in March 2000, has project managed an HDD project in Sri Lanka and was also Senior Project Engineer for the Duke Energy 164 km gas transmission pipeline from Launceston to Hobart in Tasmania.

Recently he was the Project Manager for the 46 km SESA gas pipeline and he is currently Project Manager of the OneSteel Whyalla dual pipelines project.