APIA functions during 2006 covered a range of topics, and featured many interesting speakers including politicians and key figures in the industry. In 2006 we experimented with moving a dinner (and Pipeline Operators Group meeting) from Melbourne to Sydney. The Sydney dinner was a great success and POG also appreciated the move. The Sydney dinner will now be a regular, with POG also returning to Sydney in 2007. The Melbourne dinner was replaced by a cocktail party which, while well attended, wasn’t quite as popular, so the dinner in Melbourne in March will be reinstated for 2007. The attendance levels at and support for our functions is strong enough to add an extra event to the calendar.

APIA will host two major international events in 2007. In April, the Joint Technical Meeting (JTM) will be held in Canberra. This meeting is an international research seminar which involves APIA’s Research and Standards Committee, the International Pipeline Research Council (PRCI) and the European Pipeline Research Group (EPRG). The JTM is held biennially, usually alternating between Europe and North America, and in 2007 will be held in Australia for the very first time.

At the end of September 2007, IPLOCA1– the International Pipe Line and Offshore Contractors Association – will hold their Annual Convention in Sydney. I had the pleasure of attending the 2006 convention in Barcelona, Spain, and was most impressed by the Association’s commitment to the industry and their determination to trek to Australia – a distance many of them find quite daunting. APIA Board Member Andy Lukas has been elected President of IPLOCA and is keen to ensure that the event in Australia is a great success.

As most members are aware, the inaugural Young People’s Forum was held in May 2006 and was well attended by the industry’s many under 35s. We now have an ongoing forum for our younger members – the Young Pipeliners Forum – which has a national organising committee as well as state-based committees. All these enthusiastic young pipeliners are keen to ensure that young people are included in all events; they want to encourage young people to join the industry and enhance the dialogue between the younger generation and APIA’s more experienced members. In 2007, the YPF will finalise its information exchange page for the APIA website and I am compiling a list of industry ‘experts’ who are keen to provide information and guidance to the ‘newcomers’. If you would like to be included on the list, please contact me.

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Our President has mentioned the changes taking place in the industry, and APIA must also make changes to address the ongoing challenge of meeting our members’ needs. To this end, we are developing a new structure to cover the ‘Sponsoring’ membership category. The changes for the ‘Corporate’ membership category, which is the group with the most members, have already been made.

Mark has also mentioned the new Board arrangements. I welcome Marie Malaxos and Alan Freer and look forward to continuing to work with the Board in 2007. I am also looking forward to working with Ashley Kellett in his new role as Vice President and with Peter Cox as Treasurer. For the record, I would like to wholeheartedly thank Graeme Fitzgerald of OneSteel for his work, especially as Treasurer for the past year. I would also like to acknowledge the work that Christine O’Reilly contributed during her time on the APIA Board and as Vice President and Treasurer. Christine’s guidance and advice has been greatly appreciated.

So, good luck for 2007. It’s the Year of the Pig – perhaps appropriate for our members involved in pigging this year…. groan…. sorry! I look forward to catching up with members at the various events and functions and also at the Convention in Surfers Paradise.

Cheryl Cartwright

Chief Executive