One of the first duties in stepping into the position is to recognise the outstanding efforts made by the outgoing Chairman Menno Henneveld. Menno was the inaugural Chairman of the ASTT when it was incorporated in 1991 and has acted in the role since that time. It should also be recognised that he had been a champion for Trenchless Technology for many years prior to then. Not only has Menno made an outstanding contribution to the ASTT over that time, but he has also made a huge contribution to the International Society of Trenchless Technology. Menno attained the role of President of the ISTT and also contributed to this organisation as Vice President and as an executive member. He has truly been an ambassador for Trenchless Technology and we wish him well in his future endeavours. We do still expect to see him around the trenchless scene and welcome his continued involvement when his time permits.

Also at the recent AGM, the position of New Zealand Councillor changed when Steve Apeldoorn replaced outgoing Councillor Grant Binns. Grant has made a fantastic contribution to the Trenchless Technology sector in New Zealand and to the ASTT, and he will be sorely missed. We will miss his thought-provoking conference speeches given from the contractor’s perspective, which made asset owners and engineers think again.

We welcome Steve into the New Zealand role and wish him well. I also welcome all other Councillors who were reappointed to their state positions.

The International Scene

It was pleasing to note the success of the International No-Dig 2009 held in Toronto, Canada earlier this year. It was a successful event with over 1,800 delegates attending (over 200 international delegates), 140 papers delivered and all available exhibition space sold out and sponsorship opportunities filled.

The next International No-Dig will take place in Singapore in November 2010 and this should be an event that will attract a number of ASTT members because of its close proximity.

The Australasian Scene

It appears that the 8th National ASTT Conference and Exhibition to be held at Melbourne Park, Melbourne from 20-22 September 2009, is again looking to be a successful event for the trenchless industry. Interest has been very strong for the exhibition space and an excess of proposed conference papers have been received. Excellent keynote speakers have been obtained. All members should make the effort to get to the conference as delegates, and keep up-to-date with the latest in trenchless developments.

The Society is also currently in the process of developing a suite of guidelines and standards for the application of various trenchless technologies, through external consultants. We hope to be able to present draft forms of these at the National Conference for industry acceptance as an Australasian template.

I look forward to being able to meet with members at future ASTT events.

Trevor Gosatti

Chairman, ASTT