Technical Meetings

After carefully planning out events for 2020 we had to shelve the planning and start from scratch again when we realised that large technical meetings and site visits would be very difficult for 2020.

We’ve had to lean very heavily on technology this year but it has helped us achieve bigger events than ever before as we were able to have members from both QLD and NSW join in on meetings even those which were held in Brisbane. 

In 2020 the BOHOGS committee planned a total of 7 events. The first two online meetings showcased a number of recent conference papers. The groundwater workshop in September was the first face-to-face meeting this year, featuring a number of presentations and case studies on analysing groundwater and monitoring approach in open cut coal mines. Also in September was the UQ Mama Society Geotech Q&A – held with BBUGS this gave university students an insight into a career as a Geotech. The ACARP presentation day, whilst almost going ahead in Moranbah, had to be held online due to Border restrictions.  Updates were presented on seven ACARP projects. The last technical meeting of the year was held in Brisbane but also streamed online. Overall, BOHOGS events this year account for over 950 hours of Chartered Professional Development for our members

Finances

BOHOGS saw slightly decreased sponsorship in 2020, and will start 2021 in a slightly lower position than 2020.  Whilst some online meetings were low cost, face-to-face meetings were substantially more expensive as we had to host them in venues rather than on sites. Additionally, there was added cost with streaming these meetings online which was incredibly worthwhile as it allowed members in Central Queensland and the Hunter Valley participate regardless of COVID travel and border restrictions.

Committee Movements

Most of our 2020 committee members will be returning for 2021. Kathryn Young will be stepping down as BOHOGS chair for 2021 to take on a new family challenge. Steven Gale will be stepping into the role as Chair and Alison McQuillan will be stepping into the role of secretary. Kimberly Peckett will be returning to the committee as a general committee member as will Adrienna Robotham.

Awards

Although we were not able to host any site visits this year there were over 20 presentations completed by Geotechnical practitioners this year. Every year the presentation of the year is voted on by the BOHOGS members online.  

The award for the 2020 best presentation of the year is awarded to Dr Leonie Bradfield. Leonie presented at the 3rd technical meeting this year, held in November. The presentation was titled “Shear strength characterisation for very high dumps – applicability of an industry accepted framework.” Congratulations Leonie!

The BOHOGS practitioner of the year award recognises a practicing Geotechnical professional who has significantly contributed to the discipline through their involvement in the following areas:

  • Lead or involvement in projects of new slope stability modelling or stabilisation techniques and advancements in the field of geotechnical engineering.
  • Presenting and attending BOHOGS events and the presentation of conference papers.
  • Thesis supervision and ACARP monitors.
  • Relevant awards, scholarships and certificates.
  • Mentoring of young geotechnical professionals.

The winner this year is definitely accomplished in all of these areas and on behalf of BOHOGS I would like to congratulate Dr Alison McQuillan, the very worth recipient of the award in 2020.

This year Alison completed her PhD on a new slope stability method SSAM which utilises case histories. For her PhD she was awarded the UNSW Dean’s Award recognising outstanding PhD theses. Alison is an advocate for 3D slope stability monitoring forming standard practice in open pit mines. She has presented at two BOHOGS events in 2020 including the third technical meeting and the UQ Geotech Q&A. She has been a member of the BOHOGS committee since its inception in 2012, this year as a general committee member and has stepped into the Secretary role for 2021. She mentors young geotechs, particularly in the development of their geotechnical analysis software skills and has given lectures at UNSW, UQ and the University of Newcastle.

Alison’s list of publication in 2019 and 2020 is extensive and she has many published works and presented at multiple conferences over the past two years.

Thank you Alison, and congratulations.

Thank you

A huge thank you to all our members who present and offer ideas for meetings and presentations. Thank you for being so understanding of the format that we had to adapt to this year. We are hoping that we will be back to business as usual with site visits next year in NSW and QLD.

Finally to our sponsors, many of whom have been supporting BOHOGS for many years, thank you for making BOHOGS 2020 possible. We understand this has been a very different year for sponsors and so we thank you for your support even with the limited face to face meetings. We look forward to your support next year and in the years to come.

Kind regards,

Kathryn Young – BOHOGS Chair 2020