President Address 2010
Dear Fellow Members,
I am privileged and honoured to be the eighth president of Engineers Australia Hong Kong Chapter. I, like you, have seen EAHK gain in strength over the years and I would like to thank all members for their continued support and vitality in making EAHK a success.
Sustainability has been in the news for some time now and will continue to be into the future. One reason for this is because of the direct link that has been made between man's activities on this planet and climate change and the very real problems that this is bringing to us. Nowhere is this more visible than in Australia. Drought, salinity, floods, restrictions and conservation are in the news everyday and we are now starting to react, albeit slowly.
Why should engineers get involved? In my view it is at the very heart of why we wanted to become engineers in the first place. We want to make things happen and solve problems. Some may argue we caused the problem in the first place! Sustainability will inform how we execute our projects in the future and will also lead to changes in the way we and our families lead our lives. Government legislation and our engineering constitutions will change to reflect the growing needs that these new approaches will create.
Sustainable developments and infrastructure projects are now becoming the norm around the world, in Hong Kong and particularly so in Australia. This new frontier is bringing with it a wealth of ideas and innovation from engineers, who are at the forefront of tackling the challenges we now face. Some of the Australian solutions range from green irrigation methods, solar trough arrays, and solar cars to zero emission wave power converters and even dual flush toilets. The opportunities for us engineers are endless!
EAHK is committed to raising the awareness of its members to these issues and we encourage you all to participate and contribute to the Chapter, where sustainability will be our theme for 2010, by coming along to meetings, site visits and the numerous social functions we will be holding. I look forward to meeting you all. Finally I would like to thank my predecessors for their hard work in getting EAHK firmly on the map and I sincerely look forward to working with this year's Executive Committee in this its lucky eighth year to further strengthen our position and service to our members.
Chris Sparrow
President
