July 6, 2012
When Pat Williams took off his Ergon Energy safety vest for the last time today in Kingaroy, he was not retiring …
Instead, after 40 years service in the electricity industry – 28 of which were in Kingaroy – he’s moving to another job, looking after the cattle on his 300 acre property.
Pat’s service with Ergon is so respected that his manager, Peter Heilbronn, travelled from Townsville on Thursday to speak at a special afternoon tea held at the Kingaroy Ergon depot.
Pat worked his way through the ranks of the electricity provider: labourer, linesman, leading hand, supervisor and finally, in 2004, he was appointed Asset Inspection Officer for the southern region.
He told southburnett.com.au that he’d seen a lot of changes in the industry, but the one thing that hadn’t changed was his workmates.
“We’re always been one big family,” he said.
And that family extends all over Queensland – from Hervey Bay and Gin Gin, to Stanthorpe and Quilpie.
One of the highlights of Pat’s long career in the industry occurred during the drought of the 1990s when Boondooma Dam – which was vital to keep Tarong Power Station running – looked like it was going to run out of water.
The State Government decided to build a pipeline linking Wivenhoe Dam to Boondooma, but this pipeline crossed a mountain range. So a series of pumping stations had to be installed alongside a 66kV power line from Tarong to Wivenhoe.
Pat was appointed the Ergon representative on the job and was responsible for ensuring the successful supply of electricity.
Not only did he have to contend with 320 “constructions” (ie power poles), Pat also had to handle negotiations with customers and landholders while guiding the project through some of the region’s most inhospitable country.
“Pat completed the project on time and the water flowed before Tarong ran out,” Ergon Energy Area Services Manager John Box said.
Pat’s wife Sue joined him for his farewell afternoon tea on Thursday. The depot staff and former Ergon employees plan to hold a more formal farewell dinner on July 21 at the Booie Bello Vista.
