Living One TMR
Here at Transport and Main Roads, we know that in today’s knowledge-based global economy, innovative, adaptable and engaged employees are a critical asset to ensure we deliver the best outcomes for Queenslanders.
Our people are our most important asset, so we'll be showcasing some of our best talent, from across the department, who put our customers first and deliver the best outcomes for Queenslanders.
Chris Russell – Director, Hydraulics & Flooding
Chris Russell is the Director – Hydraulics & Flooding for the department. He has been with the department for just over two years, having previously spent over 27 years as a consultant in the private sector. Chris’ technical background is in hydrology and hydraulics, having been involved in all manner of flooding and drainage investigations and designs both in Australia and Asia. Since joining the department, Chris has been involved in providing hydraulic advice to the various regions of TMR plus assisting with the hydraulic specification, tender evaluation and peer review of major projects including the Toowoomba Range Second Crossing, Gateway Upgrade North and the Bruce Highway Upgrade (Caloundra Rd to Sunshine Motorway). He also assisted Crown Law and the State with hydraulic advice in relation to the Grantham Floods Commission of Inquiry.
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Video transcript
TMR is a great place to work, the people are fantastic and they are just an absolute pleasure to deal with so I really enjoy working with the people and it’s the technical challenges as well. We’ve got a problem to solve pretty much every day.
What motivated me to join TMR, I’ve had my eye on the director hydraulics role for some time. It’s a role that’s very high profile in the Queensland market. It’s a very technically interesting role and it comes with a lot of industry gravitas if you like so I’d always wanted to do a period of public service and when I saw the role was coming up I decided to apply and go for it and was thrilled when I got to the interview and then the offer of the job.
I’m a real people-person, I always have been and so empowering people to give their best is something that really gives me a buzz and so empowering people is the value that really rings to me.
So our work ongoing is to look at how we can make our infrastructure more resilient and able to accommodate these extreme weather events and so it’s really important work that we do and what we will be doing is making sure that our infrastructure is more resilient into the future which will be a benefit for all people of Queensland.
We’re also currently collaborating with the bureau of meteorology looking at how we can use rainfall forecasts to better manage our road infrastructure with flood closures so that’s an exciting piece of work, early days yet, but there is lots of potential with that.
In terms of a young person wanting to join the department, I’d say go for it. This is a fabulous place to work, TMR. As I mentioned before, there’s fabulous people and the skill set available in the department is just extraordinary, it’s superb and so you will learn heaps, you will have great projects to work on and you will have a great time so I’d say go for it.
Jamie Murray, Graduate Civil Engineer and Joshua Pe Benito, Graduate Business Analyst
The Graduate Development Program is a key focus of TMR to attract and retain talented graduates and strengthen our capability areas. It’s also about encouraging new ways of working in TMR—and thinking—as well as planning for the future by investing in our next generation of leaders. Hear our energetic TMR graduates Jamie and Joshua share their experience about working with the department.
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Jamie: I applied for the TMR Graduate Program because during university, traffic and transport was what I was passionate about, so I went straight for the program and I was lucky enough to actually receive a graduate role.
Joshua: The best part of the TMR Graduate Program is the people. I get to work with people really passionate about what they do, and you can see with the work that we do it really contributes to the success of the Department and also to the Queensland Community.
Jamie:Hi, I’m Jamie Murray, I’m a graduate civil engineer with the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Joshua: My name is Joshua Benito and I’m a graduate business analyst at the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Jamie:Working for Queensland Government means I can work on projects that are beneficial for Queenslanders and the community. In the transport space it means I can work on projects that work towards a single integrated transport system that’s accessible to all Queenslanders and that’s something I feel is worth working for.
Joshua: I recommend the Graduate Program to anyone who’s really passionate about change and who really wants to have a challenge in what they do. Here at TMR we value innovation and being yourself, and anyone who wants to make a change and make a really great impact in the community should apply for the TMR Graduate Program.
Jared - Manager, Batter Slope Element
A Principal Engineering Geologist, Jared has been with the department for 15 years leading and managing complex geological projects. He started with TMR as graduate geologist, building his career to become a leading expert in his field offering valuable input into ensuring the department's compliance with vital geotechnical standards.
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Jared Lester: What motivates me to come to work every day is that I never know what’s going to happen in landslides it could rain an emergency could happen you could be all of a sudden heading off to the mountains to check on a rock fall. So it can be quite exciting. In those scenarios you can actually make a difference on the outcome and the effects on the community and protecting them from risks of landslides so its quiet rewarding.
My name is Jared Lester I work as the manager for Batter Slope Element in Pavements, Materials and Geotechnical in Brisbane. Since starting a career as a geologist in TMR it’s just continually progressed and now I have ended up in a management position for my group the Batter slope element. So it has been an enjoyable ride. I enjoy helping people and through TMR I feel like we have an opportunity to help the community in providing improved services for the road network. From my experience there is a lot of opportunities available and it’s up to you to have a go and make the most of that. Travel around as much as you can and see as many place as you can, get as many varied experiences and that will you a fantastic platform to be able to build a long term career with TMR.
Kelsea - Indigenous Cadet
Kelsea exemplifies the success of the department’s cadetship program. We are proud to have supported Kelsea from high school through to her completing a university degree. She is an inspiring young indigenous woman who has given back to the community through her roles in the Queensland Indigenous Youth Leadership Program, Mentor in the Young Achievers Program and the Outreach Ambassador for the University of Queensland.
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My name is Kelsea, I grew up in Bundaberg and I have a tight knit family. For anyone wanting to join TMR I would say go for it, it’s a great place to work.
I was offered a lot of opportunities that I don’t think I would have been offered if I was just going through University with a part-time job. The great things about working with TMR was my Team. I got placed in the Learning and Development Team which worked very well with my Education Degree.
The best thing about my team was that they were like a family to me. I got to work one on one pretty much with each member of my team and that helped, I gained a lot of skills from that cause I was able to see what they were good at and what they did in their job. The thing that motivates me to get up in the morning is know that I can do the best for my family and make them proud of me.
Leaving Bundaberg and my family was fairly tough because I hadn’t been away from home that much before. And so moving away I had to make new friends at university and I made new friends at TMR and that helped me a lot.
Last year I was invited back to Bundaberg to talk to graduating Year 12 students, indigenous students. My school asked me back because I was school captain in grade 12 so I went back and gave a speech about what it was like to move out of home and go to University and the struggles that I faced. I think it is important to go back to where I came from and to encourage other students to go on to further things that may not necessarily be in Bundaberg and just show them that they can do it if they put in hard work.
The advice I would give to young indigenous women wanting to follow in my footsteps is to embrace every opportunity. The reason I am where I am now because in Year 10 I applied for a scholarship, the education to employment scholarship with TMR and I was awarded the scholarship which meant that I was on the scholarship until I finished Year 12. I was then invited to a careers expo with the department and other government governments, I was then offered a cadetship. My cadetship has helped me all the way through my University degree. I feel like TMR has helped to empower me by awarded me the scholarship all way in year 10 to helping me through University and helping to get where I am today which is now a qualified teacher.
Damian Volker - Senior Technical Officer (Pavement and Rehabilitation)
Damian Volker works within our Infrastructure Management and Delivery Division. He was awarded the Young Stabiliser of the Year at AustStab's 2015 Awards for Excellence.
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Damian: I think TMR is a fantastic place for a young technical officer or young engineer to start their career.
The opportunities that you get in the candidate or especially in the graduate programs just gives you that exposure to all facets of road engineering and associated infrastructure works within Queensland.
Slide: Department of Transport and Main Roads presents Living One TMR
Damian: My name is Damian Volker from Pavement Rehabilitation unit within Engineering and Technology in the Department of Transport and Main Roads. I have been working with the department for 10 years now. I was originally born in Mackay in North Queensland. My position with Pavement Rehabilitation is a role that sees me travel all across the state to assist with the regions.
Within Pavement Rehab we are nearly considered like an in-house consultants so I wouldn’t be out there doing that unless I didn’t love what I did. I have got a Director named Jothi Ramanujan also known as Rama who is very well known throughout the department and Rama really gave me an opportunity to complete my Bachelor of Civil Engineering Degree.
Wining the Young Stabiliser of the Year award really has given me a voice and opportunity to spread the word to the rest of the department. I accepted the award as an individual but really there is a team of people that we have got in Pavement Rehabilitation and a director who has been with the department for twenty six years and its career long work that he has been doing as a pioneer in this area and for me to almost receive the award on the team’s behalf and on my director Rama’s behalf, yes it was really satisfying.
TMR is a fantastic place to work I think that the opportunities that you get and if you look at our TMR values; Unleash Potential and Empowerment of People and Being Courageous those three in particular, are things that I sort of see every day and that haven been instilled in me from my mentors and from the people I have actually worked with. And that’s taken me from my first day in TMR, quite literally crushing rocks in a dungeon of a laboratory to today, you know going on to complete a Civil Engineering Degree and really give back to the department with the opportunities the department has given me over the last ten years. And those opportunities are there for anyone who wants them. So for somebody new to the department I think the sky really is the limit.
Slide: Our values: Unleash potential, ideas into action, customers first, empower people, be courageous
Slide: One TMR
Slide: Connecting Queensland - A single inegrated transport network accessible to everyone
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