People

Elisa Zavadil

Elisa graduated from Melbourne University with a combined degree in environmental engineering (honours) and science. She now specialises in fluvial geomorphology through undertaking a PhD at Melbourne University that was funding by the Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, and later affiliated with the eWater CRC. This research has focused on advancing the geomorphic criteria underpinning spatial scale hierarchies used in riverine ecosystem research and management.

Elisa has presented this work at several geomorphic and river management conferences (both in Australia and internationally), with associated publications. From both research and consulting perspectives, Elisa has experience in assessing geomorphic form and process, stream condition assessments, river health monitoring, desktop based modeling and design, and working with geographical information systems (GIS). She has experience in a range of waterway project across Victoria, with a strong focus on geomorphic assessments and the development of waterway management plans and stream rehabilitation works.

Ross Hardie

Ross is a Director of Alluvium Consulting Pty Ltd and has more than 19 years direct experience in the waterway management industry including the role of Technical Director of a major engineering consultancy. Ross has been responsible for the design and supervision of the major waterway management programs and projects throughout Victoria, and in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and South East Asia.

Ross specialises in the hydraulic and geomorphic assessment of stream systems, analysis of stream erosion and sediment deposition processes, streambed scour assessments, sediment transport and environmental flow investigations. Ross has designed and supervised onground waterway management and rehabilitation programs including management of waterway avulsions, stream bed and bank erosion, sediment management, willow management and streamside revegetation.

Ross is the author of the “Technical Guidelines for Waterway Management” a technical manual on the design and implementation of stream management works for the state government of Victoria, and has conducted training courses in Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland on the application and implementation of the principles of geomorphic channel design.

Dom Blackham

Dom is a fluvial geomorphologist with particular expertise in geomorphic investigation and analysis, stream rehabilitation, stormwater management in urban waterways and post-bushfire catchment response. Dom has worked as a consultant and researcher in Australia and UK for the last 15 years.

Dom was a member of the Co-operative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology (now eWater CRC) and carried out research into the role of riparian vegetation in controlling stream channel erosion funded by Land and Water Australia. The key finding from his research was that exotic grasses such as Phalaris spp. provide significant resistance to erosion and their removal through weed control and native revegetation programs may have the unintended consequence of increasing erosion rates.

Dom’s consulting activities have focussed on combining hydrology, hydraulics and fluvial geomorphology to develop sustainable catchment and river management solutions. He has been closely involved in the development of geomorphic flow objectives to control the impact on channel form of stormwater runoff from urban development and the assessment of various risks to river health and engineering infrastructure following bushfires. Dom maintains close links with research and academia through his Honorary Fellowship at Melbourne University and informal links with various researchers at eWater CRC.

Stuart Cleven

Stuart is an Environmental Engineer with over 7 years experience specialising in project management, concept design, detailed design, flow determination and flood modelling for stream rehabilitation works. Stuart has significant experience in designing rehabilitation works for asset protection where erosion control and bed and bank stability is a key priority. He has a strong understanding of waterway management processes as well as an applied understanding of best management practice solutions used to address waterway rehabilitation.

Stuart is also experienced in the disciplines of hydrology and hydraulics having undertaken modelling of urban and rural drainage systems, open channels, culverts and bridges using RORB, RIVER 2D, 12d and HEC-RAS modelling packages.

Misko Ivezich

Misko is an environmental engineer with an honours degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Before joining Alluvium he worked in conjunction with eWater CRC researching new modelling and optimisation techniques that could be applied to the sustainable management of catchments and waterways. Since joining Alluvium nearly five years ago he has gone on to complete a Graduate Certificate in River Health Management at Melbourne University.

Misko has strong geomorphic field assessment skills having inspected hundreds of rivers and streams across eastern Australia. As a result he has a strong understanding of waterway processes which complement his skills in hydrologic and hydraulic modelling. He has used his skills in engineering design, fluvial geomorphology, hydraulics and hydrology to deliver geomorphic investigations and design stream rehabilitation works throughout Australia.

Misko has been at the forefront of stream restoration science having authored or co-authored three papers at the recent Australian Stream Management Conference. In addition Misko leads the business in the application of LiDAR and other spatial data for hydro-geomorphic investigations and has used LiDAR datasets for a range of complex applied geomorphic investigations.

Vicki Gusner

Vicki has strong administrative, organisational and finance skills developed over 30 years working as a PA for executives in Accountancy and Financial organisations. She joined Alluvium a few months after the company was founded in 2006 and is one of our longest serving employees.

As Office Manager for Alluvium Melbourne, Vicki ensures the smooth running of day to day operations in our biggest office, oversees administration and HR, and manages the finances across all four offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Townsville and Canberra. She also organises our unique and much appreciated birthday cake program whereby each staff member must produce a high quality, home-made cake for the next person on the birthday list.

Mark Stacey

Environmental Scientist Mark Stacey specialises in water, river and catchment management. He has extensive experience in report writing and project management, an aptitude for reviewing and synthesising complex literature and very strong analytical skills which he methodically applies to geospatial, hydrologic and geomorphic and applications.

Mark’s technical and project management expertise is complimented by a thorough understanding of the mechanics of government and the trade-offs involved in natural resources management, honed during his secondment in the Victorian Office of Water (2009-11). In a recent project for the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, he oversaw the largest update of Victoria’s wetland inventory since the early 1990s by improving the spatial accuracy of existing wetland mapping across the state, developing and applying a new wetland classification and typology, and delineating many thousands of new and existing wetlands.

A passionate advocate for environmental sustainability and the balanced use of our water resources, Mark was selected to undertake the Centre for Sustainability Leadership course and volunteers as a committee member for the River Basin Management Society and the City West Water Community Liaison Committee.

Michael Bain

Michael is one of Alluvium’s most senior civil engineers with 31 years experience in infrastructure planning and design with a focus on the environmental and waterways sectors. He specialises in combining river health and civil engineering knowledge to achieve targeted environmental outcomes.

Michael has particular skills in hydraulic and civil design, construction management and environmental assessment. His multi‐disciplinary approach to rivers and catchment management has contributed to the successful completion of a large range of works and measures and environmental projects in Australia and overseas.

When not developing engineering and environmental solutions, Michael likes to spend time with his family, his local church and on walking trips in different parts of Victoria.

Kelly Stanhope

Kelly is a highly skilled cartographer with over 12 years experience in mapping, drafting, graphic design and data management and validation. She was originally attracted to cartography as it combines all the things she loves - maths, geography and art – and now uses her knowledge for a broad range of design, planning and mapping applications.

At Alluvium, Kelly focuses primarily on cartography and drafting. She specialises in spatial presentation and data analysis and works across a diverse range of projects including geomorphic assessment, stream stabilisation, design and strategic advice. Her attention to detail and spatial awareness are integral to her approach and are evident in her final products.

Previously, Kelly worked predominantly in the mining and natural resources industries producing detailed environmental and geological maps and high quality diagrams. Her graphical presentations have been used by senior geologists for national and international conferences and publications.

Amanda Wealands

Amanda graduated from RMIT with an honours degree in environmental engineering. She specialises in environmental water management, strategic evaluation and waterway rehabilitation design, and has experience in a diverse range of waterway projects in south eastern Australia.

Amanda has a strong understanding of the policy and strategic planning of the Australian natural resource management industry through completion of a Graduate Certificate in River Health at Melbourne University and work in the government sector. Amanda is leading the business in the development of monitoring and evaluation consulting by bring together her strong technical base with best practice program logic and other group facilitation methods.

Amanda is an active member of the catchment management industry in her role as immediate past president of the River Basin Management Society. She also completed the Fellowship program with the Centre for Sustainability Leadership in 2009.

Kane Travis

Kane is a co-founder and Director of Alluvium Consulting in Melbourne and has over 20 years of experience in the delivery of environmental programs and projects. With an Applied Science Degree and postgraduate MBA focused on corporate sustainability, Kane has developed a broad level of experience in policy, strategic planning and implementation projects in both urban and rural Australia.

Kane has a strong background in NRM policy, planning and environmental works through eight years of employment with the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, and a further four years with Melbourne Water delivering operational management of waterways, and negotiation of environmental and water quality outcomes with the land development industry. Kane’s consulting experience has focused on supporting clients with NRM strategy development the evaluation of planning and implementation policy and programs.

In addition to his technical focus, Kane leads the client relationship parts of the business which has culminated in Alluvium winning the 2007 “Most Innovative” professional services firm, and in 2010 being awarded the “Best Engineering Firm (<50M)” in the prestigious BRW Client Choice Awards.

Jason Carter

Jason is based in Townsville and is the Natural Resources and Business Manager of Alluvium’s Queensland Office with 20 years experience in natural resource management and planning gained in roles for both government (6 years) and in the consulting industry (14 years).

During his professional career Jason has specialised in river, wetland and catchment management projects in South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. Jason is experienced in the management and delivery of large multi-disciplinary natural resource management projects with a particular emphasis on rivers and wetlands. Other areas of expertise include impact assessment, stakeholder consultation and Australian native fish.

Combining his love of fish and desire to make a difference, Jason’s enthusiasm for his work is evident to his clients and has resulted in much repeat business and ongoing projects.

Rohan Lucas

Rohan has over ten years experience in environmental and natural resource management with a focus on waterways. This experience has been gained in a consulting role servicing government and industry clients in Australia and Asia.

Rohan has had extensive involvement in the planning and implementation of catchment and watercourse management programs for Catchment Management Authorities or equivalents in Victoria and South Australia and for River Murray Water and DNRM on the Murray River, NSW. Rohan also has extensive experience with private industry clients including large mining companies and infrastructure developers in particular in central and north Queensland.

Tyson Smalley

Graduating from Adelaide University with an honours degree in Environmental Science Tyson has spent the last 10 years working as an environmental consultant in varying capacities and is now a co-founder of Alluvium Consulting Townsville. His career has seen him develop exceptional knowledge and communication skills working as a project manager, coordinator and field officer for numerous catchment, riverine and water management projects within Queensland, Victoria and Singapore for clients such as Department of Defence, mining companies, NRM bodies, local government and civil engineering firms.

Tyson has developed a sound understanding of natural resource management objectives required to balance the environmental, economic and social needs of the community and is able to provide recommendations for river restoration and management planning, catchment management and water quality control to a wide selection of community, government and non government organisations.

His experience is diverse and is considered to a be a jack of all trades enabling him to multi-task and deliver requirements for his clients, as evidenced by his numerous seconded roles as a Regional River Health Strategy officer for NECMA or supervising as an Environmental Officer at BMA coal mines.

Joanne Crerar

Joanne is a Senior Environmental Engineer with Alluvium Consulting, specialising in hydraulic modelling and natural channel design. Joanne’s work with Alluvium has been primarily focused on mining; in particular the design of river rehabilitation and diversion works.

Joanne has also undertaken considerable work on the assessment of impacts of longwall mining related subsidence on surface water. This has included a cumulative impacts study of mine developments on a 100km section of the Isaac River in Central Queensland. This study was the first of its kind in Queensland and was funded jointly by BMA and Anglo Coal, with Qld’s Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) also a major stakeholder.

Prior to joining Alluvium, Joanne worked in impact assessment and obtaining EIS approvals for large infrastructure projects in both Australia and overseas, including oil and LNG gas facilities, power stations and wastewater treatment works.

Luke Sunner

Graduating from Central Queensland University with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) with First Class Honors Luke is a local engineer to Central and North Queensland with 5 years professional experience in engineering design, assessment and waterway rehabilitation gained in positions within both government and the consulting industry.

Luke has experience working on projects for both government and industry clients in Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales involving mining, land holder and government representatives. Luke has been an integral member of Alluvium Consulting (Queensland) since it was founded in 2006. Luke’s skills include: hydrologic and hydraulic assessments; development of waterway management strategies including design of works, rehabilitation and monitoring of waterways, watercourse diversions and subsidence affected waterways; and construction supervision.

Greg Ellett

Greg is a Civil Engineer and Ecologist with a passion for natural sciences. He specialises in waterway management, stream rehabilitation and ecological assessments and feels most at home working on projects where he can combine his engineering and vegetation knowledge.

Greg’s work experience spans a large geographical area and he has worked for both government and non-government organisations on urban and rural water projects across Eastern Australia and Queensland. On a secondment to Melbourne Water, he worked in the waterway design team to assess and design stream stabilisation strategies. During a longer secondment to the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, his position as catchment engineer involved the development and implementation of the on-ground works program, the statutory approval of works on waterways, coordinating the development of stormwater management plans and a period as floodplain manager. He also has experience in natural disaster recovery. In 1998 Greg was part of a small team involved in initial flood damage assessments in East Gippsland and North East Victoria and subsequently, one of the designers on a team for the East Gippsland Flood Response Program; a large contract for design and construction of remedial works.

Over the last 10 years in Queensland, the majority of Greg’s work has been in the mining industry where he has applied his knowledge of landform design, hydraulic modelling, hydrology and ecology to the rehabilitation, design and monitoring of stream diversions in Central and Southern Queensland. More recently, Greg has been involved in the design and construction of bank stabilisation works in urban settings.

Rachel England

Rachel joined the Alluvium team in June 2007. Rachel is an environmental scientist with over five years experience in natural resource management gained in roles for both government and in the private sector. During her professional career Rachel has specialised in environmental management system (EMS) implementation and auditing, biological weed control, quarantine import risk assessments and land management.

Rachel has particular interest and skills in environmental capacity building in developing countries, having spent 12 months in Samoa for AusAID in 2004. Since then Rachel has worked with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) focusing on impact assessments, EMS implementation and auditing, activity-based environmental risk management and direct land management of the Defence estate in North Queensland.

Carolyn Lynn

Carolyn has 30 years administrative and accounting experience in Australia and overseas with various construction, industrial and commercial companies. Her key skill areas are: office administration, accounts management and data input.

David Reid

With a background in Government, David undertook a number of diverse roles including community engagement, soil conservation, remnant native vegetation promotion and Landcare. David has a strong focus on field assessment techniques for water quality and wetland / riparian plant monitoring and survey, and more recently broader programme management with the regional Natural Resource Management body (Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM).

James Allen

James joined Alluvium Consulting as a graduate environmental engineer in 2009 and has worked on a diverse range of waterway management projects. Over the past three years he has developed strong skills in the areas of hydraulic modeling, hydrologic modeling, design of watercourse diversions, maintenance and watercourse rehabilitation works (including bank stabilisation and other erosion protection works), condition monitoring and impact assessment.

Recently James has been applying his modeling skills in the area of flood modeling for the purpose of flood risk assessment. Additional experience includes ground water and surface water quality monitoring and terrestrial sediment and erosion assessment.

Having been involved in numerous field assessments of waterways across Central and Northern Queensland, James applies real world experience to complex desktop modelling, assessment and design problems to deliver sustainable environmental solutions.

Alan Davidson

Alan graduated from Abertay University Dundee, Scotland, in 2007 with a BSc in Natural Resources Management. Following this, Alan worked in Flood Risk, Drainage and Contaminated Land for a medium sized consultancy in Scotland. During this period, he gained considerable experience in hydraulic modeling, particularly in urban settings.

Alan has recently migrated to Australia with his wife, who originates from Townsville. Since commencing employment with Alluvium Consulting, Alan has been working on watercourse diversions in the Bowen Basin, Queensland, wetland design and fish pass hydraulic modeling, where he is gaining a broad experience of Australian engineering practices.

Adam Neilly

Adam completed his joint degree in a Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) with Class I Honours/ Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) at James Cook University in 2008. He joined Alluvium Consulting at the beginning of 2010 after gaining experience as a Research Officer at James Cook University in 2009 whilst working on a Master of Engineering Science by research.

In the two years Adam has been with Alluvium, he has developed skills in the areas of 1D and 2D hydraulic modelling, design of watercourse diversions, design of watercourse rehabilitation works (such as bank stabilisation and erosion protection works), hydrologic modelling, surface water quality monitoring and diversion condition monitoring and assessment.

Adam has most recently been utilising his hydrologic modelling, 1D and 2D hydraulic modelling and design skills for the purpose of flood risk assessment and watercourse diversion design associated with a major greenfield development of a new mine in Queensland.

Adam’s previous experience as Acting Environmental Advisor at Century Mine whilst a student at James Cook University, as well as a four month secondment as an Environmental Advisor to a mine site in the Bowen Basin whilst at Alluvium, gives him an excellent real-world understanding of the mining industry and the environmental challenges it faces.

Matt Francey

Matt joined Alluvium in October 2009 after spending eight years in the Waterways group at Melbourne Water. During that time Matt started and led the Stormwater Quality team which ran programs such as the construction of wetlands to reduce nitrogen loads into Port Phillip Bay, the Lower Yarra and Living Rivers programs focussing on WSUD and implementation of stormwater controls for development. Key projects during that period included the development and implementation of the nitrogen offsets program for Port Phillip Bay and the preparation of WSUD Engineering Procedures: Stormwater, which became the standard technical document for WSUD design. He completed his PhD looking at the generation of urban stormwater pollutants in 2010.

From 2007 Matt was the Manager of the River Health program at Melbourne Water which involved leading a team of 50 staff who managed over 8400km of rivers and creeks, two RAMSAR listed wetlands and other sites of biodiversity significance. During his time there the River Health program grew from a $20M to over $50M per year program with significant emphasis on the evaluation of outcomes and the scientific basis of waterway works.

Matt has published papers and presented at conferences both across Australia and internationally, and in 2005 was recognised for his leadership by representing Melbourne Water on a study tour of integrated water management to North America.

Clare Ferguson

Clare’s passion for rivers originates from growing up beside the Macalister River in eastern Victoria, and her rural background gives her inherent experience in relating both to landholders and to river processes. Clare’s environmental engineering degree focussed on catchment hydrology, geomorphology and project management. During her studies, she worked in both the public and private sectors.

Since starting with Alluvium in 2010, Clare has developed a strong foundation in capacity assessment, stream stability, geomorphic assessment, data collation and analysis, and stakeholder engagement. She has worked on a variety of projects including the River Styles® assessments for 15,000km of waterways in northern NSW, and was instrumental in Melbourne Water’s Needs Analysis Assessment of 36 council’s capacity to manage stormwater. More recently, Clare’s attention has been turned towards design of structures and management strategies for stream stablisation. 

Darcy Moar

Growing up in dry, inland Australia made Darcy acutely aware of how precious water is and sparked an interest in using sound science to protect and enhance the ecological and community value of water resources. His interest in water grew while studying Environmental Engineering and he now applies technical skills with his resourcefulness and problem solving abilities to river rehabilitation, environmental water and geomorphic projects.

While Darcy’s diverse experience and flexibility enables him to work on a variety of projects, his main expertise is combining an understanding of natural processes with engineering skills to design and build stream stability systems and structures. On a long term secondment with North Central CMA, he project managed the design and installation of numerous stream stability measures across the catchment.

Darcy’s practical bent is complemented by a strong interest in flow science and geomorphology. He recently worked with a group of scientists and engineers to determine environmental flow requirements of the Yanco Creek system in southern NSW, and he has extensive experience in the interpretation of topographical data (LiDAR) for desktop geomorphic investigations in both urban and rural catchments.

Rob Catchlove

Rob coordinates the integrated water management practice at Alluvium where he translates the latest science and innovation into on-ground outcomes. He specialises in leading large multidisciplinary teams which bring together engineers, landscape architects, environmental scientists and community representatives to develop integrated strategies for managing water in cities.

Before joining Alluvium, Rob worked at the Bureau of Meteorology and Melbourne Water. His experience in working across all levels of government is complemented by strong analytical and technical skills in hydrology, flood forecasting, WSUD, community engagement, stakeholder evaluation, social research and marketing.

Rob is committed to research. He has presented more than 10 papers at national conferences on water sensitive urban design, water sensitive cities, liveability, capacity building, radar rainfall modelling and urban water issues. In 2009 he led a group of young professionals from the Australian water sector on a study tour to Europe to learn from cities at the forefront of integrated water management. Recently, he was awarded a VicWater grant by the Victorian Water Minister to examine community perspectives on the role water on liveability.

Toni Beadle

Toni Beadle

Toni has worked in the engineering field for 6 years starting out working for a Water Authority in the southeast of England where she provided cost estimates for new connections to existing and new build projects. This involved assessing soil reports, calculating infrastructure charges and confirming the existing system’s capacity to accommodate further large scale development (residential and industrial).

Toni then went on to work for CampbellReith as a CAD engineer where she developed her engineering skills in drainage and highway design. During her time with CampbellReith she completed both an ONC and a HNC in civil engineering with distinction.

Toni recently migrated to Australia and since joining Alluvium she has been producing AutoCAD drawings for projects and is also developing her skills in 12D design whilst working on stream diversions for various mining companies including Anglo Coal, and BMA.

Brett Twycross

With 4 years experience working in Government roles and a further 4 years in the consulting environment, Brett brings to Alluvium a solid understanding of the requirements of both the client and consultant. Having returned from 6 years working in the UK, Brett has an extensive background in hydraulic modelling (both 1D and 2D) and GIS. Brett’s other key experience includes strategic investigation and infrastructure planning. His key strengths lay in his ability to learn on the job, putting his strong computer knowledge to use and quickly getting to the core of the problem. Now living in Townsville, Brett’s now expanding his knowledge into the field of mining and hydrology while trying to get used to the heat.

Leonie Duncan

Leonie has a degree in Social Science and over 10 years experience in the environment sector. Her key areas of expertise are in community engagement, stakeholder relations, social research and communications.

Leonie’s career began with a focus on environmental management in the mining sector, where she ran Australia-wide designed programs to build bridges and exchange knowledge between industry, researchers and government. It was a trip in 2004 to South Australia’s Coorong that sparked Leonie’s interest in river health. On her return Leonie helped establish the Yarra Riverkeeper Association – now recognized as the key community voice for Melbourne's Yarra River.

As Manager of Environment Victoria’s Healthy Rivers Campaign, Leonie worked with various interest groups to promote the importance of environmental flows and sustainable water management. She also led Environment Victoria’s community engagement program, designed to cultivate grassroots stewardship of the state’s rivers, creeks and wetlands. In partnership with Catchment Management Authorities and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Leonie created the ‘Your River’ and ‘Storylines’ initiatives. These innovative programs captured the stories of connection between people and their river systems as a means to celebrate, educate and motivate.

Leonie possesses good insight into policy development, delivery and review through her experience on various water sector stakeholder committees, including those coordinated by Melbourne Water, The Department of Sustainability and Environment and South East Water.

Leonie is passionate about working with a broad range of people to explore potential new futures for our urban and rural waterscapes.
 

Ciara Noone

Ciara is an Environmental Engineer with experience in modelling and design and a fascination with how engineering solutions can be used to maximise the way we use water, our most precious resource. Her double degree in Environmental Engineering (Hons) and Arts (International Studies, Spanish) focused on catchment hydrology, hydrological processes and environmental engineering management and design. During her studies, she furthered her knowledge of environmental flows, waste water management and sustainable engineering while on exchange in Dublin and Mexico and undertook final year research in sustainable water practices in the construction industry.

Since joining Alluvium, Ciara has worked in both the Melbourne and Townsville offices on a variety of mining and water sensitive urban design (WSUD) projects utilising her design and modelling expertise on open channel diversions, flood modelling and drainage strategies.

Hamid Ghajarnia

Hamid joined Alluvium in October 2011 after spending eight years working for Yekom, an international consulting firm in Iran. During that time Hamid has worked as project manager, lead designer and modeller in numerous waterway stability assessments, flood studies, river restoration and stormwater management projects. Hamid has experience in one- and two-dimensional hydraulic modelling and geomorphic studies in rivers throughout Iran and Australia. He has extensive experience in designing river restoration, bank and bed protection and flood mitigation systems.

James Fitzgerald

James’ professional experience is in civil engineering in the government, resource and energy sectors. He has strong skills in hydraulic and hydrologic modelling, terrain modelling, and maintenance and watercourse rehabilitation works. He also has experience in drainage design in road and rail environments, chute and culvert design, detailed road and rail design and project engineering.

Since joining Alluvium, James has worked for both the Townsville and Melbourne offices on a mixture of waterway rehabilitation, urban water and engineering projects. In a recent project for Melbourne Water, he delivered the design work for a new section of Little Stringybark Creek which replaced over 3km of asbestos pipe. By working closely with the client, contractor and community stakeholders, James utilised his strong understanding of waterway management processes and community engagement to deliver the project. More recently, James has applied his flood modelling skills to flood risk assessments for mining clients across Queensland.

James has a passion for community development. In his spare time he volunteers for Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) where he enjoys utilising his engineering knowledge for humanitarian outcomes. Over the last few years, he has been at the forefront of rebranding EWB and was responsible for establishing the Victorian Region Chapter in 2010.

David Barratt

David joined Alluvium in July 2011 after 17 years in environmental and agricultural agencies in the Australian Public Service. Initially joining the Australian Nature Conservation Agency in 1995, David spent the last 3 years of his career in the Service as Director of Water Resources Assessment at the Bureau of Meteorology. For five years prior to that, David was a Director in the Bureau of Rural Sciences, leading teams in drought assessment, climate science and water resources reporting.

David has almost 20 years experience in regional to continental-scale natural resources assessment and reporting in Australia. In the 1990s, he undertook forest biodiversity assessments in the development of Regional Forest Agreements between State and Australian governments. He also worked on defining and populating indicators of marine disturbance in support of marine park planning processes and State of the Environment reporting.

In the Bureaus of Meteorology and Rural Sciences, David and his staff developed regional water balance frameworks to underpin National Water Accounts, produced Australian Water Resources Assessment reports, and modelled and published regional water balance data for the Australian continent. He was also involved with R&D on the application of risk management frameworks to climate change adaptation in agriculture.

Danielle Oldroyd

Dani has extensive experience working within the environmental tourism industry, having worked passionately as a guide in both Kakadu, and on the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. Now, after years of showcasing Australia's alluring tropical landscape, she aims to contribute to its protection.

Her strengths include the ability to learn quickly on the job, strong interpersonal skills and a passion for all things environmental. She enjoys conquering all challenges thrown her away, and ultimately cannot wait for her next assignment to the field.

Oliver Woodward

Oliver is a skilled draftsman with a 7 year background in architecture, specialising in projects such as town planning, medical centres and housing with an emphasis on sustainable urban design and building thermal efficiency.

Moving to Townsville with his family escaping the cold Tasmanian winters gave him the opportunity to join the Alluvium team where a wealth of project variety has allowed Oliver to further his drafting skills. This has included the preparation of design drawings, the use of 12D Model and GIS analysis.

Steve Skull

Steve is the Regional Manager of Alluvium Brisbane, and draws on a 20 year career in natural resource management complimented by formal management qualifications.

Steve’s work for state agencies spans water resource management and planning, environmental regulation, nature conservation and experience with a wide range of industries including mining and major infrastructure providers. In the local government context Steve has been responsible for the development, delivery and evaluation of environmental policies and programs covering waterway management, climate change, biodiversity, peak oil and sustainability.

Steve has also been intimately involved with natural resource management planning and implementation at regional scales. In South East Queensland he was the inaugural chair of the Executive Officers Group supporting the CEOs Committee for NRM. In this role he led the development and coordination of priority projects to ensure the successful implementation of the SEQ NRM Plan. Throughout his career Steve’s work has been recognised by a number of prestigious environmental awards including the International River Foundation’s National Riverprize, the Healthy Waterways Minister’s Grand Prize and the Banksia Awards.
 

Selene Conn

Selene has a Masters of Science from the University of Auckland specialising in fluvial geomorphology. Before emigrating to Australia, she worked in environmental consulting in New Zealand across a range of river, wetland, stormwater and vegetation management projects.

Selene is passionate about riparian ecosystems and has been involved in numerous river restoration projects for local government and applied the River Styles Framework to urban streams in Auckland. She has provided specialist advice for community programs aiming at achieving a balance between ecological restoration, stormwater conveyance and fluvial processes.

Since commencing at Alluvium, Selene has been working on diversion monitoring projects throughout the Bowen Basin (Central Queensland) and is currently involved with vegetation monitoring and revegetation plans in the region.

Jacob Dearlove

Jacob joined Alluvium in 2012 after graduating from James Cook University as an environmental engineer. While at university, Jacob gained experience in the theoretical and practical aspects of engineering through working part time at the internal research department and various engineering and environmental companies.

At Alluvium, Jacob has worked extensively with design and modelling tools such as 12D, GIS and 1D hydraulic modelling. He has been involved in a diverse range of projects including hydraulic modelling, diversion design and monitoring, erosion control and waterway stabilisation across northern and central Queensland.

Ginni Glyde

Ginni completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science in 2010 at the University of Canberra with a mixed major in International Politics and Anthropology. Her studies included a unit undertaken in Malaysia studying the conservation practices and plans for Malaysia’s tropical biodiversity, geomorpholocial and cultural heritage.

While studying part time, Ginni was a project manager at the National Water Commission focusing on aquatic ecology research in the Raising National Water Standards program. She delivered a suite of projects that developed the national Framework for the Assessment of River and Wetland Health (FARWH) and also contributed to the National Waterbird Assessment and the Ecological Outcomes of Flow Regimes.

Ginni was actively involved in establishing the Australian Water Associations ACT branch of Young Water Professionals and completed the Australian Groundwater School intensive course with the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training. Since joining Alluvium, Ginni has worked on the Technical Guidelines for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and a diverse variety of mining and environmental projects for the growing Brisbane office.

Jonathon McLean

Jonathon is a leading urban water practitioner who is actively involved in implementing best practice for urban stormwater, waterways and recycling. He joined Alluvium as a senior consultant in 2012 to provide strategic advice on sustainable water systems for built and natural environments.

Jonathon draws on his strong background in technical design and understanding of stakeholder expectations and objectives to deliver projects from planning through to implementation. He has worked closely with Melbourne Water, local governments and developers to identify, evaluate, plan and deliver sustainable water initiatives utilising innovative research to manage the urban water cycle. One of his projects, Aurora, broke new ground in integrated water management and was identified by the National Water Commission as an icon Water Senstive Urban Design (WSUD) project.

In-addition to presenting at numerous forums and seminars, Jonathon also has an ongoing engagement with Clearwater to deliver state-wide training sessions to industry on integrated water management, stormwater harvesting and WSUD.

Penny Clark

Penny is a civil engineer with a keen interest in water management. She has seven years experience working on water related projects for government and environmental consulting firms and enjoys using her skills in hydrology and hydraulics to promote best practise use of water resources.

Penny has very strong numeric and analytical capabilities and extensive experience in hydrologic and hydraulic modelling and geographical information systems (GIS). Her practical experience includes using GIS to examine options for environmental watering of Murray River floodplain sites and applying 1D -2D hydraulic modelling to upgrade drainage in numerous urban catchments including the Elwood Canal.

She also has a deep understanding of the water entitlement framework in Victoria developed during a two year stint at the Department of Sustainability and Environment. During this time, Penny worked with software developers, rural water authorities and policy staff to produce reports and analysis on water use, trade and allocations and enhance the reporting functionality of the Victorian Water Register (Victoria’s database of water entitlements).

Matilda Bowra

Matilda Bowra is an administrator and freelance writer with a life-long interest in the environment. Her love of the natural world was fostered growing up on a farm in northern Victoria where the vagaries of the weather from droughts to floods dramatically affected the fortunes of the family farm.

Matilda has a Bachelor of Economics and post graduate qualifications in professional writing. She worked as an administrator for corporate and non-profit organisations including IBM and Earthwatch Australia and prior to starting at Alluvium, spent over a decade working as a freelance writer and editor. Her diverse writing experience includes articles for lifestyle magazines, scripts for short promotional films, brochures and manuals. She has also been published on numerous websites.

As the administrator for Alluvium’s Melbourne office, Matilda undertakes a large variety of tasks including coordinating travel arrangements, organising catering and events, managing office supplies and keeping Alluvium’s website up-to-date. She also works closely with Office Manager Vicki Gusner to support the Victorian team.

Warren Lee Long

Warren is a Catchment Management Specialist with over 29 years experience in wetlands, catchments, inland, coastal and marine systems - with particular expertise in ecology, conservation management, policy, research and monitoring. He has worked across wetlands in Australia, Oceania and Asia, and has expertise in tropical and temperate freshwater systems, estuaries, seagrasses, mangroves, coral reefs and shelf waters.

Warren provides assistance to governments on strategic planning, research and ecological assessments for catchments, wetlands and migratory waterbird programs. He also provides specialist input to management of internationally significant/ Ramsar listed wetlands and wetland conservation programs from local to national and international scales. He is an author on Ecological Character Descriptions for Ramsar sites, a Review Panel member on Australia’s Ramsar Management and Planning Program, and provided expert input to development of the national monitoring and review system for maintaining ecological character of Australia’s Ramsar sites.

He recently served as the international wetland management and monitoring expert for developing national guidelines and policy for managing Ramsar wetlands in China. As program coordinator of the East Asian–Australasian Shorebird Action Plan (2002-2006), Warren also managed and implemented national and site-based workshops and training courses in several countries for government, science and community-based environment programs.

Karen White

Karen is a chartered geomorphologist with a passion for combining science with strategy to find the best environmental solutions for rehabilitating and managing rivers and catchments. Her career has been characterised by innovation, leadership and an effective, pragmatic approach to bringing interdisciplinary teams of professionals together to develop ideas into practical outcomes.

Karen has a natural curiosity in utilising science to manage waterways and she continually strives to find new and better ways of doing things. She was at the forefront of trials examining the use of large woody debris in river rehabilitation, developed a mobile mapping tool using GIS to record field observations and data in real time, and promoted the use of bioengineering (use of vegetation) to stabilise banks including for one the biggest projects of its type; the London 2012 Olympic Waterways project on the River Lea in East London which transformed a forgotten river into a wildlife oasis.

As a child, Karen was fascinated with water and loved camping trips by rivers and estuaries. From drawing rivers in the sand with her fingers, she now creates large scale river restoration and catchment management strategies. Over the last 15 years, she has designed and advised on over 100 catchment management and river restoration schemes in Australia, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific.