Recently retired Tweed Shire Council General manager, Mike Rayner, has taken out the Iinstiture of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) NSW Public Works Leader of the Year award held in Coffs Harbour earlier this month.
The IPWEA (NSW Division) presents the Engineering Excellence Awards each year to promote and recognise excellence of Local Government and public works projects. This is achieved through inspiration, innovation, developing and completion of projects and technical management by our members. The Public Works Leader of the Year Award was created to recognise the performance of an individual IPWEA (NSW) member for leadership in the delivery of public works.
Mr Rayner, who grew up in Coraki near Casino, graduated in civil engineering from Sydney University in 1975.
He began his career at the Sydney Water Board, followed by a stint in the Public Works Department (PWD).
Mr Rayner retired last month after a well rounded thirty-year career in Tweed Shire Council where, in 1982, he was appointed initially as a District Engineer to manage construction, maintenance, roads, drainage and bridges in one of Tweed Shire Council’s three districts.
He rose through the senior ranks of Manager Water, Director of Engineering Services and ultimately to General Manager.
The award recognises Mike’s strategic thinking, initiative and vision, which has led to the creation of the NSW Water Directorate, the NSW Water Loss Management Program and the Tweed/Kenya Mentoring Program.
By creating these services and programs, Mike’s leadership and commitment has countered the disintegration of the NSW local government water industry, delivered public works excellence to 96 regional councils serving communities of almost two million people in NSW, as well as making huge improvements in water, sanitation, hygiene and education for underprivileged communities abroad.
