WA Women Engineers
Engineers Australia WA Division Women Presidents
Carol Jelley was the first woman to be a WA Division President in 2003. Carol was profiled in the Engineers Australia “Stories of Inspiration” in 2007. An extract from “Stories of Inspiration” for Carol is available here.
Whilst it took 84 years for a woman to become WA Division President, Carol has been followed by five more Presidents at a much shorter interval.
A list of women Presidents to date is:
- 2003 - Carol Jelley
- 2008 - Lorie Jones
- 2013 - Helen Pedersen
- 2020 - Jillian Formentin
- 2022 - Jodey Brockhurst/Shalini Saldanha
- 2023 - Shalini Saldanha (refer UWA Changemaker - Shalini Saldanha)
Consult Australia WA Chapter Women Chair
Judith Uren was the first woman Chair of the Western Australian Chapter of Consult Australia (formerly known as Association of Consulting Engineers Australia) being elected in 2010. (Source: Linked In)
Engineers Australia WA Division Women Honorary Fellows
Sue Murphy was the first woman to be a WA Division Honorary Fellow in 2013. Sue was also profiled in the Engineers Australia “Stories of Inspiration” in 2007. An extract from “Stories of Inspiration” for Sue is available here.
Sue has also completed an oral history interview with Engineering Heritage and a copy of the transcript for that interview is available here.
University of Western Australia Celebrates Women in Engineering (Friday, 19 October 2007)
Women are in a unique position to be able to bring exceptional life skills to the workplace, according to one of The University of Western Australia’s first female engineering graduates, Sue Murphy. Ms Murphy, who was also the first female engineer employed by Western Australian construction firm Clough Engineering, will be the guest speaker at a cocktail party to honour women in engineering at The University of Western Australia’s Watersports Complex, from 6.30pm 8.30pm next Friday, October 26, 2007.
Speaking at an International Women’s Day celebration at UWA earlier this year, Ms Murphy urged women to bring their life skills to work with them. These included negotiation skills, political strategic positioning and communication skills. “All of us juggle lives and work, yet most of us draw a line between the two. We can achieve significant diversity by simply merging our work selves with our out of work selves. If we can bring whole people to work instead of just a part of them, we can harness unbelievable skills.”
UWA Vice Chancellor Alan Robson said female engineering graduates had made a significant contribution to the state’s development. “I’m delighted that their achievements are being recognised at this event,” Professor Robson said. “The University of Western Australia has produced some outstanding graduates, including Kirsty Newton, a mechanical engineering graduate who was one of this year’s recipients of the General Sir John Monash Award.”
Ms Murphy, who now works as General Manager of Planning and Infrastructure at the Water Corporation, graduated in civil engineering in 1979 from The University of Western Australia.
Engineers Australia has named 2007 the Year of Women in Engineering in a bid to educate people about engineering, the role of women in engineering and to showcase the successes and achievements of female engineers.
The University of Western Australia has had 875 women graduate with Bachelors of Engineering since 1973. This event is hosted by UWA’s Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, as part of The Year of Women in Engineering.
University of Western Australia First Woman Graduate
Ros MacKinlay (nee Clarke) was the first woman to graduate in engineering from UWA. She graduated with an Honours Degree in Civil/Structural Engineering having completed the 4 year course in 1970. Ros worked as a Senior Structural Engineer at Wyche Consulting.
