Two Mallacoota residents have been recognised as part of this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list.
Dianne Blood was inducted as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the General Division for distinguished service to mechanical engineering through innovation and robotic design, and to diversity and inclusion.
Leo Op Den Brouw received and Emergency Services Medal (ESM) for distinguished service
as a member of an Australian
emergency service as a leader
of the local State Emergency Services unit.
Mrs Blood, aged 92, thought it was a prank phone call when she received the news of her AO.
“I’m still trying to come to terms with it,” she said.
“I’ve loved engineering, every minute of it. It comes with so many challenges, but it’s a wonderful career to have had.”
Mrs Blood has led a wonderfully interesting life and has always had her finger on the pulse of innovation.
“I was always a very free thinker,” she said.
“I’ve been around. I was invited by the US army to design for them, I’ve designed projects for BHP, CSR, Bundaberg Sugar, BP, have done projects in South-East Asia.”
Even into her 90s, Mrs Blood continues to keep her mind and body active in the engineering space, creating and making her own disability scooter.”
Mr Op Den Brouw is a community-minded citizen who “wanted to give back”.
“I just signed up with them (SES) and never looked back,” he said.
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From page 1
RESUMES
Dianne Blood
Engineers Australia
– Eminent Speaker, since 2010.
– Honorary Fellow, since 2012.
– Fellow, 2010-2012.
– Member, 1987-2010.
– Peter Nichol Russell Memorial Medal, 2023.
– AGM Michell Medal, College of Mechanical Engineers, 2010.
Engineering and Executive Roles
– Managing Director and Chair, D. Elford Machine Design Pty Ltd, 1976-2015.
– Director and Manager, Research and Design Engineering, Slamp Ltd, 1992-1998.
– Managing Director and Chair, Easy Place Trolleys Pty Ltd, 1995-1996.
– Managing Director and Chair, Automated Systems Innovation Pty Ltd, 1995-1996.
– Consultant, Food Plant Design, West Australian Overseas Project Authority, 1980-1984.
– Director, Cavsol Pty Ltd, 1980-1981.
– Managing Director, Weston Gold Pty Ltd, 1974-1978.
– Managing Director, Consolidated Foods Pty Ltd, 1976-1978.
– General Manager and Director, Manjimup Canning Co-Operative Ltd, 1972-1974.
– Associate Director and Executive Engineer, Kyabram Preserving Company Ltd, 1967-1972.
– A range of supervisory and executive roles, FMC Australia, 1954-1967.
The University of Western Australia
– Deputy Director, Automated Robotic Sheep Shearing Project, 1984-1992.
– Mechanical Design Consultant, Automated Robotic Sheep Shearing Project, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 1981-1992.
– Consultant Mechanical Design Engineer, Department of Geomechanics, 1988-1995.
– Mechanical Design Consultant, Department of Environmental Fluid Dynamics, 1984-1995.
– Mechanical Design Consultant, Material Research Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, 1983-1995.
Other Engineering
– Over 40 patented designs and inventions.
– Author, Engineering In Your Blood – A Lifetime Creating Unique Designs.
Awards and Recognition include:
– Inductee, Victorian Honour Roll of
Women, 2014.
– State First Prize, Slamp Manipulator, Victorian Agricultural Show.
– Joint Winner, International First Prize for Best Paper, Japanese Industrial Robotics Association, 1988.
Leo Op Den Brouw
Mr Leo Op Den Brouw of the Mallacoota Unit of the Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES), has been a volunteer member since November 19, 1985, holding the operational frontline positions of deputy controller and unit controller, also referred to as the officer in charge. He is currently serving as the
unit controller.
Mr Op Den Brouw was the leading representative of the unit membership for operational support to the Mallacoota and surrounds
fire response during the 2019-20 Victorian summer bushfires.
The VICSES response went for over four months and included providing staging area support, lighting support to staging areas and fire-stricken areas, along with road crash rescue response and all other VICSES responsibilities.
Mr Op Den Brouw and his membership of the unit supported the arrival of a Navy barge that contained 30,000 litres of fuel and a two-week supply of food and water for local residents and emergency services personnel. This barge returned to Melbourne with tourists who were stranded in Mallacoota with no way of returning home from their holidays.
The unit membership under Mr Op Den Brouw’s leadership assisted people with packing up their belongings and boarding the vessel.
Mr Op Den Brouw exemplifies dedication, skill, and composure in hazardous service. His outstanding achievements, life-saving actions, and commitment to leading and supporting those he works with are highly commendable.
