By Luke Voogt
An engineer that helped save Geelong’s waterfront recently won recognition as one of Victoria’s best.
The City’s manager engineering services Vicki Shelton won a state-wide award from a field of 500 entrants.
“I was very surprised and honoured,” she said.
Ms Shelton was Geelong City Council’s first female engineer in 138 years when she joined in 1986.
But she said being a woman in a male-dominated industry never bothered her.
“At uni it was two females and 70 guys in the four-year course – so I guess you get used to it. There’s more now which is great.”
If anything, it was “helpful with customers” ringing to complain, who would often calm down when they realised Ms Shelton was “the engineer”, she said.
Ms Shelton credits much of her success to her senior engineer mentors.
“And when I was out on the job with outdoor crews, I learnt a lot.”
She was proud of her role in protecting and enhancing Geelong’s iconic foreshore.
“It’s what you do behind the scenes,” she said.
“If we didn’t do that, we wouldn’t have something the community could use and be proud of.”
In 1990 erosion and storm water runoff were threatening Eastern Beach. At the same time, Bay City Plaza (now Westfield) was under construction.
Council used materials from demolished wool stores and industrial sites on the shopping complex site to fill in the beach, and built a sea wall.
“That helped create the foreshore from the Sailing Club and to the swimming pool enclosure,” Ms Shelton said.
“We build a lot of new things, but it’s also about protecting the heritage and the past.”
When Ms Shelton joined council (before amalgamation) there were roughly 50 staff with 10 in the engineering department.
“Now I’ve got 80 staff that I manage.”
Ms Shelton won Engineer of the Year 2017 in the Victorian division of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia.
