If you’ve worked in the Queensland electricity industry for any length of time, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the name Ian Rawlings.
Some know him from major projects that helped shape Queensland’s electricity generation fleet. Others know him as a colleague they’ve worked alongside who has been willing to take a phone call, share an idea, or help solve a difficult plant problem.
For many young engineers, he’s a name on a technical report that they’ve read and learned from long before they’ve ever met him.
Ian has built a reputation not only as a highly respected engineer, but as a mentor, problem solver, and a generous source of knowledge for people across the industry.
This year marks an extraordinary milestone for Ian, who has dedicated 45 years to the Queensland electricity generation industry, building a career that has spanned some of Queensland’s most significant power stations and projects.
As it turns out, engineering was probably always on the cards.
“I’ve always been interested in mechanical things,” Ian said. “As a kid, I’d pull apart pushbikes, motor mowers, and engines to see how they worked.”
That curiosity has never really left him: outside of work, Ian has a lifelong passion for building and flying radio-controlled model gliders, and when he’s at work, he still gets a kick out of investigating things that aren’t working as they should.
Starting his journey in 1982 as a fitter's assistant with the Queensland Electricity Generating Board at Tennyson Power Station, Ian’s career has taken him across Queensland’s generation fleet including Collinsville, Tarong, Swanbank and Wivenhoe Power stations with the Queensland Electricity Commission; Callide A and Mica Creek with AUSTA Energy; and Swanbank E (via a secondment to PB Power) and Kogan Creek with CS Energy.
Image: Ian Rawlings (left) with colleagues at the official opening of Kogan Creek Power Station in 2007.
Over this time, he has progressed through a range of roles ranging from Fitter's Assistant and Generation Operations Technical Officer through to Commissioning Engineer, Project Engineer, Construction Engineer – Mechanical, Coal Plant Engineer, Assistant Boiler Coal and Ash Plant Engineer, Chief Mechanical Engineer, Head of Unit Plant Engineering and today, Principal Mechanical Engineer - Strategy.
His experience extends across coal-fired generation, gas-fired generation, combined cycle gas turbine generation and even hydro generation. Along the way, he played important roles in major projects including the refurbishment and recommissioning of Callide A, Mica Creek expansions, Swanbank E, and the construction and commissioning of Kogan Creek Power Station.
There have been plenty of career highlights along the way. Ian was the Project Engineer during the construction, commissioning and acceptance testing of Swanbank E Power Station, then the largest single-shaft combined-cycle gas turbine in Australia. He also points to solving boiler combustion issues and HP turbine stop valve strainer failures at Kogan Creek as particularly satisfying achievements.
But while Ian's technical achievements are significant, colleagues say his greatest contribution has been the impact he has had on others, including learning from technical documentation that bore Ian’s name.
Throughout his career, Ian's expertise has been recognised well beyond his employers. He has contributed to government work on energy policy and asset strategy and has provided specialist expertise as a consultant across the broader electricity generation sector.
Within CS Energy, Ian has built a reputation as a practical problem solver whose work has improved plant operability, enhanced safety, increased revenue and helped develop strong teams to carry that work forward.
"You can achieve much more working as a team, rather than as individuals,” Ian said.
Image: CS Energy's CEO Stephen Harty (left) presented Ian with a certificate marking 45 years of service in the Queensland energy industry.
It’s a lesson Ian has passed on to many others; over the years, Ian has directly and indirectly influenced more than 50 engineering graduates, sharing his experience, asking questions and helping people work through problems at CS Energy. Many also credit Ian for his willingness to pick up the phone, share ideas, discuss plant challenges, and help others solve problems across the industry.
Ian credits his own mentor, retired engineer Peter Costello (CS Energy) with teaching him important lessons he still carries today: “Understand cause and effect; and ‘you can if you think you can’,” Ian said.
If he could do one thing differently, Ian said he’d spend even more time working alongside Operations teams.
“That’s where the rubber meets the road,” he said.
After four and a half decades, there’s still no shortage of challenges for Ian to get his teeth into, which suits him just fine.
“I’ve always enjoyed working in thermal power stations,” he said. “There’s always something that needs investigating and fixing.”
Despite 45 years in the business, Ian remains as engaged and enthusiastic as ever.
Asked what has kept him motivated throughout his career, his answer is simple:
"I just really love engineering."