Flood of Delegates Arrives for Water Conference in Australia

The Australian council Midcoast Water is welcoming 250 delegates from other local councils and government departments throughout New South Wales for the 2003 Water Management Conference.

The conference, which begins in Taree tonight, will focus on the impact of state legislation, such as the Water Management Act and Native Vegetation Reforms, on regional communities. It will also showcase new ideas in the industry, with technical tours and demonstrations of new technology.

State Minister for Energy and Utilities, Frank Sartor, will open the proceedings. Other keynote speakers include chairman of the Native Vegetation Reform Implementation Group, Ian Sinclair and assistant general manager of WorkCover, John Watson.

Delegates will also enjoy a motivational talk from Australia's record-breaking solo yachtsman, Tony Mowbray.

Mowbray will speak of his struggle for survival during the 1998 Sydney to Hobart yacht race and his determination to recover from the tragedy and achieve his dream of sailing solo around the world.

MidCoast Water's general manager Neil Hanington said he was pleased that MCW had been given the opportunity to host the conference.

The official opening of the conference will be tomorrow morning, with technical tours of the Dawson River Wastewater Treatment Plant and Wallis Lake oyster industry, scheduled for the afternoon.

Delegates will travel to Forster for the conference dinner and regional launch of Local Government Week tomorrow night and the program will conclude with a series of technical workshops on Friday afternoon.

Source: Manning River Times