Arc Infrastructure’s trusted Structures Supervisors have together notched up 130 years of service to the industry, a milestone recently acknowledged by the business.
Between them Shane Hooper, Clint Hunter and Graham Duncan cover Arc’s five regions across the freight rail network and oversee the installation and maintenance of structures which support railway infrastructure, like bridges and culverts.
Earlier this year Graham marked 40 years of service in the rail industry, with Clint and Shane having reached the same milestone a few years earlier.
General Manager Customer Operations, Network Strategy & Project Delivery Paul Lowney acknowledged how fortunate the business was to have three experts like the ‘Structures Trio’ working on the Arc network.
“Having the level of experience and expertise that Graham, Clint and Shane possess within Arc is invaluable,” Paul said.
“Whenever we ask them to do something it gets done, there’s no fuss, there’s no fanfare and it’s always done to the highest standard.”
Project Lead Civil & Structures, Verity Scott said the group weren’t only significantly experienced in the field but were also trusted mentors to many others across the business and the industry as a whole.
“Graham, Clint and Shane are always there to mentor and guide those coming through the ranks and are always generous with their time and expertise,” Verity said.
“There have been countless scenarios where they’ve been able to apply their previous experience in what has worked well and what hasn’t to address challenges we face in the field today. That sort of insight is truly valued.”
Shane, Clint and Graham all started in the industry with Westrail in the late seventies and early eighties, employed as carpenters initially focused on the construction of housing to accommodate the railway workforce.
“Housing was a big thing back in the day, everywhere there was a gang and where there were gangs, say in Kalgoorlie, Kambalda, Salmon Gums, Norseman, there was always railway housing involved. Every week was different; you could be doing housing one week, then you’d be out doing a culvert the next and then you’d be back doing housing or fencing,” Graham said.
“In the structures teams back then, you had all your carpenters, painters, welders and plumbers, you had your mechanical teams and then you had all your trade assistants, truck drivers and machine operators, so the structures side of things was a big operation as the scope (rail assets and housing) was so vast,” Clint said.
While the three supervisors are now responsible for their own respective regions, they often join forces and help each other out when the task requires.
“We’ve got a good team of people that we’re working with and everyone pitches in and helps each other out. The guys are enjoyable to work with, irrespective of what sort of work we’re doing,” Shane said.
They all agreed that the biggest challenge of the role is the amount of driving required to cover their vast regions, estimating they’d each cover approximately 70,000 kilometres a year across the Arc network.
“We cover a lot of kilometres and living away from home and missing so many family birthdays, anniversaries and events, that’s certainly a challenge,” Clint said.
But the satisfaction of a job well done and the friendships they’ve forged over the past 40 years is what keeps them coming back every day.
“When you pull an old culvert out and put a new one in, it’s always satisfying seeing the new one finished. I drive along the highway from Perth to Kalgoorlie and you’re like ‘I did that, I did that one too.’ I’ve done every EGR (Eastern Goldfields Railway) replacement, except for a couple over the last few years with the boys, since day one,” Graham said.
“It’s a different worksite everyday practically, it’s always a challenge. I always say if I enjoy getting out of bed to go to work, I will keep on going to work. When that stops, well then I’m retiring. And it’s the friendships and the group that you develop, be that your colleagues within the projects and structures teams or the different contractors in every town we visit.
“It’s always a challenge and always enjoyable,” Clint said.
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