Australia is the driest, permanently inhabited continent on Earth, and frequent droughts and long periods of hot dry weather make water a valuable and essential resource. WaterNSW stores more water per person than any other water-management organisation in the world, and with a growing population and variable climate it is CPSU NSW members like Rod Gleeson who keep this resource flowing

CPSU NSW Assistant General Secretary Troy Wright recently presented Mr Gleeson with the award for 50 years of union membership.

In January 1974 Mr Gleeson applied for the role of Assistant Surveyor at the Lands Office in East Maitland. He had already cut his teeth as an Engineers’ Assistant, developing the mining town of Gunpowder in Queensland which boasted Waggaboonyah Dam, built in 1969 for water storage and mining. Because of his impressive experience, Mr Gleeson was “given the nod for the position”.

Mr Gleeson worked directly under the Senior Surveyor at the East Maitland Lands Office and was pleasantly surprised to find he was assigned two staff members, and a government vehicle. The Assistant Surveyor and the two staff undertook a lot of manual measuring, and the roles were a great mix of technical ability and dexterity.

Recalling one of the first conversations Mr Gleeson had with his boss when he started, he was told that there were two important things he needed to consider: he should immediately join the State Super Scheme, and he should also become a union member with the PSA. He took the good advice, joining both, and he is still a proud union member today.

Despite surviving many restructures where positions and departments were made redundant, Mr Gleeson says he would not hesitate recommending employment in the NSW Public Sector: “It’s a great place to build a rewarding career.”