Senator JS Collings Trophy awarded

This annual award for ‘the most effectively maintained asset in the River Murray System’, was recently awarded to the Murray Mouth Barrages.  Congratulations to Lockmaster Michael Shelton and his team at Goolwa.  The Barrages also won in 2005-6 and 2006-7. 

The barrages consist of five separate structures with connecting roadways across Ewe and Tauwitchere Islands. They function to prevent sea water entering the Lower Lakes and the River Murray as far upstream as Lock 1 during periods of low river flow.
There were a number of close contenders for the award this year, including Dartmouth Dam, Yarrawonga Weir, Lake Victoria and Weirs 8, 9, 10 and 11. All maintained a very high standard and made it a difficult decision for Executive Director, River Murray Division, David Dreverman and his co-judge, Tony Morse, General Manager, Assets.  Chief Executive Dr Rhondda Dickson participated in three of the six days of asset inspections and was very pleased to meet staff from the three State Constructing Authorities and gain detailed insight into the operation and maintenance of the River Murray Operations assets.

About the award

The award was instituted in 1943 by Senator J.S. Collings, the Minister for the Interior from 1941 to 1945 and President of the River Murray Commission at the time.   Along with Gordon Brown, Collings was then joint Father of the Senate from 1947 to 1950 before retiring.

More information about Senator Collings Trophy

Senator Collings wanted to acknowledge the contribution made by Lockmasters and their staff in not only taking good care of the weir and lock structures, but also in making improvements to their surrounding areas  – including beautification schemes and bank protection works. 
The original terms of the award specified that only weirs and locks on the Rivers Murray and Murrumbidgee could be considered (and this excluded Hume Reservoir Dam, Lake Victoria works, Yarrawonga Weir and the Murray Mouth Barrages). These four structures were only included in the competition from 2004-5.
The inaugural trophy was presented to Lock 8, which has won on five occasions. Lock 9 has topped the competition on seven occasions.

A presentation dinner was hosted by the Chief Executive for the winning team and their partners in Adelaide on 4 October 2011.

The winner of the 2011 Collings Trophy, Lockmaster Michael Shelton receiving his award from Chief Executive of the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Dr Rhondda Dickson