Meet Ben McCallum our Barwon Water Champion

From Darwin to Victoria, Ben has studied and worked in lots of beautiful locations. He feels lucky to be living in one such beautiful location in Victoria, working at Barwon Water which encompasses the Otway’s and Great Ocean Road. Ben enjoys live music, camping trips, mountain biking and spending time with his young family. Ben joined IWN in 2021 and became the IWN Barwon Water Champion at the beginning of 2023.

LET’S START WITH THE PERSONAL - TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF

I went to high school in Darwin (NT) and moved down to Melbourne for University. I’ve moved around to a number of places for work in rural Victoria and NSW since graduating.

Outside of work I enjoy live music, camping trips, mountain biking and spending time with my two young girls, Neve (4) and Sylvie (2 months). 

WHAT’S YOUR CURRENT WATER CORPORATION ROLE?

I currently work for Barwon Water and am acting Section Lead for Network Operations. Our team operates the water and sewer infrastructure in our region. I’ve been at Barwon Water for five years and have worked in a number of roles including construction, asset management and now operations.

WHAT’S YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

I studied Civil Engineering at Monash University and have worked mostly in construction. I’ve always worked in the water industry and really enjoy it. I spent a number of years prior to Barwon Water working on irrigation infrastructure modernisation for Goulburn Murray Water and Murrumbidgee Irrigation and also replaced a number of major pipelines for Melbourne Water.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO EACH DAY (BUT TO YOUR GRANDMA)?

I work with a team to ensure water and sewer services continue to operate uninterrupted. We bring water from our catchments to the water treatment plants, from the water treatment plants to customers and then take sewer from the customers to the wastewater treatment plants.

WHY DID YOU JOIN IWN?

I joined the IWN as Barwon Water’s 2IC in 2021 and became Barwon Water’s Champion at the start of 2023.

I joined to take advantage of the development opportunities, to work with innovative technologies and to expand my networks in the water industry.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH IWN?

For the industry?

I want to improve collaboration in the water industry and get more people sharing knowledge. I find there are many common problems which water authorities can sometimes work independently on. I want the industry to be working together and sharing learnings so that we can problem solve more efficiently.

For yourself?

I want to develop my leadership skills and get multiple connections throughout the Vic water industry. I also want to bring opportunities and learnings back into Barwon Water.

WHAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING?

I’m lucky to work in a beautiful part of the country with our service area encompassing the Otway’s and Great Ocean Road so I really look forward to heading out to site on these days. I also enjoy continuously improving our systems and networks and the contribution that our work provides to the wider community. If I’m feeling like staying in bed I can always rely on my two young girls to make sure I don’t sleep in too long.

Ben and his daughter Neve