We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who attended the conference on February 17th at the Emporium Hotel in Brisbane. It was a great success, and we appreciate your participation in making it so.
The conference kicked off with a warm welcome from Kathy Lawrenson, the RSUG President, who provided updates on the group.
Following that, Riaz Akber from Safe Radiation spoke about the quality services provided by their laboratory and skilled team. Safe Radiation offers a wide range of services, including scientific analysis, calibration services, compliance assessment, site remediation, safety checks and assistance with approvals, and shielding solutions for facilities.
Robin Sheehy from Real Time Instruments provided a presentation on the Allscan n-Gen (PGNA) Analyser. PGNAA is a nuclear analytical technique that relies on activation of bulk materials transported on a conveyor belt by neutrons and the instantaneous emission of gamma rays from nuclei that have absorbed neutrons.
Robin described the safety and cost benefits of using a neutron generator over a sealed radioactive substance such as Cf252
Real Time Instruments is a leader in designing and building online analysers that measure the chemical composition, density, and moisture content of bulk materials in mining and other industries.
Ross Kleinschmidt from Qrad was unable to attend to present "Mineral Sand: who put that there?" but we were lucky enough to have Simon Critchley, Director of the Radiation Health Unit, provide a Health Protection department and Regulatory Update. Simon discussed the new features of the licensing portal and welcomed questions from the audience. He also discussed the Safety Act and penalties for non-compliance, and issues with inventory control and source tracking.
Annelize Van Rooyen provided an informative presentation on the Sandy Ridge Facility in Western Australia. Tellus is an innovative environmental services company that is cleaning up hazardous waste across Australia by developing and operating geological repositories. Its first geological repository, Sandy Ridge, is located in WA and is Australia’s first commercial geological repository. Please contact Annelize directly for a copy of the presentation: Annelize.VanRooyen@tellusholdings.com
Paula Veevers (Radiation Health and ARPS Exec) was unable to attend to present on the Australian Radiation Safety Society and the upcoming conference in late November (https://arpsconference.com.au), but it was provided by Philip Allanson (RSUG Secretary and ARPS Qld Co-Chair). Philip spoke about the benefits of becoming an ARPS member, and what the society does nationally, and internationally (join ARPS here:https://arps.org.au).
Associate Professor Tony Hooker from the University of Adelaide gave an excellent presentation on radiation and risk, the establishment of the Centre for Radiation Research Education and Innovation, the sectors it serves, and the science it produces through research and innovation. Tony spoke about the looming shortage of radiation expertise across all sectors and the lack of tertiary courses, which can be remedied by the Graduate Certificate in Radiation Management (https://www.adelaide.edu.au/degree-finder/gcrm_gcradmgt.html). There is a real demand for PhDs and Tony encourages all scientists to reach out for opportunities across multiple sectors.
Finally, Arif Syed from SIS Technologies provided an interesting presentation regarding Fixed Gauge Radiation Safety. SIS Technologies manufactures the SS200 Fixed Gauge and Arif gave an excellent presentation on the design of their solution, the industries they serve, and how they manage radiation safety to avoid radiation health, transport, security issues, and annual maintenance.
In addition to the informative presentations, attendees enjoyed a delicious business lunch midway through the day and finished the conference with canapes and beverages before retiring to the rooftop bar for further discussion and networking.
We would like to thank our sponsors, Tellus Holdings, Australian Radiation Protection Society, Real-Time Instruments, McKavanagh Engineering, and Safe Radiation for their support of the conference. Without their generous contributions, the RSUG and industry events would not be possible.
We hope you enjoyed the conference as much as we did, and we look forward to seeing you at future events.
Best regards,
The RSUG Team
Kathy Lawrenson (President)
Philip Allanson (Secretary)
