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Celebrating an engineering legend: Michael Wallis reaches record 60 years of service

17 February, 2025

In an exceptionally rare milestone this month, one remarkable Tasmanian engineer is celebrating 60 years of service with a single business.

Michael (Mike) Wallis’s record-setting ongoing contribution to Hydro Tasmania, Hydro Tasmania Consulting and Entura (Hydro Tasmania’s consulting business) since February 1965 is literally a lifetime achievement.

During his long career, Mike has worked on water infrastructure projects throughout Tasmania, mainland Australia and overseas. He has amassed an amazing 6 decades of professional expertise in civil engineering and is an expert in hydraulics (how fluids behave in motion).

At Hydro Tasmania and Entura, Mike has seen 13 CEOs, navigated the rapid evolution of computing, witnessed generational changes in workplace culture, and worked every day to help keep Tasmania’s lights on and the state’s communities safe.

“Mike could write a book on Tasmania’s hydropower schemes,” says Dr Amanda Ashworth, Entura’s Managing Director. “No one can match Mike’s profound knowledge of our assets. He is truly irreplaceable.”

“Mike knows every rating curve for every dam in Hydro Tasmania’s portfolio. If you need to find a bit of information, Mike is the guru. If you have a complex problem, Mike will go away, find a paper, set up a spreadsheet, and get the answer for you,” says Paul Southcott, Entura’s Senior Principal, Dams and Headworks.

His colleagues say that Mike works like he plays golf: he’s consistent, steady, calm and precise – and exceptionally good at what he does. Throughout the years, Mike has maintained an impressive golf handicap, which for some time was an amazing 3 and is currently a remarkable A-grade 6.

Mike’s gentle presence, his unparalleled skills and knowledge, and his generous sharing of his expertise have been appreciated by many hundreds of colleagues over the decades.

“Mike’s a quiet achiever, an institution, and a walking library of hydraulics and corporate knowledge,” says Dr Colin Terry, Entura’s Senior Principal, Water. “It’s all about people for Mike. He’s a font of knowledge, a gatherer of information, and there for everybody. It’s very hard to imagine our team without him. He obviously loves what he’s doing and we love having him there.”

Relishing working with young people, Mike is an inspiring mentor for many emerging professionals and has generously given his time to support many students at the University of Tasmania with their postgraduate projects and PhDs.

“For graduates, the main thing is showing them the steps necessary to tackle and solve the problem they’ve been given and giving guidance on where to look for data,” he says. “For students, I’ve helped them define their project scope, and supported them with the design and set up of physical hydraulic models or computer models, testing and gathering results, and reviewing reports.”

Water Engineer Ben James says “When I was a student, Mike helped me with my honours project and I didn’t realise until later that the huge amount of time and effort he’d given me was all entirely voluntary. He is very knowledgeable, kind and enthusiastic and seems to gravitate naturally towards mentoring roles. We always ask Mike about anything we’re working on, because it’s likely he’s already worked on it at some stage. Anything Mike doesn’t know about civil engineering and Hydro Tasmania probably isn’t worth knowing – and he’s very keen to share his immense knowledge with anybody and everybody who wants support.”

As an exceptionally experienced senior engineer who has seen the business and profession evolve over 60 years, this is his advice to students and younger colleagues: “Study hard and you will achieve your goals. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something. If you are trying to solve a problem and having trouble, then it is better to ask.”

Staying the course

Despite indicating some intent to retire decades ago, Mike continues to work part time with Entura.

“People ask me why I have stayed as I long as I have,” says Mike. “I like the work, I like the people. And if I didn’t, I wouldn’t still be here.”

When asked about why he chose hydraulics over other engineering disciplines, he says, “With electrical, you can’t see the current. Stresses in steel and concrete you can’t see. But with water, you can see it and how it acts. I like the work … so I sort of stuck with it.”

“Mike is the epitome of a long stayer and he’s not leaving yet,” says Amanda. “There’s no better example of work keeping you young if you love what you do and where you do it.

“When we celebrated Mike’s 50^th work anniversary, it seemed such a milestone at the time, and I can’t believe it’s now another decade. It’s phenomenal that Mike is coming back every day and making that contribution to young people and the people around him. His commitment and loyalty is astounding.”

Acting CEO of Hydro Tasmania, Erin van Maanen, says “It’s amazing to think that Mike already has this incredible 60-year legacy, which is more than half of the history of this business. The time that he’s taken and the way he’s chosen to share that and mentor others means his legacy will live on for decades to come when he does choose to retire. If I could have even half the impact that Mike’s had on this business I’d be very happy with myself.”

When asked about his greatest achievement, the characteristically modest and understated Mike refuses to list one. Instead he says, “What I am proud of is that I played a small part in helping Hydro increase and maintain its generating capacity so that the lights are kept on and Tasmanians can have a better life.”