Power and Water Corporation’s Jethro Laidlaw has been named the Northern Territory recipient of a national industry award celebrating mateship, compassion and kindness.
Jethro, Manager Water Demand, accepted the Spirit of Australia Award online during the Water Industry Operators Association of Australia’s Virtual Water conference yesterday.
“It was great to be nominated by a colleague for this award. We are all busy and often just going about our daily jobs but for him to take the time to put in a nomination means a lot,” said Jethro.
“I’m lucky to work in such a committed demand management team and really any one of them would be a deserved winner of this award.”
Jethro was nominated for empowering students in remote Aboriginal communities and raising awareness of Aboriginal cultural values about water throughout the Northern Territory.
He did this while helping customers and colleagues learn about the challenges of providing essential services in remote communities.
Through this, and in response to the uncertainty around schools being kept open due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jethro prioritised the adaptation of a successful urban water educational program for schools in remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities.
This program featured educational videos and resources about sustainable water use in the Territory, featuring Aboriginal rapper and 2019 Young Australian of the Year Baker Boy.
“Baker Boy is a great role model and encourages young people to understand their community’s water supply, take ownership of their actions and save water where they can,” said Jethro.
“We want the next generation to understand where their water comes from. In remote communities, preserving water helps allow people to continue to live on country, and in the major centres, it’s important we all start to value tap water more.”
In the videos, Baker Boy, who grew up in Maningrida and Milingimbi, encourages students to learn about Aboriginal peoples’ cultural connection to water while encouraging viewers to think about achievable social actions to look after their water.
More information about That’s My Water! Bush Schools is available at https://bit.ly/bushschools
These awards (one per state) celebrate the Australian spirit of mateship and recognise compassion and kindness by a water sector employee who has supported someone else during challenging times.
As the award recipient, Jethro nominated Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) to receive a financial donation from award sponsor TRILITY.
A number of Water Services team members presented as part of WIOA’s Virtual Water conference, including Jethro, Karen Kennedy, Skefos Tsoukalis and Elizabeth Gadd.
