It is my honour to serve as President of the Institute of Refractories Engineers Australasia branch to give the President’s address. I have been in this role since 1 July 2023, and I commend the previous President Mark Prince and the management team for their efforts in sustaining our foundation. In the year since, I would like to also extend my appreciation for our hard working and very competent management committee and their support of my leadership. Many thanks indeed.
The President’s role was one I didn’t seek but it was offered to me. I was honoured to accept the role because the refractory industry has given so much to me, so I feel it’s important we give back what we can to ensure our community thrives. Though our institute is small and niche, it is nonetheless very important to the molten metals industry as a key determinant of their efficiency.
So, I ask all our members and those deriving sustenance from the refractory industry to also contribute the best way you can. The effort you put in gives greater satisfaction. Financially we are in good shape, thanks to the legacy of previous/historic branch committee members and the efforts of our membership at large. Our surplus income is derived predominantly through the success of our biennial conferences.
Over the past several years our membership has stagnated from 51-56 members.
Many of our current members are suppliers, installers or consultants, but few end users. A principal aim of the IRE is also to support end users achieving productivity and efficiency through refractories. We all need to reach out to end users and gain their increased commitment through membership as well as conference attendance and participation. We are heading into exciting times – broadening our scope and making our conferences better, so now is the perfect time to join our team. Members connecting with each other, make us, our industry, and employers more knowledgeable and efficient; leading to us becoming better professional refractories engineers.
Our next IRE Australasia conference promises to be a special event hosted at the Fullerton Hotel in Sydney and is broadened to Asia Pacific audiences. So come and join us, in what will be our best refractory conference ever and which also includes a special tour of BlueScope Steel integrated steelmaking works. Once again, thanks to our management team, members, and broader refractory engineers for your continued support, rewarding our hard work in improving our community. Best always Mario Taddeo MI Ref Eng, President, IRE Australasia.
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