Top Banner
BOOTS & ALL: SUMMER 2010/11 Firsthand accounts of how the Telstra Operations team prepared for and responded to the summer’s devastating events. BOOTS & ALL: SUMMER 2010/11 Firsthand accounts of how the Telstra Operations team prepared for and responded to the summer’s devastating events.
209

Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Sep 14, 2014

Download

Technology

As we head into a new summer, I think it is always good to reflect on and learn from what has been. It is also good to remember how our people tried their best to keep communities connected across this wide land in summers past.

Last summer brought with it some of the most devastating and frightening weather events Australians had ever seen, from bushfires to cyclones, storms and flooding.
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

BOOTS & ALL: SUMMER 2010/11Firsthand accounts of how the Telstra Operations team prepared for and responded to the summer’s devastating events.

BO

OTS

& A

LL: SU

MM

ER

2010/11

The Australian summer 2010/11 brought with it bushfires, cyclones, storms and flooding - all of which were typical events for this time of year. However, combine these with an unprecedented La Niña event and you have an extraordinary summer.

Boots & All captures over a hundred stories, recording an unprecedented moment of this company’s history - the summer of 2010/11. The comprehensive nature of this publication has only been made possible due to the generous spirit of the Telstra Operations team. Thank you to the storytellers and subjects for sharing their experiences.

Leon Boddington after putting in some hard yakka at St Lucia (Qld), 19/01/11.

Firsthand accounts of how the Telstra O

perations team

prepared for and responded to the summ

er’s devastating events.

BOOTS & ALL: SUMMER 2010/11Firsthand accounts of how the Telstra Operations team prepared for and responded to the summer’s devastating events.

Booklet_COVERS.indd 1 26/08/11 1:50 PM

Page 2: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 1 26/08/11 1:08 PM

The Australian summer 2010/11 brought with it bushfires, cyclones, storms and flooding – all of which were typical events for this time of year. However, combine these with an unprecedented La Niña event and you have an extraordinary summer.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures and some wonderful stories were being told about how the Telstra Operations team were responding. It is for this reason that a ‘call to action’ was delivered throughout this group, asking the team to share their experiences.

This book is therefore dedicated to recognising the hard work and tireless efforts of those within Telstra Operations.

This team is responsible for all aspects of the design, engineering, architecture, construction and operation of Telstra networks, technology and information technology, plus the delivery of customer services across those networks.

It is acknowledged that the company’s response to the summer events was an enormous Telstra-wide effort and special thanks to colleagues within the Consumer & Country Wide, Enterprise & Government, Telstra Business and the Strategy & Corporate Services business units.

These Telstra groups offered invaluable support to stricken communities and businesses, both large and small, including keeping those impacted well-informed concerning progress during Telstra’s restoration, reparation and reconstruction phases.

The owner of ‘the boot’ on the front cover of this book is technician Rob White.

Rob is pictured here replacing pillar strips at St Lucia (Qld), 19/01/11.

Boots & All: Summer 2010/11 has been collated and edited by Sandra Mobbs, Strategy and Corporate Services.

Booklet_COVERS.indd 2 26/08/11 1:51 PM

Page 3: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Matt Totterdell and Roger Williams replacing a 400 pair copper cable, Carnarvon (WA). Their team manager at the time advised, “These guys had just got changed out of their wet clothes five minutes before this downpour.”

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 2 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 4: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Messages from Telstra’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 6

Introduction 10

Our approach to storytelling 14

Firsthand accounts from the Telstra Operations team 18

Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst 20

Central East Region (New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory) 30

South East Region (Victoria, Tasmania) 50

North East Region (Queensland) 92

Central West Region (Western Australia, South Australia & Northern Territory) 158

(See lists of all stories, under each of the headings above, on the following pages.)

Learning from experience 176

Past ideas and innovations

• Raised earth platforms 179

• Mobile Exchange on Wheels or the MEoW® 180

• Cell on Wheels (CoW) and Satellite Cell on Wheels (SatCoW) 180

• TECKs and TREKs 181

Ideas and innovations due to summer 2010/11

• RIM to CMUX conversion plate 182

• New website keeps customers informed during outages and disasters 183

Community, customer and industry recognition of our

people’s efforts 184

CFA says thanks 186

Floods disrupt National Relay Service 187

Queensland department thanks Telstra for speedy response 188

Commendations for quick action 189

A ‘Big Thank You’ from Volunteering Queensland 190

Anglicare warmed by quick and relevant contribution 191

PM offers heartfelt thanks to volunteers 192

Salvos emergency volunteers recognised 193

Rod and the Reject Shop 194

An invitation to an informal event with His Royal Highness Prince William 195

Letter from the Federal Member for Wright 196

Our people’s community contribution recognised 197

Last words from the Telstra Operations leadership team 200

Note from Strategy and Corporate Services editor, Sandra Mobbs: ‘Boots & All’ has captured over a hundred stories, recording an unprecedented moment of this company’s history – the summer of 2010/11. The comprehensive nature of this publication has only been made possible due to the generous spirit of the Telstra Operations team. Therefore, thank you to our storytellers and subjects for giving up their time to share their experiences and providing consent to use images. My thanks also to Phill Sporton, Executive Director Service Delivery, for initially commissioning this employee engagement project in March 2011.

CONTENTSCONTENTS

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 3 11/10/11 11:49 AM

Page 5: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst 20

Prior planning and preparation leads to rapid

network restoration Grant Nicholson 22

On the ground in bushfire exercise Joe Camilleri 24

Unprecedented events tests capabilities Phil Astle 26

How to prepare for network impact caused

by a Cat 5 cyclone Pat Rutter 28

Central East Region (New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory) 30

Walls of water Grant Carroll 32

Riverina-Murray recognition Loretta Willaton 34

The return of a slippery customer Con Parslow 35

Lightning storms, floods and road closures Bill Lloyd 36

Back to business David Gillett 38

Washed out Terry Walsh 39

Call Central weathers the storm David Coxhell and Natalie O’Malley 40

Late night deliveries Terry Lines 42

Proudest moments Danny Freeman 43

Left-field solutions go a long way Stephen Chadd 44

Many rivers to cross Peter Chapple 46

Find the fibre access point Greg Byrne 48

South East Region (Victoria, Tasmania) 50

Wet or what? Warren Shean 52

Copping it early Ian Baker, Des Ryan and Trevor Goudie 54

Bit of bother Laurie Barber 56

Incident Control Centre support Nick Marotta 58

Sending in the reinforcements Ken Hodgson 59

A changed vacation Rob Dahllof 60

East coast focus for Tassie Glenn Turner 62

North-west coast focus for Tassie Ian Pickering 64

Better safe than sorry Alistair Cowie 65

Working in waders John Pridgeon 66An extraordinary effort Terry Scott 67A tough couple of months Ian Baker 70The hard yards Daryl Crosbie 72 Charlton isolation Peter Craig 74Volunteering with the CFA Roger Smith 76Bridgewater underwater Tony Ryan 77Getting stuck in John Hossack 78The fastest CoW in the country Ron Wilson 80Saved from a real dirty job Daryl Beseler 81Tack’ling the tough stuff John Hewett 82Fire and flood John Fixter 84Doing the nightshift Michael Ennor 85Just out of harm’s way Brad Crocker 86Kerang customer rapt Brad Shaw 87What goes around comes around Janet Mackey 88Telstra blokes everywhere Craig Lawry 90Record rain and river crossings Matt Shaw 91

North East Region (Queensland) 92

Ready for action Malcolm McKellar 94Flying in to fix fibre Peter Nash 95Quick fix connects customers Peter Spence 96The magnificent seven Shaun Walliss 97Homeward bound Mark Graham 98The Army, Police and Dave to the rescue David Webb and Craig Bartlett 99Exchange wrapped in plastic Steve Strugnell and Shane Golding 100Toowoomba – an insider’s view Sue Ikin and Dave Marshman 101Flash flooding hits with no notice Peter Sticklen 102Meeting the challenge head-on John Parkin 104Keep calm and carry on Craig Bartlett 106Staying the course Greg Anderson 108

CONTENTS

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 4 13/10/11 1:09 PM

Page 6: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Brisbane CBD shuts down Lynne Bell 110

Above and beyond in Rocky Peter Spence 111

Capacity request met in difficult circumstances Neil Francis 112

When your road becomes a boat ramp Susan Kuppens 114

Community comes together Shanne Wright 116

The Kholo/Mt Crosby ‘break and enter’ incident Peter Leonard 118

Fault frog finds infamy Noel Hand 120

Queensland Flood Relief Hotline John Tarlinton 121

Coming to terms with Grantham Peter Scherer 122

Solution-oriented tech takes charge Tym Browne 124

What a weekend! Steve Burke 126

A surreal experience Heidi Pfeffer 128

Snakes on joint go viral Pete Milward 129

Who let the CoWs out? Michael Steele and Aaron Kong 130

Pitching in Paul McCarthy 132

Help from across the ditch Malcolm McKellar 134

Oh geez – this is real! Paul Montiford 135

Thunderbird operators are go! Graham Ford 136

Roadside cabinet restoration work Michael Steele 138

MacGyver has nothing on our guys Phillip Stringini 139

My night in Townsville Exchange Wayne Watling 140

Ground Control John Shepherd 142

War Room approach hits the mark Dru Dingwall 143

Ugly but interesting – about our exchanges John Dempster 144

Bill the builder comes to the rescue Ross Auger 148

View from Cardwell tower Chris Frost 150

BAM and it’s gone Mick Young 151

Rick to the rescue Joanne Flood 152

Mark gets up close and personal Mark O’Connell 153

SatCoW flies to Palm Island Clint Dickson 154

Whipping up support Stephen Bowen 156

Stepping up Mark Pettiford 157

Central West Region (Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory) 158

The Stockport CoW Peter Andreopoulos 160100-year floods Alan Brown 161What did you do over Christmas 2010? Tim Leahy 164Home Sweet Home Mick Cooper 166Fires at Lake Clifton Peter Old 167Great Northern Highway disappears Mick Cooper 168Snakes, bugs and crocs Neil Cooke 170Public support outstanding Shane Caratti 171The Kimberley cougar strikes again Joe Ganino 172Just keep going – a poem Tony Hunter 174

CONTENTS

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 5 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 7: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

MESSAGES

It’s been a hard day. Dennis Dregmans at Moggill (Qld), 25/01/11.

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 6 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 8: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

MESSAGES

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 7 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 9: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

A message from Telstra’s Chairman

Keeping communities connected during times of natural disaster demands a huge commitment, and often personal risk, from our technicians and support staff in the field.

The stories you will read in this book are only a small fraction of what we as a company contributed to the disaster response and recovery, but they highlight the lengths our people will go to keep our customers and their communities connected.

The dedication and commitment of Telstra’s people truly shines during difficult times.

The Board was regularly briefed about the challenges Telstra crews faced and how, in collaboration with emergency service agencies, they supported local communities.

On behalf of the Board, I acknowledge with deep gratitude the efforts of all those who responded to the natural disaster events of the summer of 2010/11.

Catherine Livingstone AO Chairman

Telstra’s Chairman attending a briefing concerning progress by the Northern Flood Recovery team in Brisbane (Qld), 24/01/11.

Catherine Livingstone: Telstra Chairman

8

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 8 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 10: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

A message from Telstra’s CEO

Summer 2010/11 brought with it some of the most devastating and frightening weather events Australians had ever seen.

We should never forget that it is our team, the Telstra team, which is one of the first to respond when a disaster strikes.

Communication is essential during these times and Telstra people play a critical role ensuring communities and emergency service organisations stay connected.

This book contains firsthand accounts of how the Telstra Operations team took swift and decisive action and came up with some innovative solutions to meet the many challenges which presented themselves along the way.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the people involved in preparing for possible network impacts, monitoring our networks in the aftermath, restoring services, helping customers and supporting their local communities during the summer 2010/11 peak load season.

We can all be enormously proud of the team’s efforts during these times.

David Thodey Chief Executive Officer

Allen Brazier, John Parkin, David Thodey, Dave Liddell, Dave Kincaid, Greg Anderson and trainee Jason Lewis during the CEO’s visit to check in with the troops working at St Lucia (Qld), 25/01/11.

David Thodey: Chief Executive Officer

9

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 9 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 11: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Royston Bruce jointing a new section of 800 pair cable damaged in the fl oods at Rocklea (Qld).

INTRODUCTION

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 10 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 12: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

INTRODUCTION

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 11 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 13: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Each year Australians deal with natural disasters where lives, homes and livelihoods are often on the line.

Keeping connected – something most of us take for granted during the best of times – is of utmost importance during the worst of times.

In an emergency, one of the first things we all do is reach for the phone to call for help or to make contact with loved ones.

This book concentrates on the events of summer 2010/11 to provide the reader with firsthand, behind-the-scenes accounts of how Telstra Operations team members prepare for and respond to disasters which have the potential to impact communities and their ability to keep these communities connected during critical times.

The Telstra Operations team manage major, customer-impacting incidents in accordance with their ‘5R’ disaster recovery framework. The 5R phases are as follows.

Ready – Prepare our people, customers, infrastructure and business.

Respond – Determine the impact on our people, customers’ infrastructure and businesses.

Restore – Prioritise the restoration of services in co-ordination with emergency service organisations.

Repair – Develop solutions which restore services as quickly as possible to isolated communities – this may involve temporary fixes.

Reconstruct – Work to permanently repair or rebuild infrastructure damaged by the event.

(Note: See breakout box on the following page for more details of each phase of the 5R disaster recovery framework.)

After managing through major infrastructure impacting events, the Telstra Operations team conducts a Post Implementation Review to gain knowledge and learn from experience.

Often these reviews spark ideas, ideas which result in technological innovations and changes which improve the way we do things.

Within these pages we will refer to some of these innovations, which now form part of our Disaster Planning (DISPLAN) communication support to emergency service organisations, including our Telstra Emergency Communications Kits (TECKs), Cells on Wheels (CoWs) and Mobile Exchange on Wheels (MEoW®). For some facts and figures about these important pieces of equipment and other innovations, under the ‘Learning from experience’ section of this book (p.176).

The last sections of this book are dedicated to recognition by the community, customers, industry and the Telstra Operations senior leadership team, highlighting further how team members went above-and-beyond what is expected in support of our customers during these times.

Above: Road access was a huge issue. Opposite Top: John (Tack) Hewett rows a boat across a customer’s paddock to get to the job (Vic). Opposite Middle: Preparing for flooding in Victoria, Jim Rogers checks out this roadside cabinet which has been well sandbagged. Opposite Middle Lower: Warren Collie working at St. Lucia (Qld). Opposite Bottom: Old rail bridge at Dubbo (NSW).12

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 12 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 14: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Breaking down the 5Rs into actions (Depending on the event, these phases may include the following)

Ready

• Field workforce prepared (resource planning – techs on the ground)

• Communications plan established (Telstra internal and external, e.g. emergency service agencies, media, etc.)

• Business Continuity:

- Central Business District (CBD) sites evacuated during floods

- Staff working from home and where necessary moving functions performed by staff at other locations

• Protecting the core network:

- Network redundancy tested

- Critical infrastructure protection

- Power and access

- Sandbagging of exchanges, emergency power plants checked and refuelled.

See the ‘Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst’ section (p.20) for more details concerning how the team gets ready.

Respond, Restore and Repair

When dealing with disasters of the kind we faced this summer, our focus is on the safety of our people and the restoration of our core network, which is vital to ensure telecommunications traffic into and out of affected areas, including 000 and to assure communications to emergency service organisations.

The biggest challenge to keeping people connected during major storms, flooding, cyclones and bushfires is the loss of mains power. From the outset of this summer’s weather events the Telstra Operations team worked in direct alignment with power utilities and partner Silcar Energy Solutions to ensure critical telecommunication sites were repowered.

Where critical mobile sites could not be restarted the team deployed Telstra’s Cells On Wheels (or CoWs), which are portable mobile base stations. Telstra’s Mobile Exchange on Wheels (or MEoW®) was used where critical exchanges went down.

The respond, restore and repair phases can also include:

• Telecommunications support to evacuation centres, recovery centres and volunteer organisations

• Prioritisation of work based on customer needs

• Constant review of power to core network infrastructure to all key network sites

• Constant review to ensure access to sites is safe

• Temporary network restoration

• Temporary repair of damaged infrastructure, deployment of temporary network elements

• Focus on repair or replacement of roadside cabinets, getting customers and businesses back online.

ReconstructThe final ‘R’ is ‘reconstruct’ and focuses on the team’s program of work to permanently repair or rebuild damaged infrastructure.

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 13 26/08/11 1:08 PM

Page 15: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

OUR APPROACH TO STORYTELLING

Byron Griffi ths, one of a team of fi ve, who manually dug extremely sticky soil in hot, humid, fl y-friendly conditions to locate and fi x fi bre issues at Florina Station (NT). See related story, ‘What did you do over Christmas 2010?’ (p.164)

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 14 26/08/11 1:09 PM

Page 16: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

OUR APPROACH TO STORYTELLING

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 15 26/08/11 1:09 PM

Page 17: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

If one picture could tell the story about the summer 2010/11’s weather events, then this one; sourced from and used with the kind permission of the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology; would be it.

The story this image tells is a simple one. During October 2010 to end-March 2011 (the definition of the summer period for the purposes of this book), approximately ninety percent of our country received above-average to unprecedented, ‘highest on record’ rainfall, with all states impacted. However, parts of Western Australia’s southern regions remained extremely dry, also a recipe for disaster – bushfires. Parts of Victoria also suffered bushfire events during this period.

Within these pages many tales have been collated with three types of stories told: firsthand accounts ‘by’ the actual person involved, second-hand accounts ‘as told by’ a team mate about another’s efforts and a question and answer style ‘interview with’ those involved.

Concerning all the stories captured here, the authentic voice of the storyteller shines through; therefore the language and tone of the stories vary greatly depending on the storyteller’s style and the situation team members found themselves in at the time.

The main audience for this book are Telstra Operations team members and their family and friends. Therefore, for ease of reading, each story within this book is self-contained with acronyms and terms explained.

All the images contained in this book have been sourced from team members involved. Many were captured via their mobile handsets and therefore the quality and resolution of photographs contained within the book varies.

Where possible the editor has chosen shots taken during the event which feature Telstra crews at work, to fully capture the essence of the stories being told. However, some stories do not have images supplied of the team members involved, as one construction operative candidly put it when asked about photos, “We were all too bloody busy to pose for photos!”

The stories have been listed by region* and are in date order as to when the storyteller’s event occurred.

The main focus of the stories supplied here is the team’s response when communication services and communities were significantly impacted.

Finally, while devastating events happened globally during this period and in some cases Telstra Operations people were involved (for example the Australia-Japan cable assessment following a major 8.9 offshore quake which impacted large areas of Japan’s northern Pacific coast in March), this book has been limited to a national view of summer events.*As our country’s regions are often defined differently by different groups, telephone ‘area code’ regions have been used for the purposes of this book. Therefore the regions used within these pages are as follows: Central East Region (New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory), South East Region (Victoria, Tasmania), North East Region (Queensland) and Central West Region (Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory).

OUR APPROACH TO STORYTELLING

“The main audience for this book are Telstra Operations team members and their family and friends.”

16

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 16 26/08/11 1:09 PM

Page 18: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Above image: Sourced from and used with the kind permission of the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. 17

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 17 26/08/11 1:09 PM

Page 19: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

After a break and enter incident, Peter Leonard and Keiron Smith revisited the RIM to capture the scene of the crime. Read how the pair put in a marathon effort to keep the Kholo/Mt Crosby (Qld) community connected (p.118)

FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS FROM THE TELSTRA OPERATIONS TEAM

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 18 26/08/11 1:09 PM

Page 20: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS FROM THE TELSTRA OPERATIONS TEAM

Booklet_START1_Introduction.indd 19 26/08/11 1:09 PM

Page 21: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

During December’s bushfi re exercise. See ‘On the ground in bushfi re exercise’ story (p.24).

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 20 26/08/11 1:10 PM

Page 22: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

HOPING FOR THE BEST, PREPARING FOR THE WORST

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 21 26/08/11 1:10 PM

Page 23: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

PRIOR PLANNING AND PREPARATION LEADS TO RAPID NETWORK RESTORATION

“Work continued non-stop throughout the night and into the next day...”

Interview with Grant Nicholson, Network & IT Operations Date: October 2010 onwards

Telstra’s Network Assurance Operations team based at Telstra’s Global Operations Centre are responsible for the control, co-ordination and communication of high impacting customer incidents and networks at risk. They work closely with the Telstra Operations groups on the ground in the affected areas, including determining priorities for preparation and, afterwards, in the restoration efforts.

For this team, early engagement with key stakeholders for preparation saves a lot of time and allows all groups to act effectively and efficiently should network impact be experienced.

Upon becoming aware of an emergency incident, the team first makes contact with Telstra’s assigned Emergency Services Liaison Officers (ESLOs) to ensure all preparations are aligned with field operatives (including emergency agencies involved and Telstra’s Service Delivery communication technicians and Network Construction constructor operatives).

Following this, key network infrastructure within the area at risk of impact is identified. ‘Go/no go’ zones (red, amber, green) are constantly reviewed with the relevant emergency service authorities to ensure safe passage for any field staff working in, or travelling through, the zones.

Early communication with internal stakeholders (groups within Telstra that may also be impacted or can assist in preparation and/or restoration work) is also very important and ensures business continuity plans are put in place in preparation for the coming emergency. One of the key steps in preparation is

to engage stakeholders early – advising them of network preparations and communicating potential network risks and priorities.

The Network Assurance Operations teams meet regularly to share information concerning the up coming emergency and to ensure they have rostered their teams appropriately and have made any necessary preparations relating to their technology (for example the Voice and Traffic team generally manually perform backups of the data for each of the exchanges in the area).

In preparation for both the Queensland floods and Cyclone Yasi, exchanges were made as safe as possible, including removal of debris and sandbagging. Power preparation and refuelling strategies were put into place for exchanges most likely to lose power.

Preparations can only go so far, sometimes the unexpected takes place. In the case of the Queensland floods, a third-party organised a major telethon to raise funds from the community, but did not advise Telstra. The Network Assurance Operations team had to think quickly to co-ordinate extra capacity.

Annie Martin, one of the Major Incident team managers co-ordinating the incident, commented, “Technical staff were quickly gathered together and implemented some network changes to redirect call traffic using alternate technologies.

Whilst the changes enabled callers to get through and make their donation, it created some other challenges for how the calls were handled, as the centre also takes calls for Queensland SES and Health. Work continued non-stop throughout the night and into the next day to address the network capacity issues and return their service to normal.”

PROACTIVE... PROACTIVE...

22

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 22 26/08/11 1:10 PM

Page 24: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

At the onset of Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi, the Network Assurance Operations team developed a pre-impact priority restoration plan which allowed them to become a practical part of preparations, monitoring the network closely and working alongside emergency service organisations and district disaster management groups.

Once the cyclone had passed, restoration efforts initially focused on protecting the IP core sites, which was made very difficult due to power being unavailable at a number of exchanges. As sites became safely accessible, Silcar Energy Solutions, Service Delivery and Network Construction teams worked tirelessly to hook up generators and commence regular refuelling runs to keep the generators topped up with fuel.

To safely access key sites Telstra goes to great lengths, for example working with the Australian Defence Force to fly in via Black Hawk helicopter.

Nick Kellett, one of the Network Operations Managers working at the time recalls, “We knew that the mains power would be disrupted for a number of days so we had to come up with a plan to keep all the network sites linking the IP core together working. This meant getting portable generators out to the sites that just had batteries and keeping the overall generator network refuelled.

Given the large geographical area we had to cover and in some instances the lack of access due to the massive disruption that the cyclone left behind, we had to be creative. A couple of times we were within minutes of losing our IP core network which would have meant a loss of all fixed and mobile communications to Telstra customers in far North Queensland.

We leveraged our great relationships with Silcar Energy Solutions, Service Delivery and the Australian Defence Force to come up with a robust refuelling plan which we implemented and monitored for two weeks to avoid any sites failing.”

Top Left: Black Hawk at Theodore (Qld), 30/12/10. Top Right: Some of the team involved in the Major Incident room, at Telstra’s Global Operations Centre were (l-r) Grant Nicholson, Joe Camilleri, Soula Duval, David Cheeseman, Glen Taylor and James Wright (back to camera). Bottom: Telstra’s Global Operations Centre provides 24/7 monitoring across all Telstra networks, including working with emergency services and field groups to establish restoration priorities during emergency incidents.

About the role of Emergency Services Liaison Officers

Telstra’s Emergency Services Liaison Officers (ESLOs) provide the interface between Telstra and the emergency service organisations during an emergency such as flood, fire, cyclone, etc.

ESLOs are field managers from Service Delivery and are supported by a state and deputy ESLO.

During emergencies, ESLOs support the communications requirements of emergency agencies by co-ordinating requests including: restricting staff movement in the affected area by applying ‘no go’ zones (for safety reasons), the identification and preparation of infrastructure at risk, organising additional products and services as required, prioritising fault management for critical emergency and utility sites, and the temporary and long-term restoration of communication services.

23

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 23 26/08/11 1:10 PM

Page 25: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

ON THE GROUND IN BUSHFIRE EXERCISE

By Joe Camilleri, Network & IT Operations Date: 05/12/10

In December, members of the Telstra Major Incident Management and State Managed Radio teams participated in the largest test of Victoria’s bushfire preparation since Black Saturday (7 February 2009). Alongside the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and SES, the exercise tested communication, collaboration and processes between the organisations involved in emergency situations.

For Telstra, the exercise was an important part of our seasonal preparation for emergencies, providing a unique opportunity to test our disaster planning processes which includes the communications support Telstra provides to emergency service organisations to assist them in managing emergency situations.

Co-ordinated from the CFA’s Kangaroo Ground Incident Control Centre with a staging area at Yarrambat Park, members of the Telstra Major Incident Management and State Managed Radio teams were there to see firsthand how communication systems operate on the ground during an emergency.

The Telstra team were on hand to support the deployment of communication systems and were able to showcase our emergency communications capability by deploying a Telstra Emergency Communications Kit (TECK). The TECK provided incoming and outgoing PSTN and fax services for the SES and CFA staff on the ground.

Telstra teams were also able to observe how the StateNet Mobile Radio Networks (SMR) operated during the exercise.

SMR is used by the Police, CFA and Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) in country Victoria as well as a number of other emergency organisations. It is a vital communication system in an emergency.

See related story (p.186) ‘CFA says thanks’.

“For Telstra, the exercise was an important part of our seasonal preparation...”

PROACTIVE... PROACTIVE...

24

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 24 26/08/11 1:10 PM

Page 26: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Top: Comms play an extremely important role in assisting emergency service organisations to manage in a crisis. Here we see the TECK in use during the exercise. Bottom: During December’s bushfire exercise. 25

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 25 26/08/11 1:10 PM

Page 27: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Phil Astle: Onsite liaison

When it became apparent the recovery effort for the Queensland floods was unprecedented, Phil Astle, emergency and relationship manager within the Network Assurance Operations Incident team, relocated from Telstra’s Global Operations Centre (GOC) in Melbourne to Queensland. Phil’s role was to attend twice daily Regional Emergency Council meetings and assist with the management of the technical bridge to ensure any issues relating to damage were quickly identified and escalated to make sure the recovery effort was not compromised.

The role of team members at Telstra’s GOC includes 24/7 monitoring and first in fix of incidents across all Telstra networks, customer experience monitoring, incident management, event management, emergency services call tracing and working with field groups to establish restoration priorities during emergency incidents.

UNPRECEDENTED EVENTS TESTS CAPABILITIES

By Phil Astle, Network & IT Operations Date: December 2010 onwards

The Queensland floods and Cyclone Yasi were two unprecedented events that put our network and capabilities to the test. The other weather events across other states, whilst they were significant for the communities, had a comparatively minimal impact on Telstra infrastructure and customers.

The emergency incident management process was invoked to manage all the natural disasters. The Incident Operations team engaged a number of teams including Service Delivery, Network Construction, Silcar Energy Solutions and Strategy & Corporate Services to co-ordinate asset protection, restoration activities and communications.

Restoration activities were difficult due to the unsafe conditions and a record number of red zones (‘no go’ zones) declared by emergency services across flood and cyclone impacted areas. Take Queensland for instance, where we had a total of 719 red zones declared by the end of the season.

Despite the significant customer impact the network withstood the treacherous conditions quite well with the major impact being caused by a loss of local mains power and back-up batteries depleting due to site access issues.

It is highly probable the impact would have grown exponentially if we had lost any of our IP core sites.

With the collaborative efforts of the Telstra Operations teams we were able to successfully protect a number of major exchanges across the

state, including Charlotte, Edison and Ipswich, preventing any further adverse impact.

Protecting the core network and ensuring continuity of service for the community, including emergency and essential services, were our key priorities. The restoration of local power and site access restrictions being lifted saw a steady decline in the number of impacted services.

“Restoration activities were difficult due to the unsafe conditions and a record number of red zones...”

COLLABORATION...

26

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 26 26/08/11 1:10 PM

Page 28: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

27Top Left: Joe Camilleri, Tom Farrell, Phil Astle, Will Visser and Paul Gerreyn at the December bushfire exercise. Top Right: Our field crews’ safety, due to road access issues, was monitored closely at the time. Bottom Left: The devastation caused by Cyclone Yasi and flooding was shocking. Bottom Right: Restoring power was important. Here a 4WD forklift is used for a genset deployment to a hill top exchange at Cardwell (Qld). 27

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 27 26/08/11 1:10 PM

Page 29: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

HOW TO PREPARE FOR NETWORK IMPACT CAUSED BY A CAT 5 CYCLONE

By Pat Rutter, Service Delivery Date: 01/02/11 onwards

Telstra’s key learning from Tropical Cyclone Larry (2006) was power would be a significant issue if Tropical Cyclone Yasi crossed the coast in a populated area in Far North Queensland. This proved correct as 680 major network sites were left without power. This required the deployment of generators and the co-ordination of power restoration with Ergon Energy and Powerlink Queensland.

Pre-Cyclone

• Core and priority network sites were identified by the Global Operations Centre / Major Incident Management in Melbourne and the list reviewed by the cross-Telstra business unit team to include other known priorities based on local knowledge.

• The Global Operations Centre / Major Incident Management then completed scenario modelling on the sites, with Telstra’s partnered contractor for the provision of emergency power, Silcar Energy Solutions, in turn predicting the impact and requirements for power at these sites post-cyclone.

• A pre-disaster technical phone bridge was established to assist in planning for potential issues identified.

Post-Cyclone

• The immediate three day focus was on power restoration.

• A ‘4-Point Recovery Framework’ for communications was established to provide an easy flow of communications between the four main groups involved at Telstra’s Global Operations Centre, in Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville. Open phone bridges (technical and operations) were also in operation.

• Power restoration meetings continued at a high level between Silcar Energy Solutions, Ergon Energy and Telstra.

• Restoration efforts including timing and access were co-ordinated with Ergon Energy and SES.

• Daily Major Incident Management status updates provided visibility of Telstra zone status (ability to access sites), summary of customer impact, and a power summary (including the number of sites without mains power, sites restored by Ergon Energy and the number of sites being monitored and managed by Silcar Energy Solutions for refuelling, batteries, generators, etc.).

The preparation prior to Tropical Cyclone Yasi provided benefits in reducing the impact to Telstra’s infrastructure in the affected areas by pre-planning the availability of generators for interim power to the key network sites. Relationships already established between Telstra, Telstra’s partnered contractor and Ergon Energy allowed all parties to have a co-ordinated approach to the restoration of power to these essential sites.

“The preparation prior to Tropical Cyclone Yasi provided benefits in reducing the impact to Telstra’s infrastructure in the affected areas...”

PROACTIVE... PROACTIVE...

28

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 28 26/08/11 1:10 PM

Page 30: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Our top three network priorities: Power! Power! Power!

Like many Telstra partners, Silcar Energy Solutions were only too happy to assist Telstra and their customers with restoration of services following the devastating and destructive effects of ongoing flooding, including the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi.

Silcar Energy Solutions deployed resources and material from both Queensland and New South Wales to assist in around the clock efforts which initially focused on the restoration of the communications network.

Silcar Energy Solutions commitment with the recovery saw personnel based in these regions for in excess of three weeks. During this time Silcar Energy Solutions’ employees worked 12 hour shifts alongside Silcar field technicians, Telstra field teams and other agencies also engaged in recovery efforts.

Whilst many involved described the efforts as strenuous and demanding given the destruction caused, they also said they would be happy to do it all over again.

Trevor Starcevich, Network Construction Contract Manager

Above Top: Craig Bartlett, the Emergency Services Liaison Officer (ESLO) who undertook the massive task of co-ordinating efforts with emergency service organisations for Queensland and Northern New South Wales during the summer 10/11 period. Above Bottom: David Thodey visiting some of the Northern Region Operations team (l-r) Trudy Deighton, Jay Patel, Chris Hazelton, Tony Broadway, Tim Lostroh, Sym Puskaric, Simon McLean, David Thodey, Shellie Cave, Sandra Perry and Pat Rutter

29

Booklet_START2_Hoping for the Best.indd 29 26/08/11 1:11 PM

Page 31: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Greg Cooke at a washout at Lue. See related story ‘Lightning, storms, fl oods and road closures’ (p.36).

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 30 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 32: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CENTRAL EAST REGION (NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY)

Note: Due to Service Delivery’s Southern Region extending into parts of New South Wales, to differentiate between stories from Service Delivery’s Southern and Central Regions

we have noted when a story is from Southern teams in this section only.

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 31 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 33: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WALLS OF WATER

“Traffic was cut for about 20 hours and there was extensive damage done to some heritage buildings...”

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

As told by Grant Carroll, Service Delivery [Southern] Date: October 2010 onwards

During the summer the Riverina Snowy Field Service Area (FSA) experienced major severe weather events. On each occasion, large amounts of rain fell over very short periods, creating walls of water which rushed down mountains, rivers and creeks, causing extensive damage to properties, bridges and Telstra infrastructure.

Natural disaster zones were declared in numerous local shires within the area, making it one of the most challenging years on record.

The first of these events in October saw 100-200 millimetres of rain fall in a 24-hour period in the Wagga and Albury areas. The small towns of Culcairn, Adelong, Holbrook, The Rock, Lockhart, Rand, Urana and Jingellic had to be evacuated due to widespread flooding and inundation of homes, properties and roads. Tragically, during this event we saw the loss of life just outside the township of Lockhart.

The Wagga and surrounding areas were struck by torrential rain again in December, causing the Murrumbidgee River to peak at its highest level since 1974. Towns along the river including Gundagai, Narrandera and Wagga saw residents forced to evacuate from their properties and homes including the evacuation of 1,800 people from North Wagga alone.

Countless SES meetings were attended by the local team manager David Gillett who supplied updates and assistance to customers. After waters receded to a safe level David and two field technicians were ferried into North Wagga sitting in the bucket of a front-end loader to assess damage.

The last of these severe weather events for the summer period took place in March, when the largest amount of rain fell; 300-400 millimetres was recorded over a period of 48 hours in the south coast area around the Bega Valley.

Due to the mountainous terrain along the coast, the sheer volume of rain at this time caused more damage to infrastructure in the region than any of the other events throughout the year.

Due to unsafe driving conditions, our team was not allowed to drive their vehicles into the area to affect repairs.

Our local team managers did however continue to work closely with the SES and due to Peter Chapple’s involvement in the fire brigade, and the relationships built, Peter was able to arrange for two field techs to join him on flights into isolated areas by helicopter and commence restoration of damaged fibre crossings.

Peter was also able to set up a satellite phone in the small township of Rocky Hall for our customers to use until all services could be restored.

32

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 32 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 34: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

My sincere thanks and appreciation go out to the whole team who worked long hours over many weeks to restore services. They all worked tirelessly and considered the needs of the people in these communities and the importance for them to be able to communicate with family and friends.

About the Adelong area Chris Hargreaves, Service Delivery [Southern] said, “Telstra’s network was impacted by a 100-year flood event but we all pulled together as a team and got the work done, supplying telecommunications to the local people as fast as we possibly could.

Traffic was cut for about 20 hours and there was extensive damage done to some heritage buildings, but the Adelong Telephone Exchange remained just out of reach, with the water level coming within millimetres of the floor level.”

Top Left: What was left of East Grahamstown Bridge, East Grahamstown Road, Adelong after flash flooding. Top Right: Local team manager David Gillett took this aerial shot while surveying flooded North Wagga area with the local SES crew. Bottom Right: Travelling to Culcairn. 33

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 33 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 35: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RIVERINA- MURRAY RECOGNITION

“Many of these towns were isolated geographically as floodwaters covered roads.”

RECOGNITION...

By Loretta Willaton, Telstra Country Wide Date: October 2010 onwards

Late last year and again early this year, floodwaters savaged the Riverina Murray area washing away trees, which piled up against bridges. Many bridges were destroyed. As the bridges often carry our fibre links, many were broken and we lost service to several exchanges.

The excessive flooding and resulting road closures prevented Telstra Operations service teams from being able to get straight in there to begin repairs.

During the first major impact in November 2010, we experienced problems with a number of our small rural exchanges due to fibre cables being washed away or broken, including one of the major back-up fibres servicing the district.

Whilst all fibre-based services and related exchange outages were restored relatively quickly, there were also huge numbers of individual service faults where lead-in or distribution cables were broken or inundated with water. Our local service team had a huge task repairing these.

With an extra 22 people in his team, Service Delivery field manager Grant Carroll and his team managers tirelessly led restoration efforts working long hours and weekends to fix faults as quickly as possible.

Emergency satellite phones and temporary services were delivered to several customers who were likely to have longer outages due to major damage at creek crossings.

Many of these towns were isolated geographically as floodwaters covered roads.

Ten extra services were provided to the SES in Tumut, a small town just outside of Wagga, to ensure emergency workers had access to essential communication services during the rescue and relief operations.

Then again, on 11 February, Wodonga was inundated with floodwaters and fibre was damaged with about 600 customers impacted. Once again Grant’s team swung into action and had all customer services up and running within 10 hours.

Grant’s team were fantastic and, all in all, the network held up remarkably well considering the breadth and severity of the flooding.

34

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 34 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 36: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RECOGNITION...

Far Left: Tech Russell Thompson crossing Tumut River, Darbalara.Above: A slippery customer returns.

WILDLIFE... WILDLIFE... WILDLIFE...By Con Parslow, Service Delivery Date: 12/10/10

During the summer’s inclement weather even the wildlife had to find alternative accommodation.

Two communication technicians, Mark O’Callaghan and Robert Hancock, opened a pillar in Austral to test a cable length. A snake was inside the lid and dropped down into the pillar while they were working.

Once the snake removed itself, they were able to continue their job, locking the pillar down when they were finished.

The very next day Gavin Kaimoana, another communication technician, came along and opened the very same pillar, attached his Loop-a-Line* and left to complete the job.

When he returned, the snake had returned too and was sunning himself wrapped around the pillar and the technician’s Loop-a-Line.

The Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service were contacted and they relocated the snake.*The Loop-a-Line is a product developed specifically for telecommunica-tions technicians involved in fault location activities. It is the orange tool with the blue and white sticker pictured here.

THE RETURN OF A SLIPPERY

CUSTOMER

35

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 35 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 37: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

LIGHTNING STORMS, FLOODS AND ROAD CLOSURES

“Technicians spent several months working very long days and giving their very best...”

TEAM WORK... TEAM WORK...

As told by Bill Lloyd, Service Delivery Date: October 2010 onwards

During the summer at a Service Delivery Central North Field Service Area (FSA) level we had 56 team members move out of our FSA. The majority of moves being for more than a month each and some being two-plus months to help out in other areas.

There were many other moves within the FSA, as we moved communication technicians (CTs) to serve our customers while maintaining our FSA’s appointment and commitment performance.

FosterOver summer the Foster team’s main customer impacting concerns were caused by lightning in the mountain areas. The coastal areas had minimal weather impacts which allowed the team to support other areas.

Over the summer period, the team had on average three CTs away working in other regions. There was a period of three weeks where the team pulled hard together to look after our customers to allow five technicians to be away working in other regions.

CessnockThis summer the Cessnock team area was impacted by many lightning storms. The committed CTs spent many hours clearing multiple faults on our customers’ lightning damaged services. While this was happening the team supplied two technicians to go to Queensland for several months.

Cessnock team members also spent time in adjoining teams including the Muswellbrook, Newcastle and Dubbo teams. The region was also supported by Cessnock sending a technician to Central South FSA.

MuswellbrookThe Muswellbrook team experienced extensive floods over a period of three months in the Mudgee area. Roads were washed away and flooding creeks impacted our ability to serve our customers.

Wollemi National Park customers were isolated for days at a time. Lake Burrendong Dam went from having just 12 per cent capacity for many years, to over 130 per cent capacity.

The team supported each other with the Muswellbrook part of the team travelling the 400 kilometres round trip, for one week at a time, over three months. The Construct & Maintenance Greater West team also assisted by responding promptly to volume holds* and cable outages.

DubboThe Dubbo team experienced flooding right across its vast area, with the Macquarie and the Castlereagh Rivers reaching record levels. Coonamble and numerous communities were isolated. The Northern Queensland rains then started to move down the country causing flooding in the Darling River isolating Kilpa.

Meeting the challenges Controlled road closures and dirt roads being impassable were a continual challenge as the country absorbed the welcome rain.

Technicians spent several months working very long days and giving their very best under imposing conditions.

*A Volume Hold Queue is created by Service Delivery’s Service Outage Management team when a number of fix line services are impacted by one fault (say a cable break or a roadside cabinet is inundated with water and stops functioning). Volume holds are put in place while the fault is being repaired. Creating a Volume Hold Queue provides Telstra teams with a single point of reference to obtain updates on outages affecting our customers in one particular area.

36

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 36 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 38: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

TEAM WORK... TEAM WORK...

Top Right: Clouds building for another lightning storm across Cessnock. Bottom Left: Coonamble fields flooded. Bottom Right: Highway through Dubbo.

“I am proud of my team. We did all this work and still managed to support our colleagues who were in a worse situation. The team has performed excellently and always put the customer at the front of their minds concerning all decisions and actions made.” – Niall Carey, Service Delivery Area Manager, Central North.

37

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 37 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 39: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

BACK TO BUSINESS

“Many technicians travelled from around the country to help...”

COLLABORATION...

As told by David Gillett, Service Delivery [Southern] Date: 3 December 2010

During flooding in Wagga Wagga the basement car park of the local main shopping mall was filled with water, up to 1.5 metres in places.

The communications room, which is located in the car park, was inundated. The batteries, four access panels, the backplane, socket and plug assembly, including the DC power access, were partially submerged causing the loss of communications (fixed phone lines, internet, data, alarms, fax machines and EFTPOS services).

With co-operation between the local Network Construction and Service Delivery teams, equipment was sourced and the recovery process commenced.

It certainly was an around-the-clock affair, with technicians Phil Briggs and James Tibbetts working through Friday night 3 December in the flooded car park to get the local shopping mall back online.

At around the same time, after receiving advice from the SES that two RIM cabinets were in danger of inundation (one on Hammond Avenue and the other on Schiller Street, Wagga Wagga), members of the Wagga team got to work sandbagging the roadside cabinets and potentially saved around 5,000 customer services from being impacted.

Many technicians travelled from around the country to help out as part of Service Delivery’s peak load strategy. Whether it’s fires, floods or cyclones anywhere in the country, we have the flexibility to get our skilled people interstate quick smart to assist in restoring services.

38

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 38 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 40: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COLLABORATION... TEAM WORK... TEAM WORK...By Terry Walsh, Service Delivery [Southern] Date: December 2010

During December I received a call from Service Delivery Enhanced Services technician John Collins, informing us of a possible fibre outage at Coolac and Jugiong affecting more than 170 PSTN (or fixed line) customers.

While John continued his investigations, communication technicians Geoff Sonneman and Lawrie O’Callaghan organised an excavator and travelled from Wagga to Jugiong.

Colleague Craig Price hooked up the fibre trailer in Albury and also headed to Jugiong.

John positively identified the fault location as a washed-out creek crossing and our technicians were onsite by 4:30pm.

The site was a disaster area, too wet and boggy to get any vehicle on site, including the excavator. The bridge was mostly washed away as well and this meant the gear had to be carried, by the field crew involved, across a plank on what was left of the bridge.

With all the challenges, and to the team’s credit, the fibre was up and running by 8:30pm.

Early communications between Service Delivery’s Enhanced Services and field teams ensured a quick restoration time for our customers.

WASHED OUT

Opposite: (l-r) Russell Thompson and Geoffrey Sonneman protecting our assets. Above Left: Bridge at Jugiong. Above Right: Washed-out optical fibre cable in Jugiong 39

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 39 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 41: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CALL CENTRAL WEATHERS THE STORM

“Our team spoke to people who lost a great deal and they handled themselves admirably in the face of adversity...”

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

As told by David Coxhell and Natalie O’Malley, Service Delivery Date: December 2010 onwards

Call Central Newcastle, though based in Newcastle, operates nationally and comprises several teams including Rescheduling, Call Central Front of House, Service Delivery Customer Care, Recalls, Fee For Service and Vetting and Validations, Outage Management and Interim Provision & Recovery.

Rescheduling

With some of the fiercest weather conditions seen in several years hitting multiple areas of Australia this summer, it was not surprising workloads skyrocketed throughout the various areas of our business.

A case in point was the rescheduling work done by the dedicated Call Central staff in Newcastle.

Calls to customers to reschedule work the field have unfortunately had to delay, due mainly to unavoidable weather impacts, rose significantly during December 2010 to February 2011 (a total of more than 70,000 reschedules actioned during this time).

The increase in workload meant Call Central had to train several new classes of consultants in quick time given the need to keep our customers informed of the status of their services.

The training was very hands on and very successful. Call Central Front of House staff, many of whom were newly trained themselves, had also been affected by the increased workload brought on by the unpredictable weather patterns.

While we did our best to relay potentially displeasing news to our customers, it’s understandable many calls had to be escalated due to customer dissatisfaction. Our consultants are well versed in dealing with unhappy customers and did what they could to assist them within set guidelines (diversions, Personal Interim Phone Services (or PIPS), trouble-shooting, etc).

Each day we managed escalations and liaised with the On-The-Day Schedulers in Service Delivery to get the best possible results for our valued customers. This has been one of the busiest periods the team has managed in over 10 years.

Our team spoke to people who lost a great deal and they handled themselves admirably in the face of adversity and always treated our customers with dignity, respect and understanding.

With many of our people cross-trained across various functions, we pulled together to perform as a true team should, putting our best foot forward to help provide the best possible levels of service which our customers expect.

The Service Outage Management

With the fault volumes pouring in, and field crews dependent on being provided accurate and timely information on where and how the network had been damaged, a huge effort was required from everyone involved in Service Outage Management. The team really stepped up and the effort put in by this team, to support the field crews and our customers, was truly impressive.

40

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 40 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 42: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

Interim Provisioning and Recovery (IPR)

With significant network damage across Queensland, it became increasingly vital for Telstra to be able to provide our customers with temporary Interim Telephone Services.

However, in a particularly cruel blow, the floods that had done such damage to the network infrastructure also inundated the main depot that holds our interim phones.

So with demand for interims through the roof and a large number of our units also unavailable, the team at IPR really had to dig deep. And dig deep they did, working massive hours trying to get interim phones back from where they were no longer needed, so they could quickly be deployed to customers who really required them in the flood-ravaged areas.

During January and February, the peak period of the emergency, they recovered and redeployed thousands of interims.

The majority of IPR staff are cross-trained and helped other workstreams where they could. The entire IPR team’s attitude and work rate over the period of the emergency is a tribute to their passion and commitment for their customers.

Top: Some of the members of our Interim Provision & Recovery team (front) Truli Balloch (l-r behind the partition) Clinton Yates and Kathy Cox. Bottom: (l-r) Some members of the Service Outage Management team (l-r) Brenton Crabb, Phil Ross and Chris Box. 41

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 41 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 43: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

LATE NIGHT DELIVERIES

“Reid’s Flat community was isolated by floodwaters for days with the optical fibre cable that feeds the telephone exchange being washed away...”

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

As told by Terry Lines, Service Delivery Date: 16/12/10

This is a story about technician Richard Leary and shows the extraordinary lengths our people go to, to serve our customers.

Reid’s Flat community was isolated by floodwaters for days with the optical fibre cable that feeds the telephone exchange being washed away at a river crossing.

On Thursday 16 December, Richard received a call from Dave Minney, Area Manager Central South, asking if he had any satellite phones available in Cowra.

There were three medical customers in Reid’s Flat requiring satellite phones, but Richard only had one. However, he did some follow-up and soon located more satellite phones in Orange and arranged to meet a communication technician between Cowra and Orange to collect them.

Richard then drove on to Reid’s Flat. Luckily, by late-afternoon that day, the floodwaters had receded enough for Richard to be able to drive through and he arrived just on dark.

He drove around the back blocks of Reid’s Flat locating the customers and installing the satellite phones. He found one customer had already been evacuated.

Even though in the end just two installs were required, it was a very long haul with Richard arriving back home at 2:10am the next morning.

42

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 42 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 44: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...By Danny Freeman, Service Delivery Date: 18/01/11 onwards

Danny Freeman, is from Service Delivery’s Central Region and was asked to help out in Queensland from January to April 2011. The following are Danny’s recollections over this time.

I was proud to be a part of the Construct & Maintenance (C&M) peak load team in Queensland during the 2010/11 floods and cyclone season.

The effort by all concerned was nothing short of outstanding and I cannot thank the team enough.

For instance George Talevski and Vasil Trajcevski who arrived at Nerang for the induction, after driving for two full days, and were told when it finished they had to head to Bundaberg to drop off stores and then go to Rockhampton. The boys eventually got to their accommodation at around 8:00pm. Not one hint of protest from them.

That was the way they conducted themselves for the full tour – when they had to move at short notice, when they were sent hours out of town to work, when they had to dig to get the repair done, not a hint of a whinge. Just head down and get it done.

Or the six amigos in Cairns (Rob Hancock and Craig Shearer from Sydney, Peter Cox from Bathurst, Mark Auterson from Canberra, and Mark Nicholas and Warren Collie from Northern Brisbane) who every day would come home from work soaked. Their trucks smelt musty and their tools and equipment all wet from the rain. It is an experience, the wet season in North Queensland. When they were finally offered the weekend off they agreed that would be good, “We can do some washing, clean the room up a bit and be ‘normal’ for a couple of days.” It’s not often you hear a liney volunteer to do the washing and clean up.

And there’s Chris Wilson of Wollongong and Charlie Fucile of Ulladulla (C&M Central) who were sent up to Queensland in early-January only to get flooded in around Grantham and did not arrive home until Easter. This was a great effort from their families as well.

Every time it looked like they would be sent home something happened and they were asked to stay. Their response was, they would like to see it through to the finish. They spent nearly the full time (100 days) working around Mt Sylvia and by the end they were calling the locals by their first names.

There was the Saturday in Cairns when I went to get a haircut, but the Barber was on his way out the door. Anyway, as you do, I told him why I was up there and he took care of me and when I went to pay he said, “No, it’s all good. Thanks for coming up, we appreciate the help.”

This is just one of the good things to remember from being away.

Then there was the local Queensland Telstra teams, wherever I or the rest of the C&M crew went, from Nerang in the south to Cairns in the north, the people we dealt with were first rate. They were more than helpful in every way they could be. Team managers, schedulers, planners, stores people and field crew were always there to assist in whatever way possible. It was much appreciated and thanks again.

There were many other Telstra Operations team members up there doing exactly the same type of things to assist as we did. All who attended had to in some way, every day, find a way through a road that was washed away, fix a cable that had been washed away in the flood, deal with pits that were under mountains of debris that may have been someone’s belongings and work in water from above and underneath, etc.

No matter what the situation, I saw many who just got stuck in and got the job done and then moved on to the next job. Next!

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

PROUDEST MOMENTS

Opposite: Richard Leary about to get on the road again. Above: Mt Sylvia crew at a fibre washout at Black Duck Creek. 43

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 43 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 45: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

LEFT-FIELD SOLUTIONS GO A LONG WAY

“... innovative ways the team got the job done when dealing with installing temporary fixes...”

INNOVATION... INNOVATION...

By Stephen Chadd, Service Delivery Date: January/February 2011

During the floods we had a number of aerial cables washed away and on a number of occasions it was the initiative shown by the field crews in the area which helped to restore telephone services.

Below are two examples of innovative ways the team got the job done when dealing with installing temporary fixes of fibre over river crossings.

The Macquarie River crossing

Mark Rich used a tyre tube to take a cable across Macquarie River near Narromine. Le-Roy Pardy met him on the other side and the crew were then able to restore services to the area.

Hawkesbury River crossing

Construction & Maintenance and Install & Maintenance crews worked together in a remote part of the Hawkesbury River to install fibre.

This involved an abbey basket truck (an aerial truck which has a work basket for working at height), two 4WD vehicles and two kayaks.

Due to the distance and the terrain, the job on the Hawkesbury involved a number of people, namely Hugo Pascuzzo, Steve Sproule, Dave Dollimore, Nghi Nguyen, Noel Beard, Peter Townsend and Steve Palumbo.

We had people with the abbey basket on one side of the river and Steve Sproule and Dave Dollimore taking the line across the river via kayak to Hugo Pascuzzo and Peter Townsend who terminated the cable on the pole, completing the temporary repair.

Due to vehicle access issues the drive from one side of the river to the other took team members approximately two hours.

44

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 44 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 46: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

INNOVATION... INNOVATION...

Above: Le-Roy Pardy hauling the cable Mark Rich has brought across river. Note: A thorough risk assessment was carried out by a Health & Safety officer before proceeding with the tyre tube as an option for taking the fibre across the river. 45

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 45 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 47: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

MANY RIVERS TO CROSS

“The bridge was washed out at one end and access by road was cut due to landslides.”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

By Peter Chapple, Service Delivery [Southern] Date: 20/03/11

Rain started to fall in the Bega Valley late Sunday afternoon 20 March and persisted throughout Monday getting increasingly heavy towards the afternoon.

At 2:00am on Tuesday, tech Graham McBain and I were called in by Telstra’s Global Operations Centre (GOC) to investigate a number of optical fibre alarms. It appeared we had lost a number of fibre cables which were impacting thousands of services.

Through testing and site visits we were able to locate two of the three fibre breaks which were washed away on the Monday night. The third location was in an area isolated by floodwaters.

We immediately started working to patch services to a working fibre. We were able to repair the fibres at Bemboka and Wyndham by installing temporary cables across bridges. This was completed by 2:00am the following day, which meant Graham and I had worked nearly 24 hours straight.

The last of the three fibre breaks was more difficult to locate due to the rain and damage from flash flooding. The Mount Darragh area received more than 400 millimetres of rain in 15 hours. Forty-seven river/creek crossings were washed out or exposed, which included four fibre crossings in the end.

The location and repair work was extremely challenging as access via road in many areas was impossible.

As a member of the Rural Fire Service (RFS) I was contacted on Wednesday by Ian Stroud, the RFS Operations Manager for Bega Valley, who advised the township of Rocky Hall was physically isolated.

The bridge was washed out at one end and access by road was cut due to landslides. Locals were sending photos to emergency services via satellite internet and one local pointed out they could see a blue cable floating in the river. I knew straight away we’d found our elusive third cable break.

I asked how we could get in to fix the fibre and Ian invited me to attend the next emergency meeting to seek help. The emergency agencies, including RFS, SES and NSW Police were so helpful. They quickly arranged for me to be flown in by helicopter and I was met at Rocky Hall by RFS personnel with a truck to take me to the Towamba River, where the fibre was damaged.

The RFS pilot flew us there and back four times, allowing us to get more technical crew, equipment and spare parts to site. During one of these trips Graham McBain was taken to a medical priority customer to loan them a satellite phone and they were pretty happy to see him. We also installed a satellite phone at the local community centre for use by residents to use until communications could be restored.

The RFS also loaned me a fire truck, which I was accredited to drive, for our use to get around.

46

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 46 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 48: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

After flying in a fibre crew and equipment, we were finally able to repair the fibre cable at Rocky Hall by 3:00pm on 24 March.

Repairing the cable was pretty tricky under the conditions, but we were able to run a temporary cable through trees across the Towamba River. Jointing work was done in the river working alongside Bega Valley Council workers who continued to remove trees and debris from river crossings.

In addition to hundreds of metres of temporary cable, we also installed approximately four kilometres of cable and replaced many poles.

If it wasn’t for the help from emergency service organisations, such as those mentioned, we would have been waiting a long time to repair the cable and restore services. We were able to return the favour, prioritising any DISPLAN services* they required.

Teams worked tirelessly throughout this whole event and I commend our people for their dedication and commitment to our customers.

* Within Telstra the term DISPLAN services (or DISaster PLANning services) describes technical/communications support Telstra can provide to emergency service organisations to assist them in managing emergency situations.

Top: A RFS chopper provided (l-r) Duncan Rorie, Ron King and Peter Chapple with transport allowing access to Rocky Hall.Bottom: Ron King and Duncan Rorie jointing the cable in the Towamba River. 47

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 47 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 49: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

FIND THE FIBRE ACCESS POINT

“Darren was an instrumental member of the team who located the fibre which was hidden by masses of debris.”

COLLABORATION...

As told by Greg Byrne, Network Construction and Dave Minney, Service Delivery Date: 21/03/11

On 21 March, the New South Wales south coast received extremely heavy rain causing numerous fibre outages from Wollongong down to Bega.

Requiring assistance, the Wollongong Service Delivery team called on Darren Cameron from Network Construction to work alongside Trevor Jenkins and Ian Connelly to locate an elusive fibre access point which was hidden by debris caused by the flooding.

Darren worked with the team and provided valuable Database of Record (DBoR) information and, along with the team’s local knowledge, this helped them locate the fibre access point quickly.

After finding the fibre, Darren continued to assist the Service Delivery team with excavation and pumping of the pit.

Dave Minney said, “Darren was an instrumental member of the team who located the fibre which was hidden by masses of debris. His assistance aided the Wollongong crew to be able restore services to the local community quickly.”

48

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 48 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 50: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COLLABORATION...

Above: Trevor Jenkins on location. 49

Booklet_START3_CentralEastCoast.indd 49 26/08/11 1:12 PM

Page 51: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Larry Lane remaking a joint. See related story, ‘An extraordinary effort’ (p.67)

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 50 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 52: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

SOUTH EAST REGION (VICTORIA, TASMANIA)

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 51 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 53: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WET OR WHAT?

“Without fail, our communication technicians did not disappoint, all stepped up to respond again.”

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

By Warren Shean, Service Delivery Date: September 2010 onwards

I would like to personally acknowledge everyone in the south-east Melbourne team, including our workforce deployment team and our contracting partner Service Stream, for all the work they did during the wettest months we have had in metropolitan Melbourne’s history.

It is hard to believe the consistent rain patterns started back in late-September and continued on all the way until late-March. In all my time at Telstra, I cannot remember the last time we had such frequent downpours over so many months.

I am sure those who work and live around the Pakenham area can remember the effects the rain had in their patch, which included major road closures in Narre Warren and flooding in Koo Wee Rup and around the Cardinia reservoir.

There was also storm damage caused to the Brighton and South Melbourne Exchanges which interrupted hundreds of customers, to name only a few problems.

Many parts of south-east Melbourne were hit on more than one occasion recording 50 millimetres or more of rain in just one day.

When this happens, the demands from our customers increase which, in turn, means increased demands on our technicians and support personnel.

Without fail, our communication technicians did not disappoint, all stepped up to respond again. Whilst this was happening around us, our commitment to our customers remained unchanged. We maintained a high level of appointments and commitments, productivity remained strong, even though many lines had multiple faults.

Another pleasing sign was we did not see an increase in customer complaints and escalations. To me this meant when customers called in to report their faults, they had a good understanding of the delays and our technicians dealt with them in a professional manner when they went out to repair their services.

I would also like to acknowledge the interstate assistance provided to my area, this assistance and commitment was very much appreciated. Also, I extend my thanks to those who worked extended hours during the week and especially those who gave up many weekends to help get our customers connected again.

It is these types of acts that make me proud to work for Telstra and with such a wonderful team.

52

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 52 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 54: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

Top: Mark Fletcher trying to get through to Pakenham South Exchange which was surrounded by water.Bottom: Steve Hicks at Pakenham South Exchange. 53

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 53 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 55: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COPPING IT EARLY

“The extreme wind activity on Sunday night tore the roof from the Beech Forest Exchange...”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Interviews with Ian Baker, Des Ryan and Trevor Goudie, Service Delivery Date: September 2010

In September north-east Victoria bore the brunt of the flooding, particularly around the Wangaratta/Benalla area. Ian Baker, Service Delivery’s Emergency Services Liaison Officer (ESLO) for the area, was at the scene co-ordinating Telstra’s response and recovery efforts.

“We worked closely with the Benalla Municipal Emergency Control Centre (MECC). In addition to working through the evenings to activate services, we were able to help out by providing additional emergency phone services to the MECC in order to assist the recovery,” recollected Ian.

The extreme wind activity on Sunday night tore the roof from the Beech Forest Exchange, resulting in water damage to sensitive communication equipment.

Technical specialist Des Ryan, responded quickly to the situation calling in our temporary disaster response innovations - the Mobile Exchange on Wheels (MEoW®) and the Cell on Wheels (CoW).

“Within hours we were able to roll in our MEoW®. By using this technology we quickly restored PSTN (fixed line) and ADSL (broadband) services to the local area,” said Des.

“In addition to keeping our residential and mobile customers connected, we also called in a State

Managed Radio (SMR) Cell on Wheels (CoW) to provide radio coverage for our emergency services customers, Victoria Police and the Department of Sustainability and Environment.”

Closer to Melbourne in the town of Jamieson, an optic fibre cable running across the Jamieson River was washed away. Transmission technician Trevor Goudie attended the site to test the fibre to locate the fault.

“On arriving at the site, the extent of damage was immediately obvious,” said Trevor.

“We engaged fibre repair crew members Rob Heathcote and Graeme Jones who commenced work installing several hundred metres of temporary cable across the river and our customers in the townships of Jamieson, Howqua Inlet and Tolmie were back online that afternoon.”

54

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 54 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 56: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Bottom: Tech Des Ryan working on the Main Distribution Frame at Beech Forest Exchange.Top: High winds blew the roof off the Beech Forest Exchange in the Otways causing water damage to equipment resulting in the deployment of a MEoW®.Opposite: Optic fibre being repaired in Jamieson by Graeme Jones.

55

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 55 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 57: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

BIT OF BOTHER

“Funnily enough, the pole they ended up using was actually an old gum tree.”

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

By Laurie Barber, Service Delivery Date: Mid-November 2010 onwards

One afternoon during the floods I had to tow a drum of cable to Pine View and out of nowhere a storm hit us, making the roads really slippery. My vehicle and the trailer jack-knifed and then became bogged on the side of the road.

A number of other 4WDs also got bogged. From the top of the hill, a guy in a Landcruiser was watching all the commotion below and came down to help. He pulled over to my van and said, “You’ve got a bit of bother down there”.

He offered to tow me out, if I had some rope. Fortunately I did. I unhitched the trailer and was towed away to a clear spot on the road. Another 4WD had taken the trailer but I had no idea where to. I drove a bit of the way and found it waiting for me. I still don’t know who had dropped it there.

I worked for a while with Nathan Olivieri, a technician helping out from Western Australia who was about seven foot tall. The floods brought out heaps of big spiders like the Golden Orb, spiders that spin a really strong web.

Being so tall, Nathan would go head-first into the webs. He was sure the spiders were out to get him. He started carrying a big stick and as he walked along he would twirl it in front of him, spinning the webs like fairy floss. I was rapt because he cleared the path for me.

Communication technicians Rod Batchelor and Rob Dahllof were working in Barham to fix the aerial cable but couldn’t find the pole to hang it from. Funnily enough, the pole they ended up using was actually an old gum tree. Coincidently, during the job they also found an old ‘Pride Tag’ with my name on it from a few years back.

56

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 56 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 58: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

Right Top: Bogged on the way to Pine View (Hampton Road, Kerang). Right Bottom: Rob Dahllof and Rod Batchelor at Barham with P20 conduit used to get the wire up the tree.Left Top: Laurie Barber introduces the boogie board toolkit. Left Bottom: Improvements to the floating toolkit, it’s now secured with tape and can be carried easily.Opposite: The gum used instead of a pole to hold up the aerial wire.

57

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 57 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 59: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

INCIDENT CONTROL CENTRE SUPPORT

“As part of this ICC team, Telstra team members work closely with other utilities...”

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

Above: Richard about to get on the road again

By Nick Marotta, Service Delivery Date: January 2011

As part of a three-person rotation in the flood Incident Control Centre (ICC) in Bendigo which was operational 24/7, Ian Baker, Allan Callaghan and I kept in regular contact with senior managers and field communication technicians concerning any changes in the weather that would affect our people and infrastructure.

As part of this ICC team, Telstra team members work closely with other utilities and emergency service personnel to provide emergency telephone services as required.

During this time, ICC representatives were able to direct resources to sites which required sandbagging or temporary levees built. This meant they were able to get personnel to sites that needed service restoration quickly. This was mainly due to information on road closures and logistics being updated and on hand in the one location at the Control Centre.

Our experience in working in the ICC was one to be proud of. I was impressed at how well it was managed and how well information flowed to all involved. About Incident Control Centres

Incident Control Centres (ICCs) are usually joint Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Department of Sustainability & Environment (DSE) venues used to accommodate an incident management team to manage major emergencies across various municipalities.

58

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 58 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 60: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... COLLABORATION...

Above: Richard about to get on the road again

Opposite: The BigPond® branding and the lady diving on the side of the van is quite ironic considering the situation (Location: Outside the Rochester Post Office). Above: (l-r) John Kovacic and Tony Galati, two of the team of ten from Melbourne North West, who assisted with the Queensland restoration work.

By Ken Hodgson, Service Delivery Date: January to March 2011

Although north-west Melbourne wasn’t directly impacted by the floods, once the degree of devastation became apparent, our team were quick to volunteer their services. After rearranging our local workload, we quickly had ten field team members on the long road to Queensland.

These were Brad Berriman, Shane Franich, Kent Ashworth, Trevor Cutting, Shane Betson, Tony Galati, Tony Tranquilli, Tony Pistininzi, Andrew Lord and John Kovacic.

On arrival, our team were absolutely gobsmacked at the extent and degree of damage sustained. The Melbourne North West contingent worked long hours, over an extended period of time, to put Queensland communities and businesses back in touch.

Their efforts were very much appreciated by all those impacted by those terrible floods.

SENDING IN THE REINFORCEMENTS

59

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 59 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 61: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

A CHANGED VACATION

“It was a nice feeling to have a few of the locals who were looking on, shake our hands and thank us for helping out under trying conditions. ”

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

By Rob Dahllof, Service Delivery Date: January 2011 onwards

It was the last week of January and I was counting down to having the entire month of February off. No plans were set in concrete, just an odd round of golf, a swim down at Torquay beach on the nice days and a few odd jobs to do around the house.... that was soon to change.

After seeing the floods each night on the TV, with people living in school gyms and town halls and knowing Telstra infrastructure was in trouble in those areas, I felt a need to help out if at all possible.

I called Victorian West Region field manager Terry Scott and explained to him I had four weeks off and a Telstra 4WD vehicle and it seemed a waste not to utilise both in the current flood situation around the state. I was happy to reschedule my leave and help out with the floods as required.

“Yes please!” was the answer and before I knew it, within a couple of days I was on the road to St. Arnaud in north-west Victoria.

I encountered many situations, from changing over sockets in homes that had been flooded, to replacing elevated joints and cables in paddocks that had corroded from being underwater.

I worked in the Victorian towns of St. Arnaud, Charlton, Kerang, Quambatook and Boort. I had never experienced such a disaster firsthand and it was inspiring to see emergency service personnel, volunteers from out of town and the local people all working together as one, to help out where needed.

One day I was sent to the town of Skipton where we encountered an interesting job. There was a medical customer who didn’t have a working phone line. The issue was the line was fed in a conduit across a walk bridge which had been pulled from its foundations and swept away by floodwaters.

We were asked to try and find an alternate way of getting service for this customer, even if it was only a temporary fix. Our main problem was we had to get a line across Mount Emu Creek which was about 30 metres wide.

There were rumours around the town that Mount Emu Creek was going to rise again that night, so by the time we had started on the job at least seventy people had gathered on the main bridge of the town, on both sides of the creek, watching our progress and for any sign of a rise in water level.

60

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 60 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 62: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

After carefully assessing the site and looking out for any safety concerns, we were able to string a temporary cable between two gum trees across the creek and pick up the existing Telstra cable at either side, to give our medical customer service.

It was a nice feeling to have a few of the locals who were looking on, shake our hands and thank us for helping out under trying conditions.

I ended up working away for four weeks and it was inspiring to see country Australia at its best during times of hardship.

Top Left: Rob Dahllof. Top Right: Brad Shaw from Beaufort on the Quambatook-Wychitell Road, Barraport West (near Boort).Bottom Right: The Boort/Charlton Road approximately 30 kilometres north-east of Charlton.

61

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 61 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 63: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

EAST COAST FOCUS FOR TASSIE

“After they had completed the testing, they ascertained the cable had been washed out in a creek crossing which was now a raging torrent.”

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

As told by Glenn Turner, Service Delivery Date: January and March 2011

On Thursday 13 January, the east coast of Tasmania was hit with flash floods which washed out one of our main optic fibre cables at Scamander. That morning, two staff members from Construct & Maintenance North, Danny Emery and Dale Tubb were sent to investigate.

One of the issues these communication technicians faced was the amount of water over the roads and the fact it was still raining heavily.

After they had completed the testing, they ascertained the cable had been washed out in a creek crossing which was now a raging torrent. Due to the surging floodwaters they could not access this cable to repair it.

One small township was isolated, so the Construct & Maintenance staff worked with team members from Enhanced Services to turn the feed around to get these services working again. After this was done and some patching was completed the only services off were the redundancy fibres to Hobart.

A meeting was held between the Construct & Maintenance team manager and contractors the next day to formulate a plan to run out approximately 3 kilometres of temporary cable along the side of the Tasman Highway and through private property to an existing joint. Then to dig on to the existing cable so the temporary cable could be spliced through.

All materials required had been organised the previous day and had been delivered to site so everything was put in place for an early start on Saturday.

On the Saturday, Telstra staff met the Service Stream sub-contractors and traffic management contractors on site at Scamander. This meant one communication technician, Tony Clarke, left home from Penguin at 4:30am and the other seven technicians (Ian Donoghue, Glenn Clark, Gene Hodgetts, Steve How, Dale Tubb, Michael Graham and Jamie Bingham) all left Hobart, north and north-west Tassie at around 6:00am.

All work was completed by 8:30pm that night, successfully restoring service.

On Thursday 24 March, the east coast of Tasmania was hit with flash floods again. This time one of our main optic fibre cables at Bicheno was washed out. This was the second time in three months this optic fibre cable from Launceston to Hobart via the east coast had been damaged by floodwaters.

The team manager for Construct & Maintenance for Tassie North received a call at around 6:45am to notify him of the damage.

Technicians Tim Chilcott and Dale Tubb were mobilised with all the appropriate gear, as were Service Stream sub-contractors. Constant contact

62

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 62 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 64: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

Right:This is the site of the first wash out (13 January) where the cable was damaged. The contractors had dug a hole either side of the creek and bored under it so a new cable could be hauled through. It took some time to access this site as we had to wait for the floodwaters to recede. Top Left: This is the second wash out (24 March). The technician holding the cable is Dale Tubb and the other person is a subcontractor for Service Stream. This area was next to a swamp and water was running into the trench as they were digging along the existing optic fibre cable.

was made with the Tasmanian Police as the roads were closed, blocking access to the site where the damage had occurred. The Telstra crew and contractors had driven as far as they could. Fortunately, the roads were cleared at approximately 12:00pm.

The damage site was found and a temporary cable had to be run out for approximately 130 metres from one side of the river to the other. The problem was the cable was kinked so the contractors had to dig back along the cable for about 20 metres so we could get access.

After this and all splicing was completed, all services were restored by around 8:00pm that night.

One of the biggest issues faced when the damage was located, was the digging required on one side of the river to access the cable. This area was next to a swamp and water was running into the trench as they were digging along the existing optic fibre cable, which made it a very slow process.

63

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 63 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 65: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

NORTH-WEST COAST FOCUS FOR TASSIE

“Telstra’s technicians suddenly had hundreds of faults pouring in from all over the north-west coast.”

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

As told by Ian Pickering, Service Delivery Date: 13/01/11

On 13 January, the north-west coast of Tasmania experienced severe and dangerous weather conditions.

Flash flooding and damaging winds were experienced across the north-west coast as a once in 100-year weather event. Flash flooding caused damage to Telstra infrastructure as large amounts of rainfall made its way down the rivers across the north-west.

Telstra’s technicians suddenly had hundreds of faults pouring in from all over the north-west coast.

Technicians had to be careful attending these faults as driving conditions were still hazardous, with winds strong enough to bring down tree branches and power lines – the strongest gusts were 90 to 124 kilometres per hour.

The main street of Railton was completely covered with water.

Communication technicians on the north-west coast worked long hours, rostered days off and weekends, to restore affected services to our customers. Providing permanent fixes where possible and temporary fixes where we had to wait for new bridges or river crossings to be built.

This was a big effort by the north-west technicians, because at the same time we were providing technicians to assist with storm damage in Victoria and Queensland.

I am very proud of the efforts of all Tasmanian teams involved in the recovery from storm damage in Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland during this year’s storm season.

64

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 64 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 66: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...By Alistair Cowie, Service Delivery Date: 13/01/11

We had a very wet spring after a decade of drought. The summer bought unprecedented tropical rains from Queensland to the Wimmera district of western Victoria.

On Thursday 13 January, I was caught in a massive rainstorm in the upper reaches of the Wimmera River catchment. This was certainly going to take the already swollen Wimmera River into flood.

These floodwaters would reach my hometown of Horsham in about five days. Over the following days, authorities began to plan for the one-in-200-year flood event in Horsham and other towns along the river.

I attended a medical priority fault in Horsham on Sunday 16 January. The customer was an elderly gentleman who seemed to be confined to either bed or his motorised scooter.

As his house was in a low lying area of the city, I asked him about his plans concerning the impending flood. He replied that floodwater had never come into his house, so he wasn’t worried.

With the customer’s permission, I checked with the SES and found the customer’s house was predicted to have 30 centimetres of water above floor level. This would have possibly left him without phone or power and if the predicted worst happened, his life may have been at risk if he stayed.

After further discussions and with the customer’s permission, I contacted his son who lives about 50 kilometres away and arranged for the evacuation of our customer and all turned out well in the end.

On the following Monday, I was required to attend a medical priority fault in St Arnaud, 110 kilometres to the east of Horsham. Most direct roads were blocked by floods so I planned a route to the south-west, but knowing this path was expected to flood by the afternoon, I packed some clothes not knowing how long it might be before I could get home.

After rectifying the fault in St Arnaud I headed home via roads to the north. Many were blocked, but eventually after a 300 kilometre detour, at about 9:00pm I could see the lights of Horsham about 10 kilometres away. I was amazed to see a farmer harvesting a paddock of wheat, just hours before our biggest flood was due to arrive.

After a long work day, at about 10:00pm, my wife and I walked outside to check on the water rising in our street. We noticed some furious activity around the corner, so for the next three hours we joined in to fill and lay sandbags to save a house at the lower end of our street.

Our challenge over the next few months was just trying to get to as many of our customers as we could, often within sight, but a big detour was needed to get there.

Life was also made uncomfortable with the huge numbers of vicious mosquitoes seemingly able to bite through multiple layers of clothes.

Fault levels in the area were triple a typical busy period, but thankfully most customers understood the difficulties we faced trying to restore services.

TAKING OWNERSHIP...

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

Opposite Top: Tony Clarke from the Tassie North Construct & Maintenance group at Isandula Road Bridge, Gawler. Opposite Bottom: Temporary cable hung where the bridge had been washed away over the Leven River at Purton’s Flats near Ulverstone. Right Top: Alistair Cowie. Above Bottom: At height of flooding in Alistair’s street, 18/01/11.

65

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 65 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 67: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WORKING IN WADERS

“I haven’t seen it so wet, flooding everywhere. Not localised as it usually is.”

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

By John Pridgeon, Service Delivery Date: January 2011

I live in Charlton and my house got flooded with water about 30 centimetres deep inside. I moved my van to the highest point in my backyard.

For the first day, my wife and son sat in the tray of the 4WD ute in the backyard because we couldn’t get out. Once the floods receded, we then ripped up the floor coverings and cleaned up.

I haven’t seen it so wet, flooding everywhere. Not localised as it usually is.

The Police set up a temporary station, which was a caravan next to our exchange at Charlton. To give them service we ran an aerial cable from the exchange window to them.

When I helped out with the Kerang recovery, working in waders was pretty interesting. We started out keeping our tools afloat on boogie boards, but they’d fall off the sides. We’ve made a big improvement since then by introducing the inflatable dingy to keep tools high and dry.

66

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 66 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 68: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB... CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

AN EXTRAORDINARY

EFFORT

Opposite Top Right: John Pridgeon’s backyard. Opposite Bottom Right: John Pridgeon and his boogie board toolkit. Opposite Left: Technicians Robert Snowden and Larry Lane remaking joint at Dingwall that has been under water. Above: Benjeroop Telephone Exchange

By Terry Scott, Service Delivery Date: mid-January 2011

It was the middle of January 2011 and we were supposed to be putting our efforts into the ‘fire mitigation’ of our exchange sites, in preparation for the approaching bushfire season. And yet, here we were in the middle of record rainfalls right across western Victoria, with many areas recording ten times their monthly averages in a 24-hour period.

Strong winds and heavy rains battered the area and major landslides were happening at Halls Gap, where the town was evacuated. Landslides also occurred along the Great Ocean Road, causing closure of the road and caravan parks, full of holiday-makers, were evacuated due to rising rivers.

The river systems across western Victoria were peaking at levels which hadn’t been seen for around 100 years and towns downstream were being flooded as the water continued on to its destination.

Our fault volumes rose to levels we had never experienced before.

A power station failure at Charlton, which caused loss of power to several exchanges, meant our entire workforce was stretched in our efforts to get the network back up and running.

All of our workforce and contractors are to be commended for their commitment and efforts. We even had team members who cancelled their planned leave and others who returned back early from recreation leave to assist.

We received many commendations from customers and other agencies for Telstra’s efforts in assisting the communities.

Our field team demonstrated their commitment to our customers in many ways. Some were a shoulder to cry on as devastated people came to grips with what was happening.

We had a staff member who kept coming to work even though his house was flooded and others who headed home to check on the sandbags as the water rose near their properties and then returned to work.

Still others in flooded areas making out-of-hours contact with the SES to ensure their local exchanges were well-protected with sandbagging.

Several team members were spotted stripping down to their underwear in order to wade into areas to rectify faults and of course the working conditions: mud, mud and more mud. Throw in the stench and the mozzies and you begin to get the picture.

The ingenuity of our team continues to amaze me – we had a Remote Integrated Multiplexer (RIM) roadside cabinet that was going underwater which staff unbolted, lifted up and put on blocks to keep the electronics dry.

The guys wading in water to the access plant with their tool boxes taped to boogie boards, an inflatable boat used to tow in test equipment and the use of personal boats and fishing rods to reconnect cables across flooded areas and rivers are just a few other examples of quick thinking that come to mind.

With major roads and many subsidiary roads cut, our people needed to draw on their local knowledge to gain access to areas being reported as isolated.

In western Victoria a total of 85 towns were flood affected. Each of the major river systems in western Victoria flooded differently – from the raging water that headed to the coast around Geelong and Warrnambool, to the riverine-type flooding of the Wimmera River as the water travelled to the inland

lake systems around Horsham and to the 50 kilometres wide by 80 kilometres long mass of water that headed inland towards the Murray River around the Kerang district.

A special thanks to all our staff for their efforts in providing DISPLAN lines for emergency service agencies, the provision of phone lines to the many relief centres, phone diversions arranged and for both the permanent and temporary restoration of services to get these communities connected again.

67

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 67 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 69: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Top Left: The Kerang Construct & Maintenance recovery team (l-r) Brett Matthews (Perth), Laurie Barber (Swan Hill), Brendan Tyrell (Melbourne), John Hewett (Tack) who was acting team manager at the time, Alastair Babbe (Perth), Stephen Spicer (Perth), Brad Shaw (Ballarat), Craig Murchie (Melbourne), in overalls Brett Ball (Melbourne), Nathan Olivieri (Perth), Daryl O’Brien (Kerang), Rob Dahllof (Melbourne) and Rod Batchelor (Kerang). Top Right: Mick Bobstchinski (Mick Bob) on the digger. Middle Left: Levee protecting the Kerang Power Station. Middle Right: Peter Hickey from Mildura checks out his mud mags. Bottom Right: Benjeroop elevated joint.

68

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 68 26/08/11 1:15 PM

Page 70: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Top Left: Arumpo bog. Top Right: Kerang Recovery Crew brekkie with Brendan Tyrell (Melbourne), John Hewett (Mildura) with Brett Ball (Melbourne) and Nathan Olivieri (Perth). Middle Left: Stephen Spicer (Perth), Bob Beresford and Brett Matthews (Perth). Middle Right: Larry Lane from Geelong with Bob Beresford. Bottom Left: Steven Schneider (Horsham team) with Bob Beresford (Regional Service Director Southern) and Phill Sporton (Executive Director Service Delivery) during a field visit with the team.

69

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 69 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 71: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

A TOUGH COUPLE OF MONTHS

“To say we were a little busy at the time, would have been a huge understatement and I know many team members gave up their weekends to assist in getting our customers back on the air.”

TAKING OWNERSHIP...

By Ian Baker, Service Delivery Date: 15/01/11

Well it actually all started back in early September 2010, when a strong, cold front passed over the Murray, Goldfields and High Country regions dropping significant levels of rainfall on the Wangaratta, Shepparton and Bendigo townships.

There were many flood warnings across many different river systems across the north-east Field Service Area (FSA). This trend of extreme weather continued right up until March impacting various parts of our FSA – with the entire FSA impacted on one occasion.

To say we were a little busy at the time, would have been a huge understatement and I know many team members gave up their weekends to assist in getting our customers back on the air.

Whether fixing an individual customer fault, or a large cable outage, the endeavour and commitment was fantastic. It is a credit to the team that we were able to work our way through the enormous workload in the timeframe we did.

RochesterSaturday 15 January is a day I will not forget for quite a while.

I heard of a town meeting in the state’s north at Rochester on Friday 14 January. I was not too far from there, so proceeded to Rochy to see what was going on. Rochester was only flooded out a few months earlier in October. Upon getting to Rochy,

I saw there were some people in the street sandbagging shops, obviously getting ready for the rising water heading their way.

So I went to the local SES office to better understand the extent of the predicted flooding for Rochy. Our telephone exchange was in the middle of town, so I checked in with the local emergency authorities and they said, ‘No, that should be right’... famous last words.

On Saturday I decided to take another drive to Rochy from Bendigo. I arrived in Rochy about 7:00am to see water on either side of the road. I thought to myself that it was a little further than they originally thought, as it was supposed to peak the previous night.

Upon going to the SES to get an update, I was informed the water was still rising. I managed to get some more sandbags and headed to the exchange, where the water was rising fast. I got hold of Davin Else, one of the local technicians, who kindly pulled on his gumboots and we headed back to the exchange.

In the end we had to use a fire truck on site to continually pump out the manhole and stop water entering the exchange.

At its worst, the main street of Rochester was about one metre under water. I would say up to 80 per cent of the town was affected by the floodwater. These floods surpassed any previous flood records.

CharltonLater that day I headed back to Bendigo and then was flown to Charlton, where we went by boat to the exchange door. The exchange is in the middle of town.

70

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 70 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 72: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

TAKING OWNERSHIP...

Like Rochy, this was Charlton’s second flood in two months. There was over one metre of water in the main street and many houses inundated by floodwater from the Avoca River.

The main problem was a power sub-station in Charlton had failed and it knocked out power to around 40 towns in the area. This obviously caused us issues as batteries began to fail and access to sites was limited by the substantial flooding on many roads in the area.

The priority was to get the generator up and going to restore communication and transmission paths as well as mobiles, as the township of Charlton and many other communities in the vicinity, were without comms.

Once we fired up the generator, comms came back online, which meant emergency services could now communicate with locals to understand impact and co-ordinate recovery efforts.

A special mention to the Silcar boys and Service Delivery’s Daryl Crosbie, because they were magnificent in sourcing ways to keep exchanges and mobile sites going and ensuring, once power was restored, the site was functional and provided much needed communication back to isolated communities.

Throughout that weekend and weeks after, we again witnessed how good Telstra people are in times of disaster. Nothing was a problem. The guys just got in there and got the job done. Everyone went that extra mile to ensure we did all in our power to get our customers back on the air.

Above: Pulling up at the Charlton Exchange. Top Right: Aerial shot from the chopper as we headed into Charlton. The exchange building is situated to the right of the tower. Bottom Right: Rochester aerial shot.

71

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 71 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 73: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

THE HARD YARDS

“Local knowledge played an important role in being able to find alternate ways of access due to the floodwaters. In some cases, the travel time was increased three-fold to get to where we needed to go.”

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

By Daryl Crosbie, Service Delivery Date: 15/01/11

The northern Victorian countryside is where I live and work and this area is well known for its lakes and river systems. In early January we had above 150 millimetres rainfall locally as well as in the upper catchments of the local river and creek systems. This has not happened at the same time for more than 50 years.

The majority of our exchange and mobile buildings were built above previous peak levels, but whether they would stay dry or not was put to the test this time around.

The Charlton power substation had to be taken off line and this eventually caused more than 35 exchange and mobile sites to fail.

As mobile services are the mainstay communications for all emergency service agencies and local communities, preference was given for standby generators to be allocated to mobile sites and their associated transmission paths initially.

On Saturday 15 January, during the flood peak which isolated Charlton Township, the exchange batteries went flat.

Emergency Services Liaison Officer (ESLO) and area manager Ian Baker arranged for a helicopter to fly a team (including Silcar representative Garry Long), into Charlton to activate a standby generator and bring the exchange and mobiles back online.

Later that day, I attended the Boort Exchange to bring it and the mobile site back online, after a portable generator was activated.

On Sunday morning, after a frantic call from Quambatook Fire Brigade, Craig Eade and I attended the Quambatook Exchange with a hired generator and brought the transmission links and the exchange back online to enable the mobile service to be re-established.

From Monday, normal power started to return to our sites. So for the next three days we were kept busy bringing all our sites back online.

Local knowledge played an important role in being able to find alternate ways of access due to the floodwaters. In some cases, the travel time was increased three-fold to get to where we needed to go.

By close-of-business Wednesday, all Telstra sites in the flood-affected area were functioning normally. This was mainly due to the efforts of Darren Grose, Craig Eade, Jeff Schneider, Dave Colley and Tony Farrell.

While the Incident Control Centre (ICC) in Bendigo was operational, our three rotating representatives (Ian Baker, Allan Callaghan and Nick Marotta) kept in regular contact and did an excellent job in managing the provisioning of services and maintaining infrastructure.

72

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 72 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 74: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

Bottom Left: Daryl Crosbie providing remote diagnostic support over the phone whilst ‘locked in’ at Kerang. Technicians Darren Grosse and Craig Eade working to restore services.Top Right: Kerang Power station protected by the man-made levee banks built to protect it from rising floodwaters. Bottom Right: Kerang isolation.

On Thursday, Kerang was completely isolated by floodwaters and for several days it was like living in a ghost town, as many residents had left two days earlier when the official evacuation message was sent to local residents via mobile and telephone services.

To save the township, major earthworks were carried out including ripping up several kilometres of the Murray Valley Highway to form a levee bank. Although notifying the authorities of the three main optic cable entry points to the town, daily monitoring of these points prevented two major incidents from occurring.

73

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 73 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 75: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CHARLTON ISOLATION

“It was a privilege to work with a team who responded so willingly to support the restoration of customer services during this crisis.”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

By Peter Craig, Service Delivery Date: 15/01/11

Early Saturday morning 15 February, I received a phone call from a team member who advised me he had just heard on ABC local radio that a significant area in central Victoria around St Arnaud, Wedderburn and Charlton was totally isolated by floodwater. The report said these areas had no communications at all – absolutely nothing – they were completely cut-off from the rest of the world.

I immediately called the Network Operations manager at Telstra’s Global Operations Centre (GOC) to verify the radio report was accurate.

Thoughts of the impacts from the 2009 Bushfires ran through my head and I immediately collaborated with other Field Managers to start resolving this community isolation issue.

After investigating, it was apparent there were significant telecommunication issues across all of central Victoria due to flooding creating a power failure at the Charlton sub-station.

I contacted the SES and mobilised the team to resolve the power issues at network sites in the area.

Due to all access roads being blocked, technical specialist Daryl Crosbie had to be flown in by helicopter to restore power to Charlton and surrounding communities.

The response of the whole team was outstanding. All were willing to help out in any way they could to restore services for emergency service agencies and communities impacted by floods.

The team demonstrated innovation and initiative in the way they gained access to remote network sites, using boats, helicopters and fire trucks as means of transportation to gain access.

It was a privilege to work with a team who responded so willingly to support the restoration of customer services during this crisis.

74

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 74 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 76: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Opposite: Charlton Exchange. Top Right: Aerial shot of the Charlton area in flood. Bottom: Fire truck trips to and from the exchange, 15/01/11.

75

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 75 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 77: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

VOLUNTEERING WITH THE CFA

“There are a lot of Telstra people who volunteer with the CFA and emergency services. It’s just another way we can help out in times of need.”

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

Interview with Roger Smith, Information Technology Date: 16/01/11

Information Technology solutions manager Roger Smith is one of many Telstra employees who gave up his own time to help out flood-affected Victorian communities.

As a Country Fire Authority (CFA) volunteer, Roger drove to the Bendigo Incident Control Centre (ICC) on Sunday 16 January, where he worked three nightshifts alongside representatives from the Department of Sustainability & Environment (DSE), CFA, SES and Parks Victoria as well as liaison officers from several companies, including Telstra.

“I’d been asked to work as part of the CFA’s planning function. What we do in this role is try to predict the future impact of flooding and put plans in place to limit the damage. Part of the planning role is also to make sure we have the right people, vehicles, tools and equipment available.

“I drove up with Andrew Wenczel, a Telstra Operations colleague. Andrew works in Network & IT Operations and he also volunteers with the CFA. He did the dayshifts and I did the nightshifts.

“There are a lot of Telstra people who volunteer with the CFA and emergency services. It’s just another way we can help out in times of need,” said Roger.

At the ICC teams worked to support flood-affected towns including Kerang, Pyramid Hill, Quambatook, Lake Charm, Lake Boga and Swan Hill.

76

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 76 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 78: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...By Tony Ryan, Service Delivery Date: 17/01/11

We received a report from the Incident Control Centre (ICC) that Bridgewater Exchange was underwater.

Alarms indicated that the site wasn’t operating. So on Sunday afternoon 16 January, State Managed Radio technician, Roger Williams attended the site to check out the damage.

The exchange building had about half a metre of water through it. Sentinar arranged for the building to be cleaned out because it was full of mud. Team manager Wayne Toohey organised the clean-up of the exchange yard.

On the Monday morning, John Fixter liaised with Telstra’s Global Operations Centre (GOC) to get replacement spares, cables and various other pieces of equipment to site. John Hossack brought the exchange spares up from Melbourne.

The water damage required John and I rebuild one-third of the exchange to get it operational again. By Monday night, most of the 250 affected customers were back online.

We had the majority of services back up and running by the next night and I continued to assist John in rebuilding the exchange until Thursday.

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

BRIDGEWATER UNDERWATER

Opposite: Andrew Wenczel took this aerial view of the town of Culgoa, which is just south-west of Swan Hill. Above Left: Wet equipment inside Bridgewater Exchange. Above Right: High-water mark clearly visible in the exchange.

77

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 77 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 79: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GETTING STUCK IN

“I arrived home at about 10:00pm, had driven about 630kms and although tired, felt proud to be out serving the community and to be a part of such a great team.”

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

By John Hossack, Service Delivery Date: 17/01/11

On Friday 14 January, the rain started. I seemed to be at the front-edge of the rain band all day, but after talking with other colleagues I realised the rain was more widespread. By 9:00am Saturday, Seymour had 70.8 millimetres dumped on it, with much of the North West and Goldfields regions of Victoria suffering much worse.

On Saturday afternoon the call came from my team manager to see if I was available to go on standby.

By Monday, the team rallied to restore services for our customers. I was deployed to Mansfield, Jamieson then on to Lancefield restoring and testing Police Radio, Remote Customer Multiplexers, Remote Integrated Multiplexers and some transmission systems. (Note: RCMs and RIMs are both Telstra infrastructure which are housed in roadside cabinets).

At Lancefield I was staggered to find the RCM cabinet at the top-end of a road had taken on water and some of the boards on the bottom racks of equipment had been damaged. I was surprised because the cabinet is close to the top of the street and is positioned about 1.5 metres above road-level. This alone provides a good indication of the huge quantity of water that flowed down this street.

Tuesday was a long day. I started at Baringhup to restore transmission to RCMs then on to Bendigo and next, Campbell’s Forest for a RIM fault. Due to many road closures, getting to Campbell’s Forest proved difficult. However, with some local knowledge from technicians that live and work in the area, I got there.

Then it was time to move on from Campbell’s Forest to Elmore to meet with Rod Peters. Rod had come from Shepparton with line interface cards for Bridgewater Exchange. The exchange at Bridgewater had been inundated over the weekend.

John Fixter and Tony Ryan had worked tirelessly to get it back on the air. I met up with Tony and team manager Nick Marotta at the roadhouse at Bridgewater to deliver the cards. They were restoring the EFTPOS service, so business at the roadhouse could get back in full swing.

The bridge across the Loddon River was closed to road traffic at the time, so I walked back to the exchange across the bridge. The Bridgewater Exchange must have had over half a metre of water through it.

78

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 78 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 80: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

By the time I’d got there, John, Tony and the Silcar guys had done a fantastic job, basically replacing and re-terminating everything below the waterline and had already restored services to the community.

I arrived home at about 10:00pm, had driven about 630 kilometres and although tired, felt proud to be out serving the community and to be a part of such a great team.

My work continued through the week and on the Saturday I put in a day working in at Castlemaine, helping out with line faults.

I was amazed as I drove around the district to see the high-water mark on football oval goal posts and buildings, well above my Nissan Patrol’s roof.

Top: Bridgewater Exchange 15/01/11. Bottom: Tony Ryan leaving a much dryer and tidier Bridgewater Exchange 18/01/11. 79

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 79 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 81: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

THE FASTEST COW IN THE COUNTRY

“The 21 hour turnaround could actually be a new record for the provision of emergency coverage to a remote location. I’m not sure if there’s any official documentation around it but trust me, it was quick”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Interview with Ron Wilson, Network Construction Date: 19-20 January 2011

The small north-west Victorian town of Beulah was hit by floods in late-January.

With the risk of floodwaters pending, Network Construction’s Ron Wilson took an urgent phone call on Wednesday afternoon requesting a Cell on Wheels (CoW) be deployed to the township to cope with the influx of emergency service workers assisting with evacuations.

Immediately after the phone call, former-Network Construction employee Doug Amey picked up a CoW from Box Hill and drove it to the Beulah Exchange, arriving at about 10:00pm.

“He just kept taking detours around the floodwaters and closed roads. The trip from Box Hill would normally take about three and a half hours, but that day it took six and a half,” said Ron.

A trailer-mounted three-phase generator was delivered, and by midnight they had the CoW set up onsite and connected.

By 2:30am the CoW was configured and ready for activation. The Mobile Coverage Delivery (MCD) team completed the final data preparation, activating the CoW at 9:30am on Thursday.

“The 21 hour turnaround could actually be a new record for the provision of emergency coverage to a remote location. I’m not sure if there’s any official documentation around it but trust me, it was quick,” Ron said.

Teams from Network Construction, Service Delivery and Networks and Access Technologies worked closely together to set up and activate the CoW while Telstra Country Wide refuelled the generator each day to keep the services on the air.

Among those involved were Nick Balenovic, who was on annual leave at the time but returned to work and stayed onsite in Beulah until the CoW was on air; Gerard (Buzzer) Williams, who dropped everything and travelled to Beulah to assist Nick without hesitation; and the Network Construction Network Integration team, who worked from midnight until 3:00am to load the data so the CoW could be put to air as soon as possible.

80

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 80 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 82: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...By Daryl Beseler, Service Delivery Date: 24/01/11

I was part of the initial taskforce that was sent to Charlton to assist in the recovery. It was definitely the worst I’d ever seen in terms of devastation to a town.

We virtually door-knocked every house in Charlton to see if they had service – would have been around 400 homes.

I couldn’t help wondering what would happen to these homes because they were so badly damaged by the flood waters and what would happen to the people who lived in them.

Emergency services had a really strong presence in town with fire trucks everywhere. The volunteer fire brigade were there to offer assistance to anybody who needed physical manpower to empty out their homes and clean up the mud.

There were also lots of other volunteers happy to help out where it was needed.

There were heaps of stories, but one which has stayed with me was when we had to work in a manhole in the main street but it had been contaminated with raw sewerage.

A fire truck came to help us out, washing and pumping it out before we had to get in there, saving us from what could have been a really dirty job.

COLLABORATION...

SAVED FROM A REAL DIRTY JOB

Above: Charlton in flood.Opposite Left: CoW set-up went late into the night.Opposite Right: CoW set-up completed and activated by 9.30am the next day.

81

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 81 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 83: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

TACK’LING THE TOUGH STUFF

“We had 13 Field Service Areas (FSAs) affected by the rain and floods with thousands of kilometres of cable under water.”

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

By John (Tack) Hewett, Service Delivery Date: 28/01/11

On 28 January, the media were saying the floods may last for days. How wrong they were, Three-and-a-half months later and the new lakes filled by the rain will have water in them for the next 12 months.

We had 13 Field Service Areas (FSAs) affected by the rain and floods with thousands of kilometres of cable under water. Field teams moved in from Perth, Melbourne, Ballarat, Warrnambool, Horsham, Mildura and Swan Hill.

I would have to say the weather conditions this summer have been a huge challenge for all concerned. The conditions have been trying, with the floodwaters taking three months to drop and the vegetation growing so vigorously it is now almost impossible to find cable markers and elevated joints.

We have run approximately ten kilometres of temporary (slave) cable, remade hundreds of joints that have been underwater and reported hundreds of joints that require permanent repair.

I would like to make special mention of the communication technicians that worked in the recovery:

Laurie Barber (C&M* Swan Hill), Craig Lawry (I&M* Swan Hill), Peter O’Loughlan (I&M Swan Hill), Brad Crocker (C&M Ballarat), Brad Shaw (C&M Ballarat), Dean Conti (C&M Ballarat), Leo Muir (C&M Ballarat), Bruce Campbell (C&M Warrnambool), Rod Stevenson (C&M Horsham), Mick Bobstchinski (C&M Mildura), Peter Hickey (I&M Mildura), Frank Hickey (I&M Mildura), Daryl O’Brien (Labour Hire Kerang), Russell Petzke (Labour Hire Kerang), Glen McKissak (Labour Hire Swan Hill), Brendan Tyler (C&M Melbourne), Craig Murchie (C&M Melbourne), Brett Ball (C&M Melbourne), Nathan Olivieri (C&M Perth), Alastair Babbe (C&M Perth), Brett Matthews (C&M Perth), Stephen Spicer (C&M Perth), Rob Dahllof (C&M Melbourne), Robert Snowden (I&M Geelong) and Larry Lane (I&M Geelong).*C&M = Construct & Maintenance / I&M = Install & Maintenance

82

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 82 1/09/11 5:14 PM

Page 84: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

On one occasion Tack used three modes of transport to fix one customer fault. He took the customer’s agi bike to follow the cable route, rowed his way across a paddock to check out the problem and then hitched a ride via the customer’s tractor to get back to the house. Tack said, “Boy did we have one happy customer when it was done!”

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

Above Top: Tack rowing a tinny across customer’s paddock to check out the problem. Above Bottom: Tack with an elevated joint (at Kerang-Boort Road, Dingwall). The EJ had a sealed heat-shrink joint installed to waterproof it. At the peak of the flood Tack reckons the water level was just below his hand on the EJ. 83

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 83 1/09/11 5:14 PM

Page 85: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

FIRE AND FLOOD

“Fire went across the Princes Highway between Nowa Nowa and Orbost damaging the mains power feed to East Gippsland.”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

By John Fixter, Service Delivery Date: Early-February 2011

The first week of February saw bushfires in East Gippsland.

Fire went across the Princes Highway between Nowa Nowa and Orbost, damaging the mains power feed to East Gippsland.

The effect of this was over a dozen exchanges and mobile sites were without mains power for some time and the batteries started going flat, so I arranged for the deployment of generators to keep the sites working.

When we could get through, Silcar Energy Solutions connected generators and we went around after them fixing any comms issues that showed up after power was restored.

Following the first week of fires it was back to Mildura to restore service to a roadside cabinet at Mildura South which had been inundated with floodwater. This required temporarily raising the Remote Integrated Multiplexer (RIM) cabinet and replacing four access panels and some cabling to restore service.

In March, Bega and Bombala area was hit with heavy rain which washed out a number of optical fibre cables and caused a number of exchanges to be isolated until access was given to affected areas and repairs could be made.

I was able to help out remotely, checking out alarms and helping the local team manager Peter Chapple and technical specialist Jamie Bond with information on the fibre runs over the phone.

84

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 84 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 86: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...By Michael Ennor, Service Delivery Date: 04/02/11

On Friday night 4 February, our transmission nightshift crew were sent to South Melbourne Telephone Exchange for a fault on a Customer Multiplexer (CMUX). Upon arrival they found heavy rain had overflowed from the outside guttering and ran inside the roof cavity, and then leaked on to the CMUX equipment on the first floor of South Melbourne Telephone Exchange.

The damage this caused affected almost all Telstra Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) services in the South Melbourne area.

The nightshift worked until 7:00am the following morning to restore services and then handed over to a second group who worked all day Saturday.

By Saturday night, more than 80 percent of services had been restored. The remaining services were restored as soon as spare units were sourced.

On the same night, a similar incident of overflowing gutters caused water to enter the ceiling space of Brighton Telephone Exchange. The water leaked down through the ceiling and damaged transmission equipment on the first floor of the exchange before continuing down to the ground floor and damaging 12 suites of System 12 equipment.

This water damage affected approximately 5,000 customer telephone services in the Brighton area.

Once again, as part of the transmission night crew, I worked overnight to restore these services, until a relief crew took over the following morning. The crews worked around the clock until Monday morning, restoring some 90 percent of services.

Various roadside Remote Integrated Multiplexer (RIM) and Customer Multiplexer (CMUX) units in areas such as Laverton and Springvale were also affected by heavy rain in the area and the team got stuck in to repairing these, knowing how people rely on being connected during these critical times.

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

DOING THE NIGHTSHIFT

Opposite: Seventeenth Street RIM cabinet, Mildura, which required raising for obvious reasons. Above: South Melbourne Exchange flooded. 85

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 85 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 87: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

JUST OUT OF HARM’S WAY

“It’s great how everyone just gets stuck in and helps each other out during an emergency.”

COLLABORATION...

By Brad Crocker, Service Delivery Date: 14/02/11

Carisbrook was flooded Friday 14 February, the flood was caused by the overflowing of the reservoir to the east of the town, which flooded most of the northern part of town.

Sandbagging was performed to stop the flooding in the southern part of town but to everyone’s surprise the flood waters came around from the west and flooded the rest of Carisbrook.

No one in the town had ever seen anything like it. The river was 15 metres higher than normal, within 1 metre from the bridge.

Getting around the town was by boat only, with no vehicle access at all. We weren’t sure if the exchange had been flooded, so I asked if the SES could check it out for us.

The SES visited our exchange by boat and confirmed we were very lucky, it hadn’t been inundated. But, according to their report, only a few inches stood between our exchange and the floodwater.

The entire town of Carisbrook near Ballarat was flooded, with the exception of our telephone exchange and the post office.

All the agencies worked really well together including Telstra and Power Corp.

It’s great how everyone just gets stuck in and helps each other out during an emergency.

86

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 86 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 88: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COLLABORATION... By Brad Shaw, Delivery Date: mid-February 2011

Most of my work was on an excavator, digging around elevated joints that were underwater.

However, there was one customer visit we made in Kerang which stood out at the time. The customer runs an engineering business from his home, so relies heavily on comms to keep his business going. Unfortunately, his home-business had been badly flooded.

Rob Dahllof replaced all his sockets, which was more than was expected by the customer at the time.

We also dug across his driveway and replaced a damaged cable and returned later to level off his driveway from where we’d dug previously.

The customer said he was really rapt with what we’d done.

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

KERANG CUSTOMER RAPT

Opposite: Brad Crocker at Carisbrook checking in with the SES to see if the exchange is flooded. Above: Brad Shaw following Greg Lovel on the way to a cable fault at Wycheproof. 87

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 87 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 89: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

“Not only do we remember the devastation, but also the generosity that came from such an event...”

CARING COLLEAGUES...

By Janet MacKey, Service Delivery Date: February/March 2011

As the tragedy of the Queensland floods emerged, the Test and Fulfilment centre in Victoria decided that we wanted to contribute to the recovery process.

We wanted to show our support in this time of need, for we well remember the impacts a disaster has from the Victorian Bushfires in 2009.

Not only do we remember the devastation, but also the generosity that came from such an event, especially from one particular lady, Tanya Vidgen from Network Construction.

Tanya works in Brisbane and during the Victorian Bushfires she read an article from the Telstra Proud website which motivated her do some fundraising for us. She sent many boxes of items she gathered for us to distribute in the Kinglake area.

During the Queensland floods Tanya was again busily fundraising and volunteering her time. She even took some time off work to assist in the evacuation centres.

We remembered what Tanya and her fellow Queenslanders did for our Victorian friends. So during the Queensland floods we became a charity group and organised many traditional, as well as creative, events to raise money. Such events included Hot Dog Day, Nifty Fifty, collecting gold coin for casual dress day, just to name a few. Many from our team also contributed to the Telstra online flood appeal.

We sent $250 to the Queensland RSPCA to go towards assisting animals who were impacted by the floods.

We also sent $250 to a co-worker in Service Delivery, Genise Benz. Genise lives in Brisbane and lost her home and contents during the floods.

We also gathered donated items here in Victoria to send up to Tanya to distribute as required. Some of the items collected included kitchen and household items such as kettles, toasters, sheets, stationery, toiletries and also toys.

We packed and forwarded the items donated onto Tanya in Brisbane who distributed them for us as needed to the flood disaster areas. We even arranged for a collection of 73 teddy bears/soft toys for children affected, who may have lost their special friends.

As a centre we should all be so proud of how we have made a difference, every gesture no matter how big or small, is being sent on to those impacted in Queensland with our most sincere thoughts for their welfare.

It was a privilege to work with a team who responded so willingly to support the restoration of customer services during this crisis.

88

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 88 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 90: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CARING COLLEAGUES...

Top: (l-r) Chris Tibb, Des Scully, Matthew Chick, Jessica Prakash, Jatinder Singh, Dhwani Palany, Erick Magpantay, Janet Mackey and Steve Geddes - all were a part of the Victorian charity team who assisted in raising funds and collecting household items and toys for those impacted in Queensland. Bottom Left: Tanya with just some of the boxes holding donations from the Test and Fulfilment team in Victoria packed for distribution throughout Queensland. Bottom Right: Tanya presenting Genise her gift from the Test and Fulfilment team.

89

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 89 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 91: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

TELSTRA BLOKES EVERYWHERE

“The owner of the local camping and fishing store commented to me one day how amusing it was to see Telstra blokes walking out of his shop with waders and boogie boards.”

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

By Craig Lawry, Service Delivery Date: 10/03/11

The Telstra presence was undoubtedly noticeable, “There are Telstra blokes everywhere,” a local resident commented to me. And as a local CT (communication technician), I too can remember thinking this and being impressed the same way he was.

I take my hat off to the technicians who had to endure extremely trying circumstances. Such as wading waist deep in residual floodwaters, dealing with the daily struggle of not getting bogged, the inconvenience of bridges and roads having been washed away, snakes, spiders and mosquitoes – the latter were at times unbearable, the terrible smell of contaminated floodwaters and the long hours worked. And all this went on for months.

The owner of the local camping and fishing store commented to me one day how amusing it was to see Telstra blokes walking out of his shop with waders and boogie boards.

As I was involved in installing interim Next G® phone services, I was also impressed at how understanding our customers were. I think this was due to the widespread presence of the Telstra flood response team and also the fact that outstanding faults were locally managed and customers were kept informed.

One customer story that comes to mind is of a farmer, from Murrabit who lives near the Loddon River, who drove approximately two kilometres on his tractor through floodwater to pick up an interim phone from me. This was the closest point I could get to his house.

I had it pre-programmed and gave him a crash course on setting it up. He stowed it safely in his esky on the back tray of the tractor and half-an-hour later a successful test call was made to one very happy farmer.

90

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 90 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 92: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

Opposite: Peter O’Loughlan, wading through water caused by Lake Boort overflowing and inundating the Yando/Boort area (29/01/2011). There was an elevated joint with loading coils (not shown here), that had become submerged. Peter was able to walk up to the joint, remove the coils, remake the joint and provide service for affected customers. Above: Greg Allanby and Dave Maddocks.

By Matt Shaw, Service Delivery Date: 24 March 2011

On 24 March, the east coast of Tasmania received 128 millimetres in the 24-hour period to break the daily record set previously in 1946.

With this record rainfall came a rise in the Swan River, just north of Swansea, to levels only ever witnessed by the oldest residents of the town.

The increased flow brought with it a large amount of debris from up-river, including many large trees. One of these trees was seen by a local resident, whose property overlooks the Swan River, getting lodged on something in the river, remain stationary for a couple of minutes then continue its journey down river.

As discovered several days later after the water receded, the cause of the tree becoming lodged was a Telstra river crossing – two cables which provide service to the farms and vineyards north of Swansea. Both cables were ripped apart by the force of the flowing river and debris causing service disruption to these properties.

Unfortunately, there was not a temporary solution to restore service to these customers and the 29 affected services were managed by interim phone solutions and diversions, organised by local team manager Greg Allanby and local technician David Maddocks.

The South Tassie Construct & Maintenance team, lead by John Seabourne and I, assessed the repair options when the water had receded some five days later and organised for a new river crossing to be installed by Service Stream contractors.

A new conduit was weighted down across the 120 metre river crossing, new cables were installed and connected, restoring service 11 days after the original cables had been washed away.

Customers serviced by this cable were understanding of the challenges faced by replacing the river crossing and were most appreciative when services were restored and back to normal.

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

RECORD RAIN AND RIVER

CROSSINGS

RECORD RAIN AND RIVER

CROSSINGS

91

Booklet_START4_SouthEast.indd 91 26/08/11 1:16 PM

Page 93: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Peter Shipley (above), along with other colleagues who were stranded in Taringa in the middle of a red zone, helped out locals by sandbagging houses, moving cars from fl oodwaters and spent an entire day helping evacuate the local retirement village. See related story, ‘Community comes together’ (p.116).

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 92 26/08/11 1:19 PM

Page 94: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

NORTH EAST REGION (QUEENSLAND)

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 93 26/08/11 1:19 PM

Page 95: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

READY FOR ACTION

“Our recovery efforts in January 2011 were also supported by a 29 strong workforce from New Zealand.”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

By Malcolm McKellar, Service Delivery Date: 3 October 2010 onwards

Our Peak Load strategy supports Service Delivery Northern’s commitment to minimise service disruptions caused to impacted communities during and after extreme weather conditions.

Our strategy requires the secondment of both intra and inter regional team members to assemble an additional workforce prior to the commencement of Northern Australia’s wet season, which typically starts in October.

During the peak load period (1 November to 30 April) our headquarters is based at the Brisbane Airport exchange. This location provides a point for quick transfer from either the domestic or international terminals.

This ensures the Northern region has arrangements in place, well ahead of time, to effectively deal with fault volume increases due to extreme weather events.

In addition to our own Telstra workforce, our recovery efforts in January 2011 were also supported by a 29 strong workforce from New Zealand.

See related story, ‘Help from across the ditch’ (p.134).

94

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 94 26/08/11 1:19 PM

Page 96: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Opposite: Some of the Peak Load team with Telstra’s CEO (l-r) Dale Peppernell, Terry Hayden, Matthew Thornton, Malcolm McKellar, Denis Dunn, David Thodey, Mary Rennie, Peter Cordell and Jason Jurczynski. Other Peak Load team members missing from this photograph were: Glenn Alexander, Graham Facer, Murray Young, Jared Bellgardt, Greg Anderson, Danny Freeman, Dave Jolley, Dave Kincaid, Bruce Dowling, Max Hamill and Paul Weeks. Above Left: Marshall Watego at Kingaroy. Above Right: (l-r) Parked at Moore Exchange paddock are Marshall Watego, Laurie Kipping and Bob Lang.

As told by Peter Nash, Service Delivery Date: 12/12/10

An Australian Defence Force fixed-wing aircraft was used to fly communication technicians (CTs) Marshall Watego and Bob Lang into Kingaroy to repair a fibre optic cable which was washed away during the floods.

Taking test equipment and a 60-fibre cable with them, Marshall and Bob flew into Kingaroy at 7:30pm and worked into the night until they located the fault near the Blackbutt Range at around 10:30pm that evening.

Landslides and local flooding meant the range was closed and the only way across was by air. A helicopter was arranged and Marshall and Bob were flown across to Moore Exchange the following morning.

The exchange paddock was the safest place for the helicopter to land close to the damaged cable. Once landed at the exchange, the duo met up with local techs to repair the damaged optic fibre.

The guys worked solidly until they finished the repair at 9:00pm – more than 24 hours after they began.

The commitment they’ve shown has been truly fantastic.

COMMITMENT... COMMITMENT...

FLYING IN TO FIX FIBRE

95

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 95 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 97: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

QUICK FIX CONNECTS CUSTOMERS

“The team then got to work digging under a footpath so the cable could reach the necessary manhole to restore services.”

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

As told by Peter Spence, Service Delivery Date: 29/12/10

A fibre cable across the Dee River which feeds the small town of Mount Morgan, south of Rockhampton, was washed away in the floods.

In the pouring rain, armed with equipment, employees from Service Delivery and Network Construction were sent from Rockhampton to repair the damage.

Those involved from Service Delivery included Ashley Scharf, Zac Hancock, David Tweed, Raymond McFarlane, David Smith, Wally Van Peperstraten, Barry Fletcher and Peter Spence.

The team was completed with Brad Swales and Anthony Pound from Network Construction.

The new cable was hauled from a manhole, up and over the bridge and through a storm water pipe. The team then got to work digging under a footpath so the cable could reach the necessary manhole to restore services.

Six hours later, the ten men had resolved the issue without the help of the usual heavy machinery.

The next night many of these technicians were involved in restoring services during a fibre outage in Bundaberg. Please see the following story.

96

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 96 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 98: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

Opposite: (l-r) Peter Spence, David Smith, David Aldridge and Ashley Scharf. Top Right: (l-r) Peter Spence, David Aldridge, Ashley Scharf and David Smith on the Burnett River Bridge.Bottom Right: (l-r) David Smith and David Aldridge. Bottom Left: (l-r) David Smith, David Aldridge and Peter Spence.

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

Interview with Shaun Walliss, Service Delivery Date: 30/12/2010

When an optical fibre in Bundaberg was washed away, seven technicians worked overnight to resolve the issue.

These were Peter Spence, Ashley Scharf, David Smith, Zac Hancock, Wally Van Peperstraten, Steven Smith and David Aldridge.

The team worked together for 13 hours restoring services to around 3,000 affected customers.

“The slave (temporary cable) covered over one kilometre and passed three road crossings, two parks, a bridge and a block of units. It wasn’t an easy task, especially in the conditions,” said Shaun Walliss, field team manager for Bundaberg.

“Everyone just got stuck in and worked until it was fixed. We had five guys from Rockhampton who didn’t hesitate to help, even though there was a real threat they might not have been able to make it back home because of the flooding,” he added.

The five Rocky guys were Peter Spence, Ashley Scharf, David Smith, Zac Hancock and Wally Van Peperstraten.

97

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 97 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 99: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

HOMEWARD BOUND

“The damage meant there was no mobile or landline services around the town of Gin Gin”

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

As told by Mark Graham, Service Delivery Date: 30/12/10

Service Delivery’s Wayne Baker was making an early morning run home from Gladstone to Brisbane in anticipation of beating rising floodwaters on Thursday 30 December.

At the time Wayne was unaware the main bridge into Bundaberg had flooded during the night which resulted in a major fibre cut. The damage meant there was no mobile or landline services around the town of Gin Gin.

Wayne arrived in Gin Gin only to be recruited by the local Mayor and SES personnel to provide assistance. Without hesitation Wayne was able to provide the use of his satellite phone for the SES to contact Bundaberg and arrange emergency phones to be dispatched to Gin Gin and also for the Mayor to contact regional emergency services to determine the extent of damage in the area.

On their arrival, Wayne also assisted in the setting up and the operation of the satellite phones.

With the road to the south open and the SES communicating once again, Wayne continued on his journey home, only ten hours later than expected.

98

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 98 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 100: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

Opposite: Wayne Baker on an earlier job travelling by barge from Brisbane to Moreton Island to perform radio system maintenance. Above Top: Packing the gensets and other equipment in Rockhampton. Above Bottom: Dave Webb took this shot of the Black Hawk’s arrival at Theodore and was on hand to help unload equipment.

TAKING OWNERSHIP...

THE ARMY, POLICE AND

DAVE TO THE RESCUE

Interviews with David Webb and Craig Bartlett, Service Delivery Date: Late-December 2010

“We can laugh about it all now, like how we were doing a hefty 30 knots through the cotton fields to get to where we needed to go, but it was pretty grim and serious when it was actually happening... especially when we started to run out of beer!” – Dave Webb

In the last weeks of December 2010, Theodore in Central Queensland saw the highest floods on record with rivers rising to 14.7 metres and floodwaters inundating 98 percent of houses and businesses.

A couple of days after Christmas, almost all of the 300 residents in the town had been evacuated by helicopter to another mining community at Moura.

Communication technician Dave Webb is based at Theodore and has spent most of his career working in the area.

During the floods, although his own property was affected, Dave was one of the very few essential service people who remained in the township.

Dave spent his time travelling by boat from a small evacuation centre at the local golf club to the main exchange to make sure water was not inundating exchange equipment.

Ergon Energy had to disconnect power to the township due to the significant height of the floodwaters and the danger it posed to the community. This left the main exchange without power and only 10 hours of battery life.

Dave had to turn the entire exchange off, except for the Optomux (optic fibre) system which kept the local mobile base station working.

With no generators in the township large enough to power the exchange and no road or rail access, Dave contacted the group’s Regional Emergency

Services Liaison Officer (ESLO), Craig Bartlett. Craig then called on assistance from the State Disaster Co-ordination Group (SDCG).

“Within 12 hours the SDCG and the Army were able to organise a Black Hawk helicopter to be available to transport two generators, fuel and an electrician from Rockhampton to Theodore.

“As we expect from the Army, everything ran like clockwork and Dave and the local Police were on site at Theodore to assist with the unloading and installation of the equipment. This ensured communications were maintained for emergency services and for the community as they started to return home,’’ said Craig.

Dave co-ordinated with the local constabulary to keep refilling the generators until power was restored and he continued to monitor the equipment to ensure it kept functioning correctly after everything had successfully been turned back on.

99

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 99 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 101: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

EXCHANGE WRAPPED IN PLASTIC

“In preparation for the worst, Shane and Steve filled and loaded over 500 sandbags for the community...”

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

Interviews with Steve Strugnell and Shane Golding, Service Delivery Date: 06/01/11

As flood warnings for St George increased in severity, two local technicians got to work preparing the town’s only exchange for the looming floodwaters.

Steve Strugnell and Shane Golding sealed all the vents with heavy duty plastic and tape. They then filled over one hundred sandbags by hand, which they used to hold the plastic covering in place around the walls of the building.

In preparation for the worst, Shane and Steve filled and loaded over 500 sandbags for the community and attended disaster meetings, while also continuing their work repairing customer faults.

Thankfully, the water did not reach the peak expected and the exchange’s temporary shield was not fully tested.

100

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 100 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 102: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

Above: John Jackson presenting Field Delivery’s Sue Ikin with the funds collected in Toowoomba from Infrastructure Solutions and Service Integrity teams (these teams are part of the wider Service Delivery team).Opposite: St George exchange wrapped in plastic and sandbagged.

By Sue Ikin and Dave Marshman, Service Delivery Date: 10/01/11

On Monday, 10 January, with the ground fully saturated following a weekend of heavy rain, Toowoomba received approximately 225 millimetres of rain during a six hour period, with the majority of the rain recorded in just one to two hours.

A very large volume of water run-off flowed through Toowoomba, coursing down streets and creeks and causing flash floods in several parts of the city.

Due to the rapid onset of the event, no early warning or precautions were able to be issued or implemented. Tragically, lives were lost and residents of the Lockyer Valley suffered considerably.

Due to concern for their family members, friends and possible property damage, Field Delivery employees who lived at Murphy’s Creek left work early that day, hoping roads to home had not become inaccessible.

These employees phoned back to work to advise the streets were like rivers and recommended others still at work consider leaving early, but to take care travelling.

Some employees attempted to travel via the New England Highway. However, it was blocked due to landslides with traffic at a standstill until police opened one lane on the down section of the four-lane highway.

The floodwaters tore down the range, with water run-off from the eastern side of the range converging into a flash flood through Murphy’s Creek. Water flowed onwards through the Lockyer Valley to Grantham and beyond, gaining momentum and volume as it progressed.

Waters which had flooded Toowoomba city then flowed west to centres along Gowrie Creek and the Condamine River.

One employee found his residence severely flood-damaged and uninhabitable and he and his family found shelter with friends.

Another, who lives in Toowoomba, left early to find floodwater coming out of his front door. Investigating further he found 20 centimetres of water throughout his house with many personal belongings damaged beyond repair.

The impacts of the flooding in Toowoomba and surrounds have been well documented by the media. The effect on impacted employees has been very emotional and stressful, with many weeks of manual labour required to repair and reinstate homes and property.

Several Toowoomba colleagues assisted in the clean up and many, many more Field Delivery team members donated funds to assist impacted employees and their families to get back on their feet. All Infrastructure Solutions teams held fund raising events in support of their colleagues.

CARING COLLEAGUES...

TOOWOOMBA – AN INSIDER’S VIEW

101

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 101 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 103: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

FLASH FLOODING HITS WITH NO NOTICE

STARTING TO REBUILD...

By Peter Sticklen, Network Construction Date: 10/01/11

Peter Sticklen, a Network Construction operative on annual leave was at home with his wife on their property at Postman’s Ridge, Lockyer Valley when flash flooding hit with no notice on Monday 10 January. Peter provides us with his account of what happened.

These photographs show what took place in just 25 minutes at our property with only my wife and I at home at the time. It started with water only at the back of our shed, and in 25 minutes it was all over and heading down the valley and away from us.

Our 1 metre wide creek was over 750 metres wide at the height of the flooding. The water on the western side of our house was 1.5 metres high. It was 3 metres high at our shed, which was totally washed away.

Earlier that day my team manager had asked if he could borrow my work vehicle, because I was on holidays and another operative’s vehicle had been flooded.

My vehicle was collected at 12:30pm and our shed was washed away at 1:30pm. My work vehicle had been parked in that shed, so fortunately it was saved.

Unfortunately, we had only just purchased our first ever brand new car. It was 28 days old, with less than 500 kilometres on the clock and it was now a write-off.

However, we are just happy to be here to talk about it and we are starting to rebuild at long last. And yes, by the way, we now have another brand new car.

102

“Our 1 metre wide creek was over 750 metres wide at the height of the flooding.”

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 102 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 104: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

STARTING TO REBUILD...

Opposite Top: Rising. Opposite Bottom: Rising higher. Top Left: Rising higher and higher. Top Right: Our back verandah became a raging torrent of water. Bottom Left: The western side of the house. Bottom Right: There goes the new shed.

103

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 103 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 105: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

MEETING THE CHALLENGE HEAD-ON

“The response from our field and support workforce was, as always, first class...”

RESPONSIVE.... RESPONSIVE....

By John Parkin, Service Delivery Date: 10 January 2011 onwards

The summer of 2010/11 will certainly go down in the record books as a summer without precedent in terms of the extreme natural events that besieged Queensland. From the floods in regional towns and cities, the flooding of Brisbane to Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasi which devastated parts of North Queensland – all in all it’s been quite a year!

Amidst all of the devastation and challenges associated with the number and complexity of the events, the team always kept a good sense of purpose and humour. I remember during the height of the floods in Rockhampton, I overheard the team discussing a CoW being located on North Keppel Island. I was surprised to hear this information and started to quiz the restoration team about why a CoW had been located onto an island with very few phone services.

Well, there were smiles all around when it was explained to me that a four legged cow of the bovine variety had been washed down the Fitzroy River and out to sea and ended up on North Keppel Island. I had wrongly assumed that they were discussing the deployment of a CoW (Cell on Wheels), which is an interim, mobile base station often set up to provide mobile services when permanent base stations are off the air.

As a company and across all business units, we came together to ensure a co-ordinated and united response.

The response from our field and support workforce was, as always, first class and the speed with which we were able to restore services to our customers across all parts of Queensland was truly outstanding.

Everyone involved has played a vital role and I would like to sincerely thank them for their support, commitment and professionalism during what were extraordinary and exceptional circumstances. A genuine spirit to do the very best we could on behalf of impacted communities, meant we were able to meet any challenge thrown our way head-on.

104

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 104 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 106: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE.... RESPONSIVE....

Top Left: Work undertaken in and around Brisbane to reconnect customers was substantial (Greg Anderson above). Top Right: Flooding at Withcott, Lockyer Valley. Bottom Left: Road access was a major issue. A road just north of Esk, South East Queensland. Bottom Right: Mission Beach (pictured), Dunk Island and numerous other North Queensland townships were devastated after Cyclone Yasi impacted the area.

105

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 105 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 107: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

“For me John provided a single source of the truth of what was happening across the organisation from top to bottom.”

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

As told by Craig Bartlett, Service Delivery Date: 10/01/11 onwards

During the crisis in Queensland, Craig Bartlett performed the Regional Emergency Services Liaison Officer (ESLO) role, was a participant in war room* activities and assisted John Parkin, Regional Service Director Northern Region, who led the Queensland flood and Cyclone Yasi recovery effort.

I would like to acknowledge John who led the Queensland flood and Cyclone Yasi recovery effort. His ability to keep calm and provide clear and concise direction during a time when Mother Nature was unleashing her wrath and everyone was in unchartered territory was nothing short of amazing, motivating and inspiring.

During the week of the Brisbane floods (week commencing 10/01/11) Brisbane CBD was evacuated and a temporary war room was established at the Boondall Depot for those staff with access.

John, although his house/suburb was cut off by floodwaters for several days, continued to lead the team whilst stranded at his home.

On Monday 17 January, under John’s direction, a dedicated war room was established at 275 George Street, Brisbane for representatives of the flood recovery team. These included Telstra’s external partners, such as IBM Logistics and others, and the room was used to co-locate team members and hold frequent, face-to-face meetings.

This approach, in conjunction with open conference bridges (e.g. Operations bridge and Global Operations Centre’s open tech bridge), worked extremely well and after Cyclone Yasi, war rooms were also established in Cairns and Townsville.

John ensured the emergency service groups were well supported by having managers participate in all meetings. He also based one of the management team with Emergency Management Queensland to share resources and minimise the delays in restoring and services to key sites.

Soon after impact, John made field visits to the Lockyer Valley, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville where he carried out network assessments and checked in with some of his field crews, residents and business owners to ensure all was being done from a telecommunications restoration point of view.

John worked closely with the community, attending community meetings and, with representation from a charity sponsored by Andrew Forrest, was instrumental in organising a new permanent mobile base station at the disaster impacted area of Murphy’s Creek.

Jon O’Brien (Group General Manager, Queensland State Government, Telstra Enterprise & Government) said of John’s ability to keep all informed with the latest information: “For me John provided a single source of the truth of what was happening across the organisation from top to bottom. He was able to guide, coach and support me with the right information at the right time to keep our external stakeholders, such as the Premier’s Disaster Management Group, well informed and confident of Telstra’s response.”*A war room is where key decision makers, influencers and subject matter experts are based for the duration of a significant, telecommunication infrastructure impacting event (or at least gather on a daily basis) to share information, ideas, priorities and actions to keep our customers connected.

106

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 106 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 108: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

Top Left: Premier of Queensland Anna Bligh described the devastation to the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley region as an ‘inland tsunami’. Top Right: A strong army presence at Murphy’s Creek and Grantham. Middle Left: Dean Currey, Jason Wade and John Parkin outside Grantham Exchange. Bottom Left: John Parkin chatting with a local across a washed-out bridge just outside of Murphy’s Creek - “How’s services mate? Are you still connected?” - “Yup, no worries and thanks for asking.” Bottom Right: Leaving Grantham after checking the exchange and generator.

107

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 107 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 109: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

STAYING THE COURSE

“Throughout all this time they worked tirelessly, frequently putting in 12 hour days and always maintaining the focus on our customers.”

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

As told by Greg Anderson, Service Delivery Date: 10/01/11

On 10 January, the infamous ‘inland tsunami’ hit Toowoomba and tore through the Murphy’s Creek, Grantham and Gatton areas of the Lockyer Valley. The devastation, loss of life and property was shocking.

On this day we had two Construction & Maintenance peak load team members Chris Wilson and Charlie Fucile on secondment from Service Delivery’s Central Region working in an area just outside of Gatton.

Both worked in the Lockyer Valley region from the beginning of the disaster until 19 April, when they finally left the Lockyer Valley to head home to the south coast of New South Wales.

For a little over three months they were heavily involved in Telstra’s repair and reconstruction program focused on the Mt Sylvia and Woodbine exchange areas where severe flooding had washed out roads and bridges including the majority of our network in the area.

The technicians spent most of this time working up and around the Lockyer Valley as part of the larger reconstruction team replacing poles, fibre and copper cables and remaking the dozens of joints which had been damaged and destroyed by the floodwaters.

The worst affected was a 24 kilometre stretch of valley running up into the Great Dividing Range called Black Duck Creek, which had approximately

23 creek crossings destroyed. The team did a magnificent job to restore and reconstruct the network back to standard.

Right from the start our staff in the worst affected areas used innovative and inventive ways of getting services restored. This included casting a fishing line over flooded crossings to haul fibre and copper cables across the creek.

Throughout all this time they worked tirelessly, frequently putting in 12 hour days and always maintaining the focus on our customers.

The whole team including Charlie and Chris deserves recognition for their determination to stick it out until the last customers were reconnected and should be proud of their efforts.

108

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 108 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 110: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

Opposite: At Belford Bridge, Gatton, where teams had to provide a temporary aerial fibre solution while the bridge was being fixed. Bottom Left: (l-r) Gary Menegon, Greg Long and James Barker inspect bore pipe damage at Black Duck Creek, Mt Sylvia. Bottom Right: Working to restore services to Mt Sylvia residents are (l-r) John Mason and Eric Walsh. Top Left: Black Duck Creek causeway washout, Mt Sylvia. Top Right: (l-r) Chris Wilson, Ray Woods, Phil Morton, Greg Long, James Barker, Dean Turner, Greg Anderson and Charlie Fucile. (Missing) Grant (Kiwi) Cunard, Danny Freeman, Brett Barlow and Dwayne Smith.

109

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 109 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 111: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

BRISBANE CBD SHUTS DOWN

“The city and suburbs were awash with heavy rain and roads were clogged with traffic as staff made their way home.”

CARING COLLEAGUES...

By Lynne Bell, Service Delivery Date: 11/01/11

As the Brisbane Field Delivery team watched news reports of the floods across regional Queensland, little did we know the focus would soon switch to our own city.

We watched as Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley were swamped by walls of water, the likes of which we had never seen before. Infrastructure Solutions Toowoomba staff closely monitored the situation especially for those employees with properties in outlying areas, to ensure all field team members were accounted for and were safe.

In the meantime, from our George Street premises we watched as the Brisbane River started to rise. Up to 2,000 Telstra employees were among those who evacuated Brisbane’s CBD on 11 January, when the river broke its banks.

The city and suburbs were awash with heavy rain and roads were clogged with traffic as staff made their way home.

Twice daily hook-ups were held by the Field Delivery leadership team including Brisbane team managers to ensure all field crews were safe and to also provide our Human Resources manager with regular updates on team members and their families.

Further meetings were also held across Service Delivery’s Field Enablement & Infrastructure (FE&I) team to maximise resources across the group to handle workloads and customer inquiries.

In addition to business as usual activities, our FE&I colleagues across the country stepped up straight

away with offers to assist. Brisbane call queues were diverted to Network Integrity in Western Australia and all non-impacted Infrastructure Solutions teams and Gavin Glanville, a tech specialist from Delivery Support & Planning (DS&P), worked at the Boondall Depot for two days to assist with planning volumes.

Following assurances the George Street building was safe to re-enter, all Brisbane staff were advised to return to work on Monday, 17 January. We were fortunate to have power on the whole time the CBD was evacuated, with buildings closer to the Story Bridge end of the CBD not so lucky.

Some FE&I team members lost their homes and belongings. However, through the generosity of spirit shown by FE&I colleagues from right across the country, funds totalling over $15,000 were raised in a short timeframe to help impacted team members to get back on their feet.

110

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 110 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 112: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CARING COLLEAGUES...

Interview with Peter Spence, Service Delivery Date: 13-15/01/11

When field technician David Tweed got the call to help repair a pillar in Rockhampton that had been washed away in the floods, he didn’t hesitate.

Despite the fact his house had been cut off from Rockhampton for several weeks, he organised for neighbours and friends to look after his three daughters and wife and boarded an SES boat to take him to work.

Together with Barry Fletcher and Wally Van Peperstraten, David spent three days repairing the pillar that serviced 215 customers including the District Support Unit Army Base and the Central Queensland Rescue Helicopter Base.

“All of our technicians have been working around the clock for weeks now. David’s dedication and willingness to help is a good example of the attitude within our team.

“When I asked if he could help repair the pillar to get the emergency services working, he simply said, ‘No worries, we need to get this mess cleaned up’.

“He put his personal worries in the background and got to work to help others,” said Peter.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

IN ROCKY

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

Above: David Tweed at work. Opposite: Photo taken by mobile phone from 275 George Street of the swelling Brisbane River. 111

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 111 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 113: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CAPACITY REQUEST MET IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES

“Within hours of being able to enter the site, Network Construction team members had the required link operating and the customer connected.”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

As told by Neil Francis, Networks and Access Technologies Date: 11/01/11

On Tuesday afternoon 11 January, the Planning team received a request from Telstra Wholesale to look for transmission capacity between Brisbane and Sydney, as one of their Wholesale customers had lost some of their capacity due to the floods west of Brisbane.

The timing of this request was a challenge, as the Brisbane office was in the process of closing in preparation of the expected flood peak that night in the Brisbane CBD.

Networks and Access Technologies Wideband Planning requested Intercapital Planning in Sydney to look at the request and provide advice by the following morning.

Capacity was investigated on a number of routes. However the preferred route could not be actioned due to the flood crisis in Brisbane putting Charlotte Street Exchange in a red zone, with the team unable to enter the site.

On Friday morning the Charlotte Street Exchange Service Area became an amber zone, and the team could commence work. This was despite the fact this part of the Brisbane CBD was still without power, and Charlotte Street Exchange was operating on emergency power, so no lifts etc., were operational.

Within hours of being able to enter the site, Network Construction team members had the required link operating and the customer connected. All this occurred while a number of key Telstra people involved were working remotely due to the Brisbane office being closed.

Throughout these three days, Networks and Access Technologies’ Wideband & Intercapital Planning team worked together to ensure Network Construction had clear instructions on the infrastructure to use and the required work, and Telstra Wholesale were kept informed of progress and issues arising due to the environment our people were working in.

Telstra Wholesale’s Ram Dubey recognised the effort put in by those involved from Wideband Planning, Intercapital Transport Planning and Network Construction. This included David Field and Tony Delisser from Planning, and Rod Butcher and Max Hicks and their teams from Network Construction.

112

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 112 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 114: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Above Left: Albert Street, Brisbane, 13/01/11. Above Right: Kangaroo Point payphone, 13/01/11. 113

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 113 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 115: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WHEN YOUR ROAD BECOMES A BOAT RAMP

“We spent the day preparing as best we could, raising everything up inside the house and then helping our neighbours.”

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

By Susan Kuppens, Network Application & Services Date: 11/01/11

On Tuesday 11 January 2011 we had our first beautiful warm sunny day after what felt like weeks and weeks of continuous rain. For this reason it felt surreal to find out there was a huge amount of water heading our way and our area was going to be affected.

We live approximately 14 kilometres from Brisbane city and only 300 metres from the Brisbane River and looking at the flood prediction maps it was going to be a close call on whether our home would be saved from flooding.

We spent the day preparing as best we could, raising everything up inside the house and then helping our neighbours. There was an amazing sense of community and mateship in our street, with everyone helping whoever they could. People you had never talked to before became friends.

At 5:00am the next day I received a call from a family who live only 700 metres away, to find out they had been cut-off by floodwater and it was rising fast. Walking down the end of my street I was surprised at the amount of water that had flooded into our area. There were already ‘good Samaritans’ out there with their dinghies ferrying people back and forth across the floodwater helping to get people out.

By 11.30am our power was cut off and we were evacuated. We only just made it out by driving up on the verge through a foot of water.

We spent the night at a little Anglican church in our area that had been set up as an evacuation shelter. Everyone there was so wonderful and took

such good care of us, especially our boys who they kept well entertained. It was a very long night left wondering what was happening back home.

At 7:30am the next morning we decided to see if we could make it home and see what had happened. The water had receded enough for us to turn into our street, and we were so grateful to find our home had been spared, however those on the opposite side of our street weren’t so lucky.

We were very fortunate, as we live on the high side of the street. Those opposite us slope down and back on to a little creek that runs off the river and every home had some level of flooding with most being flooded up to the middle of their second story.

The next few weeks were spent with hundreds of people coming into our area to help out those affected by the flood, doing everything from tearing down the internal walls and gutting houses to cleaning the mud off anything and everything in sight that could be salvaged.

Lovely people also brought around cooked meals to those affected and those without power. It was so amazing to see everyone pitching in to help and working together. It really goes to show what a strong Aussie culture of mateship we still have.

It took nine days for our power to be restored, which made living hard. There were shortages of ice, milk, bread, water and petrol. It’s amazing what you take for granted. However, compared to what a lot of other people were going through at the time, we were so very lucky and grateful.

114

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 114 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 116: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

Above: ‘Good Samaritans’ were out there... ferrying people back and forth across the floodwater helping to get people out. 115

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 115 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 117: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER

“No names or sob stories, just good old hands-on help and that was something you just don’t hear about.”

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

By Shanne Wright, Service Delivery Date: 12/01/11

Seven interstate technicians (four from Sydney and three from South Australia), who were assisting with Telstra’s flood restoration efforts in Queensland, found themselves stranded in the small community of Taringa for several days mid-January.

While they continued repairing faults and preparing the network for more flooding, they also spent time helping out in the community. The team sandbagged houses, moved cars from floodwaters and spent an entire day helping evacuate the local retirement village.

Sydney-based technician Shanne Wright tells their story.

We woke to find we were in a red zone (Indooroopilly) and were unable to go out and work. We were advised by our team manager he would be in touch and to stay out of danger.

We couldn’t see any water or any kind of damage from where we were staying so we hopped into our vans and drove down the road and what we saw words could not explain.

We turned into a street where there was a still lake where homes used to be and we could see car roofs just sticking out of the water and street signs at water level. A lot of people couldn’t believe what they were witnessing.

We continued into the next street where we came across a lot of people running around trying to move things to higher ground. They were sandbagging their homes, garages and anywhere the water might get in.

Within this street was the St Lucia nursing home Aveo and it was clear there was a lot of work to be done but not enough hands. So Peter Shipley, Todd Janus and I went to assist and see how we could help.

Water was rising fast and we were emptying units of personal belongings to the next level or into garage space on higher ground.

Peter and Todd were able to save a couple of cars residents were unable to get to, driving them to safe, dry land.

Unfortunately some homes were lost within the nursing home that day and the entire bottom level went under water, but I believe a lot of spirits were lifted as the community came together and helped each other in this time of need.

One elderly gentleman told me a guy turned up at his house with a trailer, walked in and said, “You have to go”. He helped the homeowner load all his personal possessions into the trailer, drove him to a friend’s house, unloaded and went back to help someone else.

No names or sob stories, just good old hands-on help and that was something you just don’t hear about.

You just do what you can. Everyone in the community is chipping in to help. As the roads reopened, people who had been evacuated started to return to help with the recovery.’

My friends and family asked, “What was it like being in Queensland during the floods?” and I can honestly say it’s something I will never forget. Yes, we saw it on the TV news or heard about it on the radio, but to be there and experience it firsthand and to smell that stagnant water is something words cannot describe.

116

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 116 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 118: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

Top Left: “We turned into a street where there was a still lake.” Top Right: Shanne Wright helps residents sandbag in Taringa and Peter Shipley at the retirement village where the team were assisting by sandbagging and moving mechanical beds and other items. Bottom Left: Flooding in the area was shocking. Bottom Right: Todd Janus and Peter Shipley talk to a resident in Taringa.

117

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 117 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 119: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

THE KHOLO/ MT CROSBY ‘BREAK AND ENTER’ INCIDENT

“It is at times like these our people’s behaviour really tells a great story.”

TAKING OWNERSHIP...

By Peter Leonard, Networks and Access Technologies Date: 13/01/11

The report came from Peter Leonard, who works in Networks and Access Technologies, as follows: “Just to let you know we have two damaged locks, one on the RIM cabinet (a roadside cabinet) and one on the door of the jumbo hut at Mount Crosby. The barrels within the locks will have to be replaced on both. The locks on the doors of the trailerable genset located at Mount Crosby Exchange have also been damaged so these will need replacing as well.”

What would you think of someone who breaks into Telstra Infrastructure by smashing locks? Below Peter explains why he did it.

I live at Kholo near Lake Manchester and during the floods our phones went down. This was on Wednesday 13 January.

I had a fair idea the batteries in our local RIM (roadside cabinet) were flat, so thought about getting a generator and going to the cabinet and getting it going again.

I tried to get hold of the keys to unlock the cabinet by ringing a number of people, but unfortunately the key holders were all on the other side of the river. I got hold of the Regional Service Director for Service Delivery Northern, John Parkin, and said, “I can drill out the lock if you like” and he said, “Now wouldn’t that be a shame...”

It was on Thursday 14 January Keiron Smith (a local plumber who lives in our estate) and I got in his work truck along with a battery drill and all the other things we needed and off we went.

Before going up to the roadside cabinet, we canvassed all the locals within our estate to try and get hold of a portable generator, but at that time generators were at a premium. This was the second day without power and it is likely we wouldn’t get power back for some time, so understandably no one really wanted to give one up. As it turned out we were without power for six days. But one local fellow said he had a bank of old batteries we could use which were in reasonable condition.

So we grabbed the batteries, took them up to the roadside cabinet strung them together and attached a pair of car jumper leads and tried to get the RIM going, but it didn’t fire up. So we got on to the Global Operations Centre and found out the Mt Crosby Exchange was down as well. No amount of work was going to get the RIM going while the parent exchange was down. So I thought, “Okay let’s go to Mt Crosby”.

At Mt Crosby Exchange there is a newer brick building and an older jumbo hut located side-by-side. The jumbo hut had an access swipe card reader on it, but no power meant no access – so we got the trusty tools out again and drilled out the lock and gained access to the hut where we found the key to get into the brick building.

Then we had to get to the generator – which is a covered trailer type generator (genset) situated between the brick building and the jumbo hut which was also locked up securely. Well, we could not find the key for the genset, so got the Stillsons out of Keiron’s truck and broke its locks.

118

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 118 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 120: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

TAKING OWNERSHIP...

Above: Peter Leonard and Keiron Smith return to the scene of the crime at the Kholo RIM unit E9811.

We then pulled the cable out of the genset, connected it up to the exchange and went to the mains power switchboard and lo and behold, there were the keys to the genset! Fairly obvious when you think about it, but at the time we just wanted to get the exchange back on the air.

At this stage it was about 5:00pm in the afternoon, all four sets of batteries were down to about 32 volts – a pretty desperate state.

Not knowing the exact procedure for connecting the generator we were again in contact with the Global Operations Centre. To do this we had to go outside the building to get mobile coverage. We got some instructions and set to work. We connected up the generator but, due to the extremely noisy genset rattling away, we now couldn’t use the mobile outside. This made it difficult to get further instructions without moving a long way away from the exchange.

Anyhow, we noticed the battery voltage was going up and we got to the stage where we were about 40 volts and that is when the air-conditioner units started cutting in and out, causing the generator to surge quite seriously, so we turned off the air-conditioners to settle things down again.

We were getting pretty hungry at this stage because we hadn’t eaten since 10:00am. We knew Mt Crosby State School had set up an emergency relief centre, so Keiron went down there to see if he could get something.

He came back half-an-hour later and was in shock when he returned, commenting on the number of desperate people in the relief centre who had lost everything and said he felt very guilty about having to ask for something when others were in such dire straits. When Keiron told them what we were doing, they were really appreciative because they needed communications desperately and he left with a couple of pieces of cake and a flask of coffee.

We planned to get the battery voltage to around 48 volts before we turned some of the things back on again (we had to turn a lot of things off due to the low voltage which caused the exchange equipment to make some very unusual sounds).

About midnight it had reached 47.5 volts and so we started turning things back on. We also got in touch with the Global Operations Centre and reset a few things and everything came up, bar the RIM cabinet we started with. This was to be expected as we had left the batteries disconnected. No use draining the batteries when the exchange wasn’t working.

So we travelled back home via the RIM cabinet and connected it all back up to kick start it with the borrowed batteries.

I then got back home and checked the phone – NO DIAL TONE, BLAST!

I thought, okay, that’s enough for today I’ll go up there in the morning and see what needs to be done.

It had been a long day and I needed to have a shower, with no power to use the water pump and no hot water, the only water available was from a water tank, I stood under the tank thinking to myself what could be wrong with the RIM.

Once showered and before going to bed for the night I decided to try the phone again. SUCCESS, DIAL TONE! I immediately rang the Global Operations Centre and said “How’s things?” and they told me everything had come back up and was working again.

The following day we liaised with the Police to source some diesel fuel to keep the genset running and the rest is history.

There are a number of people I would like to acknowledge who contributed in getting the Mt Crosby Exchange and Kholo RIM up and running again. These are: John Parkin, Jon New, Tim Lostroh and others whose names I have unfortunately forgotten. There were people from Service Delivery Justin Dennis (who was working on Karalee Exchange), George Furlan from Telstra’s Global Operations Centre and Mark Griffiths from Silcar. Thanks to all for their assistance on that eventful day.

“It is at times like these our people’s behaviour really tells a great story – here Peter and his mate thought creatively, took ownership and simply did not give up despite a number of significant obstacles. It was a marathon effort but they were able to restore approximately 5,000 telephone services,” – Mike Wright, Executive Director, Networks and Access Technologies.

119

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 119 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 121: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

FAULT FROG FINDS INFAMY

“At the time, due to the wet weather, the frogs in Childers had been breeding like mad.”

WILDLIFE... WILDLIFE... WILDLIFE...

By Noel Hand, Service Delivery Date: 13/01/11

On Thursday 13 January, I was out assisting Alan Williams to replace a main panel back board that was causing some problems for our customers.

At the time, due to the wet weather, the frogs in Childers had been breeding like mad.

One managed to squeeze into a Telstra roadside cabinet through a failed air filter and shorted out the power tracks of the main board of a Remote Integrated Multiplexer (RIM) unit.

This resulted in over 160 customers not able to receive incoming calls and also took ISDN services (such as EFTPOS) offline.

On 20 January, The Sydney Morning Herald ran a news article featuring our reptilian friend called, ‘Meet the frog that cut off 160 telco customers and EFTPOS’. Both Alan and the frog managed to get their mug shots in the paper.

120

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 120 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 122: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WILDLIFE... WILDLIFE... WILDLIFE...Interview with John Tarlinton, Network Applications and Services Date: 11/01/11 onwards

With the number of calls to the Queensland flood relief support line increasing, Telstra set up a dedicated contact centre in Canberra to provide some much needed support. In a little over two hours, the Telstra Enterprise & Government (TE&G) and Telstra Operations teams had the technology and people set up to take calls on behalf of the Queensland Government.

Initially staffed by Telstra volunteers, the centre had 22 people taking much-needed donations. They were also taking calls from people offering their services - from accommodation through to helping out at evacuation centres and providing up-to-date flood information via Queensland IT systems.

The centre took calls from 5:00pm on 11 January through until 5:00pm on 28 January, during this time the team answered nearly 34,000 calls. After the main peak of calls were managed, the hotline operated from 6:00am-11:00pm every other day.

According to John Tarlinton from Managed Customer Services, this is a true example of people and technology coming together to support a worthy cause.

“To have the capability set up and ready to go live within two hours is truly remarkable and would not be possible without the support of our people.

“Additionally, answering all calls would not have been possible without our people who volunteered their time after their normal work day,” John said.

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

QUEENSLAND FLOOD RELIEF

HOTLINE

Above: Steve Melton (foreground) with other co-workers who answered the call to assist. Opposite Top: Communication technician Alan Williams inspecting the RIM unit where the frog was found. Opposite Bottom: The frog that took down 160 customers 121

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 121 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 123: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMING TO TERMS WITH GRANTHAM

“When leaving the area, I couldn’t help wondering how the town’s residents would recover from such a disaster. ”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

By Peter Scherer, Network Construction Date: 14/01/11

I was among the Network Construction team who attended Grantham Exchange to restore services soon after a wall of water tore through the small town on 10 January. The Grantham Exchange, which provides services to around 550 customers, was not spared.

Soon after the site went down a Network Construction team attended the Grantham Exchange and began the repair work. This team was joined on site by power company employees, who were setting up temporary generators, cleaning out the site, replacing parts and reconfiguring services.

Mobile services were restored on the first day of work, followed by phone and data services the next day.

There was so much destruction in Grantham that most local services and connections were destroyed so we set up a phone on the outside of the exchange for the community to use.

Like everyone else I had seen all the news footage of the events that had taken place in Grantham and the surrounding area. I thought I was pretty well prepared for going into the town with a team to restore the exchange, but I don’t think anything could really prepare you for the extent of the damage done.

It was only being there and casting your eyes around 360 degrees you fully understand the forces involved and the amount of devastation caused.

The town had been declared a crime scene and was closed to the public, so we had to get permission to enter.

Considering the surrounding damage, the exchange had held up remarkably well. There had been about half a metre of water inside the building and the batteries had to be replaced. The lower AXE* magazines were beyond repair. There was some other AXE equipment not fully utilised, so I reconfigured them to replace the damaged equipment, as well as using the spare boards I had with me.

All the submerged connectors had to be opened and cleaned. This was the most time consuming part. After the cleaning and reconnecting had been completed, I repowered the exchange equipment and the team began to recommission the exchange.

Almost everything came up working first time. A couple of tweaks and the exchange came back online.

When leaving the area, I couldn’t help wondering how the town’s residents would recover from such a disaster. At least now they had access to communications, which is a start.

The Grantham recovery effort was led by Col Nielsen, who was based in Townsville at the time. Other team members and contractors involved ‘on the ground’ were Keith Broom, Tim Lostroh, Nick Skett, Peter Williams, Greg Jesse, Allistar Collet (AllPower) and Trevor Green (AllPower).* AXE equipment is a product line of circuit switched digital telephony equipment by Ericsson.

122

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 122 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 124: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Left: Grantham Exchange just after the disaster. Right Top: Free public phone made available at Grantham Exchange. Right Middle: The town of Grantham had been declared a crime scene. Right Bottom: Police tape on a letter box is a grim reminder of the rescue and police work required in the region.

123

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 123 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 125: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

SOLUTION-ORIENTED TECH TAKES CHARGE

“The customer was ecstatic and very appreciative. She immediately contacted her sister and advised her what had happened.”

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

By Tym Browne, Service Delivery Date: 14/01/11

ResidentialThe day the floods started to recede around Chapel Hill was 14 January and this is when I went out to assess the damage and to see where we could gain access to start putting things right.

I had just pulled up in a local street blocked by floodwater when a customer, who had evacuated two days before, had just arrived home. She approached me and asked what the status was of the phone lines as she needed to contact her family because she lost her mobile in the floodwaters.

I advised that everything should be okay but that I would be happy to check for her. The customer was glad of the offer as they weren’t too sure of the damage and what to do.

As we entered the customer’s property I noticed a line of silt and debris had coated the brick wall surrounding the property and doors, providing a good indication as to how high the water had risen.

As we opened the doors, the floors were slippery and covered in brown sludge. I immediately noticed her phone sockets had been under water for some time as they were corroded, green and covered in silt.

We went to her kitchen where she had a wall-mounted phone which was not affected and checked for dial tone. It was working, but very noisy. As I ran a test on her line it failed specifications, due to all the other phone sockets in the house being inundated with water.

I disconnected the cabling from the affected sockets to get the one good phone she had, up and running.

The customer was ecstatic and very appreciative. She immediately contacted her sister and advised her what had happened.

BusinessWhile managing flood recovery work we also came across a lot of businesses that had been affected.

Whilst on my travels to inspect the Main Distribution Frames (MDFs) around our area I came across the local Bellbowrie Sports Club. The club’s equipment had been completely under water.

I contacted the customer and advised what we were doing. He arrived within 10 minutes, very pleased to see how proactive we were in getting business comms back to normal.

He advised although it will be some time before he can open the club up, he would really appreciate the lines back up and running so he can contact builders, members, etc.

After inspection and organising the repair and appropriate relocation of his MDF, he asked if I could also inspect his house just up the road. He explained, “My line has been out for a week now and our house has been gutted, I have reported it but no one has come out yet.”

124

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 124 26/08/11 1:20 PM

Page 126: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...We proceeded to his premises where all his plasterboard and cabling had been cut, ripped out or squashed. Unfortunately all his phone sockets were also cut out.

I patched a temporary lead from his external wall to his kitchen and supplied a phone, as their T400 was water-logged.

The customer was very appreciative and while the club wasn’t fully operational straight away, thanks to Telstra, they could continue to keep the local members and footballers up-to-date via weekly reports on their internet page.

Top: Tym Browne. Bottom: Watermark on white brick wall gives a very clear indication of how high the water rose. 125

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 125 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 127: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WHAT A WEEKEND!

“The sites were inundated with water while the equipment was still powered up...”

RESPONSIVE...

As told by Steve Burke, Network Construction Date: 14/01/11

Network Construction crews had been working at sites throughout Brisbane and surrounding suburbs, cleaning and recovering damaged equipment since the floodwater receded after the 14 January flood peak.

The photographs here show the work the Network Construction teams put in over one weekend (22-23 January), undertaking work to restore mobile coverage following the floods which totally devastated 12 mobile base stations in the Brisbane area.

The sites were inundated with water while the equipment was still powered up and operational which caused catastrophic failure of the equipment and caused significant disruption to the Next G® and GSM mobile networks for much of South Brisbane, Yeronga, Rocklea, Oxley, Chelmer and Coopers Plains.

The quickest way to restore service to these sites, to enable other critical flood restoration work to commence, was to install new Next G® Ericsson RBS6000 series equipment, or install temporary base stations Cells on Wheels (CoWs).

This was the first time Ericsson RBS6000 equipment had been installed anywhere in the Queensland network.

126

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 126 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 128: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE...

Opposite Top: (l-r) Aaron Darby, Don Aitchison, Michael Jones, Phil Mock and Mal Preston at CMHL (Chelmer) quite happy after successfully restoring mobile coverage to Chelmer. Opposite Bottom: Radio linesman Dave Noonan finishes mopping out the Rocklea site. The water reached the ceiling. Top Left: Damien Vaughan with his first RBS6000 installation at Brisbane Convention Centre. Top Right: (l-r) Technician John Short and radio linesman Aaron Darby take a well earned break, waiting for damaged 3G850 and GSM racks to be picked up after removal from the mobiles hut at Oxley East. Bottom Left: New RBS6000 being unloaded. Bottom Right: Leading operative Merv Birt supervises unloading of Cells on Wheels (CoW) at Yeerongpilly. This site was so devastated the only solution was a temporary CoW which was transported from Sydney. 127

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 127 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 129: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

A SURREAL EXPERIENCE

“Everyone had their belongings out on the streets and we watched cars float down the creek behind us.”

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

By Heidi Pfeffer, Service Delivery Date: 15/01/11

By 15 January we had finally heard from all of our family and friends affected by the floods. Some of our friends were isolated out near Laidley for five days. Where we could, my husband and I helped out with the clean up.

My uncle was rescued by canoe – a totally bizarre experience – and my folks were heavily involved in the clean up.

Our friend’s house in Rocklea (pictured here), is the headquarters for Brisbane Area Rescue Network (BARN), the wildlife volunteer organisation my husband and I are associated with. We had evacuated all of the animals on the Wednesday before the full impact of the flood hit home. After the waters receded, it was clean up time again.

Luckily for us, our house at Riverhills was not flooded. But the streets around us were shocking.

Everyone had their belongings out on the streets and we watched cars float down the creek behind us. The creek, which is normally two metres wide, reached something like 200 metres wide at the peak of the floods.

There are water tanks and rubbish bins on top of people’s houses, where they came to rest after the waters went down.

It was so surreal. I’m sure everyone in Brisbane has similar experiences they could relate.

128

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 128 2/09/11 8:31 AM

Page 130: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

Opposite Top: BARN headquarters – note the water-level mark on building’s exterior walls. Opposite Bottom: During this summer’s floods Heidi’s husband Matt offered his services, as a licensed reptile specialist relocating any snakes, free to all flood-affected residents and businesses (including Telstra) in Brisbane, Ipswich and Logan City Council areas. Above Right: When everything is wet you have to share the dry spots.

Interview with Pete Milward, Service Delivery Date: 15/01/11

Local communication technician (CT) Pete Milward opened a concrete pit out in the bush west of Mackay, to find five red-bellied black snakes keeping an eye on his joint.

Little did Pete Milward realise, sending this image to his manager would result in the photograph going viral.

After the image did the rounds via email within Telstra, it soon made its way to the media team who promptly posted the photograph on Twitter.

The image reached an audience of 1.2 million people in one hour and caught the attention of international media.

Pete wasn’t too fussed and reckons, “Dealing with these situations is all part of daily life for rural CTs.”

WILDLIFE... WILDLIFE... WILDLIFE...

SNAKES ON JOINT GO VIRAL

129

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 129 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 131: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WHO LET THE COWS OUT?

“Customers at Kenmore were very appreciative of restoration of service, particularly as in a number of cases, this was very important for their businesses.”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Interviews with Michael Steele and Aaron Kong, Network Construction Date: January 2011 onwards

During the floods, many of our roadside cabinets were inundated and damaged beyond repair by the muddy water.

In Kenmore, West Brisbane, one key roadside cabinet (RIM) was completely submerged and so badly damaged it needed to be replaced.

A Telstra Mobile Exchange on Wheels (MEoW®) was brought in and used to restore services in the Kenmore area.

Despite a slow drift to other modes of communication, the telephone is still a constant in an ever changing world and provides peace of mind, particularly in times of crisis.

Specialist constructor Aaron Kong explains, “With the MEoW® we returned some normality and security to people’s lives when all around them was in upheaval. Customers at Kenmore were very appreciative of restoration of service, particularly as in a number of cases, this was very important for their businesses.”

Within a few weeks a CMUX (another type of roadside cabinet) was installed as a permanent replacement.

Three sites in Queensland were also restored with temporary CoWs (Cells on Wheels) at Rocklea, Hill End and Fairfield Gardens until full repairs could be made to the mobile base stations in those suburbs.

For more about our MEoW® and CoWs and the innovation which made it possible to easily replace RIM units with CMUX units see the ‘Learning from experience’ section (p.176).

130

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 130 2/09/11 8:33 AM

Page 132: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Top Left: The MEoW® is the white Telstra box trailer under the tree, this mobile exchange contains technology which kept customers connected until the damaged cabinet (on back of truck) could be replaced with a new one. Top Right: Jason Vidulich and Aaron Kong organising the installation of the new unit via crane. Bottom Left & Right: The local bovines took a great interest in the Rocklea CoW installation (the CoW is parked by the roadside).

131

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 131 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 133: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

PITCHING IN

“In some cases the queues were more than two kilometres long.”

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

Interview with Paul McCarthy, Architecture, Online and Media Date: January 2011

The floods in Queensland have been devastating both in loss of lives and the sheer scale of destruction but one of our AOM team members says he was overwhelmed by the generosity of locals.

Brisbane based Senior Technology Specialist, Paul McCarthy, who works in the video broadcasting and Foxtel area on DVN (Digital Video Network), says he was amazed at the length of the volunteer queues, people who turned out to help with the recovery effort.

“Four volunteer centres were established by the Brisbane Lord Mayor and after the first day there were more than 7,000 volunteers queuing to get on buses to be sent out to different places to help. In some cases the queues were more than two kilometres long,” Paul said.

Paul said rather than waiting and delaying the assistance to those affected, he and his wife Donna, son Jason and family friends drove to a badly-affected area in the south-western suburbs to offer any help they could.

“Once we got to the suburb of Chelmer we walked along one of the badly affected streets and asked people who we could help,” he said.

The Milpera State High School in Chelmer was inundated with mud and building damage so they decided to stay there and help as best they could.

Paul said he was amazed at the sheer volume of destruction. “It was incredible and I’ve seen some bad things in my time.”

This is no understatement given some of the areas Paul has witnessed before. In November 1999, an initiative was undertaken with the United Nations and the Australian Government to assess some of the damage after the Indonesian Army pulled out of East Timor.

Paul and a colleague from Telstra went over to East Timor to assist with the recovery work of their telecommunications network.

“It will be about four months before the high school is opened again but in the meantime, students will be re-located to neighbouring schools. The community spirit that has shone through has been phenomenal,” said Paul.

132

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 132 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 134: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY SPIRIT...

Top Left & Right: Paul, his wife, son (orange cap) and a friend got into the thick of the clean-up at Milperra High School in the riverside suburb of Chelmer. The floodwaters reached ceiling height of the ground level of the school and when the water receded the mud was 12 inches thick on everything. Bottom Left & Right: Piles of water-damaged household goods were stacked on footpaths. 133

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 133 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 135: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

HELP FROM ACROSS THE DITCH

“Also, let’s not forget how our New Zealand colleagues had their own natural disasters to deal with...”

RECOGNITION...

As told by Malcolm McKellar, Service Delivery Date: 19/01/11

For many of the 29 strong New Zealand telecommunication operatives (from companies such as Chorus, Service Stream and Transfield) who arrived in Brisbane from 19 January to support our Queensland disaster recovery effort, it was their first trip to Australia.

Queensland summers are hot, very hot, and very humid. The receding floodwaters had left behind mud, stinking mud, and plenty of it.

New Zealand Transfield team manager Denis Dunn told me how the television broadcasts of flood images and the effect it was having on Queenslanders and their animals, had resulted in overwhelming expressions of interest from the workers in New Zealand to come to Australia to help.

As soon as they stepped off the plane, they were eager to commence work. Actually, I remember hearing about one NZ operative who disembarked the plane in his wellies (rubber boots) ready for action.

Immediately following their induction at the Brisbane Airport Exchange, they were deployed in the flood-affected suburbs of Rocklea, Fairfield, Sherwood, Paddington and Milton.

Service Delivery’s Adrian Larkin, Brian Hall, Mark Nugent, Benjamin McLoughlin, Jason Morris, Murray Young and Phill Clark all worked above-and-beyond assisting our New Zealand friends and organising work for them.

This team, from across the ditch, worked alongside our own workforce efficiently repairing Main Distribution

Frames (MDFs), cleaning pillars, which had been submerged for extended periods, and rewiring businesses.

Our customers were appreciative of our quick and proactive response in restoring their services.

Denis told me the story how they visited the Aspley Hornets Football Club. On learning of where they were from and why they were here, the club manager immediately afforded them membership privileges.

Working 7:00am through to 7:00pm daily they were tireless in their commitment to get as much done in the three weeks they were here (they returned home 11/12 February).

Their work ethic was second to none. They never complained about the hot, humid conditions or about the stinking mud.

It was a most rewarding experience for all of us to have our colleagues from across the ditch here working side-by-side with us.

Also, let’s not forget how our New Zealand colleagues had their own natural disasters to deal with in relation to damage caused by the Christchurch earthquake. This struck on 4 September and was a magnitude 7.1 earthquake with many aftershocks continuing into 2011. The strongest to date (magnitude 6.3) occurred on 22 February 2011.

Telstra Operations are putting a process in place where we will make contact with our New Zealand counterparts each month to present opportunities for both countries to offer and assist each other as the need arises.

134

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 134 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 136: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RECOGNITION...By Paul Montiford, Service Delivery Date: January 2010

As the floods approached, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh kept saying, “Now is the time to be ready. Now is the time to prepare.” I kept saying “We’ll be right.” But it wasn’t until my team manager Tim Dunn rang me and sent me home that I realised how unprepared I really was.

My wife and I moved our downstairs furniture upstairs and put all my shed tools up on top of makeshift shelves. After sandbagging and taping the front and back doors we then drove our car up the hill and put the Telstra van up at the Bulimba exchange.

Watching the utes and trailers full of furnishings evacuating the suburb was quite amazing. My neighbours simply moved out.

As the waters started coming up the drains in my street I kept saying, “We’ll be right. It’s only stuff.” It was when the power went out that I said, “Oh geez – this is real. I hope we don’t have to swim for it.”

That’s when Telstra came to my rescue again, (aka Jeffery Jackson) called me and said, “Would you like a generator?” Of course I said yes but my vehicles were parked on the hills and the water was rising up the now blocked off street. The next thing Trent Vayanos arrived with Jacko’s geny in the back of his four wheel drive. My wife and I were so relieved. It’s amazing how isolated you feel without power and phones (my phone only stopped ringing when it ran out of power).

We now had a gas stove, gas hot water and power for a fridge, a light at night, a radio and some internet to tell everyone we were okay – hooray! (Thanks Jacko and Trent.)

When the water stopped flowing up my street I was thankful that it only came a small way up my driveway. My wife said, “I think you should have a look down the back yard.” When I went down the back to the shed

I was so grateful that Tim had sent me home early, as there was just under one metre of water all through my property, thankfully none in my house.

That night’s sleep was not an easy one as we had been told that the big tide would arrive first thing in the morning. When we awoke I was very glad to see that the floodwater level had not lived up to expectations. I assessed my property and saw that the only loss I would suffer was to my chipboard workbench.

To lighten the mood I grabbed my long board and went down to my chook shed to see if my three old hens were okay. I grabbed Gidget and took her for a ride! She still looks at me now as if to say, “When are we going surfing again?”

I am very, very grateful for the help I received from Telstra, my team manager and work colleagues. To Tim, Jacko, Trent and all the other guys who phoned me with offers of support and assistance, my wife and I would like to thank you very much.

CARING COLLEAGUES...

OH GEEZ – THIS IS REAL!

Opposite: Andrew Greenstreet from Christchurch NZ helps repair a MDF at St Lucia, 25/01/11 - note the watermark on the wall. Above Top: Gidget goes surfing. Above Bottom: Paul Montiford with Gidget and Paul’s house. 135

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 135 1/09/11 5:16 PM

Page 137: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

THUNDERBIRD OPERATORS ARE GO!

“When the ‘Thunderbird’ was first set up and really needed, it was nice to hear people comment, ‘It’s great to see Telstra is a ‘can do’ company’.”

CUSTOMER DRIVEN ...

By Graham Ford, Network Construction Date: 20/01/11

Murphy’s Creek, in the Lockyer Valley, was devastated by what has been called an ‘inland tsunami’ on 10 January 2011.

Power was restored to the exchange using a generator on 12 January, significant damage had occurred to the fixed line network and there would be a delay in restoring services.

To ensure telephony and broadband services were available to the community and emergency service agencies, mobile coverage needed a boost at Murphy’s Creek pub which had become the base of operations for the small township.

So one of Network Construction’s ‘Thunderbirds’ (a nickname constructor operatives have given their remote mobile base station/survey trucks) was to be set up as a temporary Next G® base at Murphy’s Creek to restore coverage.

On Thursday 20 January at 5:30am, Vaughan Johnstone and I arrived at the exchange and commenced setting up the survey truck. By about 7:00am the mast was locked off with the antenna up 18 metres, which was enough to clear the trees between the exchange and pub to enable the best coverage to the area.

Then John Martin and John Kilna arrived bringing the Next G® Base Transceiver System (BTS) which had been arranged by Ray Lane and Dave Freestun at the Boondall depot.

The next task was to get the BTS into the exchange which had limited space and it took all four of us to manoeuvre it. It was like shifting a large, heavy fridge into position.

The BTS was then secured to the floor, connected to power and the antenna set up and wired to the Digital Distribution Frame (DDF). With help from Peter Butler at the Network Integration Centre (NIC) software was downloaded and by 1:00pm the Next G® base station was up and running.

I went down to the pub to check the coverage and made a number of calls from my phone with no problems and also noticed lots of people using their phones as well as computers with Next G® wireless modems. It also worked out well for the Service Delivery guys from New South Wales, who use their computers with wireless modems to download jobs.

Since then I have been back a number of times to check on the truck, which has been there now for more than four months. While doing so, I have received comments from locals passing by, like: “Hope ya not taking our improved Next G® coverage away.”

When the ‘Thunderbird’ was first set up and really needed, it was nice to hear people comment, “It’s great to see Telstra is a ‘can do’ company.”

Telstra, in consultation with community representatives, have now agreed upon the provision of a permanent mobile base station in the Murphy’s Creek area. One of the key community representatives involved in these negotiations is the Australian Children’s Trust.

136

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 136 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 138: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CUSTOMER DRIVEN ...

Left: John Martin, Graham Ford and Vaughan Johnstone at Murphy’s Creek. Right: The ‘Thunderbird’ fully operational. 137

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 137 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 139: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

ROADSIDE CABINET RESTORATION WORK

“Greg’s technical skills along with his persistence, allowed this infrastructure to be utilised much more quickly...”

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

As told by Michael Steele, Network Construction Date: January 2011

Greg Fay, Network Construction Project Manager, was seconded to Queensland flood restoration work on his return from Christmas holidays.

Greg was given the challenge to restore services to 14 flooded roadside Remote Integrated Multiplexer (RIM) cabinets. These cabinets are basically mini-exchanges and the 14 RIMs, which were damaged, supplied thousands of phone services to our customers.

Greg utilised a mixture of Telstra team members and contractors to restore these services within a very short timeframe.

During Greg’s initial assessment of the flooded RIM cabinets from the Brisbane floods, he found one at Booval only had minimal damage. While Booval was without power, Greg thought this cabinet may restart if he could find 240 volts. Greg noticed a neighbour using a generator for their fridge and asked if he could plug a cord into the RIM cabinet. The neighbour obliged and Greg successfully fired it up, providing much needed communications to many customers in the area.

Greg’s technical skills along with his persistence, allowed this infrastructure to be utilised much more quickly by performing tests during his initial site visit.

Greg worked many hours and over several weekends to meet the challenge. In addition to this, he also provided hands-on assistance when approached by local residents to restore services to those who required them urgently.

138

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 138 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 140: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

“In these situations you just have to get out there and get the job done.”

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

As told by Phillip Stringini, Service Delivery Date: February 2011 onwards

On Friday 4 February, the day after Cyclone Yasi, the Ingham Exchange had lost mains power and was existing on a very short term battery back-up due to a mechanical failure of the exchange back-up generators.

The diesel generator fuel transfer pump supplying fuel from the bottom storage fuel tank to the top exchange floor storage fuel tank had failed.

If the Ingham Exchange was to fail then almost total communications failure (fixed line, data, mobiles and radio) would result for all North West Queensland coastal and inland regions east, west and north of Ingham up to and including Thursday Island and surrounding island groups.

Upon arriving on site at approximately 7:00am on Friday morning, local communication technician (CT) Paul Mingon understood the gravity of the situation and securing a 2.2 litre jerry can and a jiggle syphon* proceeded to manually transfer approximately 500 litres of diesel fuel from the bottom tank to the top supply tank of the exchange.

At around 10:00am that morning another local CT Mike Smith had arrived on site to assist in the transfer only to find Paul had already transferred enough fuel to engage the on site generators to safely run the exchange.

Next to arrive at the Ingham Exchange was Network Construction power specialist John Day who quickly diagnosed the problem and with a ‘MacGyver’ like fix, bypassed the malfunctioning reed switch to allow the automatic transfer of fuel to be reinstated.

Additionally, when the lack of power put the North Queensland coastal link at risk, Mick Gileppa was quick off the mark securing a number of generators and throwing them in the back of his ute to make the slow and difficult journey from Townsville to the Ingham Exchange, via the cyclone and flood damaged Bruce Highway, in order to keep the cyclone-ravaged community of Ingham connected.

Mick said to me, “In these situations you just have to get out there and get the job done. We work in some tough conditions, but we know the locals appreciate what we do, so it’s all worth it.”

These are just a couple of many great examples of innovation, decisive action, dedication to duty and team work shown by our people during these very difficult and trying times – MacGyver has nothing on our guys!*A jiggle syphon is the combination of a syphon pipe and a simple priming pump that uses mechanical shaking action to pump enough liquid up the pipe to reach the highest point, and thus start the syphoning action.

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

MACGYVER HAS NOTHING ON

OUR GUYS

Opposite Top: Technician Jason Vidulich working on a RIM replacement. Opposite Bottom: Greg Fay. Above: Satellite image of Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi approaching Queensland, 02/02/11. Source: Satellite image originally processed by the Bureau of Meteorology from the geostationary GOES-9 operated by the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on behalf of the Japan Meteorological Agency. 139

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 139 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 141: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

MY NIGHT IN TOWNSVILLE EXCHANGE

“After grabbing some tucker, I bunkered down in the exchange for the night.”

By Wayne Watling, Service Delivery Date: 03/02/11

Communication Technician Wayne Watling tells us about the night he spent in Townsville Exchange, when Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi battered Queensland’s east coast.

I was working up in Townsville assisting with the peak load volumes when the Army advised I needed to evacuate from my accommodation due to the possibility of a storm surge.

I contacted my peak load team manager Graham Facer advising him I needed to pack up my belongings and evacuate.

As Townsville Exchange was a recognised cyclone-safe building, it was decided I would be sleeping there the night.

After grabbing some tucker, I bunkered down in the exchange for the night.

The wind was quite strong during the afternoon but was at its strongest around 1:00am.

At the height of the winds the commotion outside sounded like a dozen freight trains roaring past, and this went on for about two to three hours.

After my night on the floor I woke to look outside and found debris everywhere. It was still very windy and now raining. In fact, it was a very windy twelve hours either side of the worst of it.

Eight days later I packed up my gear and headed for Tully. When I arrived I received some line faults for customers in Tully, but on arrival some of the houses were no longer there and some only partially there.

It was like nothing I have ever seen or experienced before.

COMMITMENT... COMMITMENT...

140

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 140 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 142: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Opposite: Wayne Watling and Townsville Exchange. Above Top L-R: Taken from Townsville Telephone Exchange the afternoon before Yasi hit, Sturt Street (Townsville 02/02/11). Ross River storm surge visible due to the base of the palm trees being under water (Townsville 03/02/11). Townsville 05/02/11. Above Middle L-R: Two photographs taken at Cardwell Marina, 08/02/11. Banana palms laid flat, on the way to Tully, 15/02/11. Above Bottom: Tully, 15/02/11

COMMITMENT... COMMITMENT...

141

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 141 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 143: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GROUND CONTROL

“During this time, the pressure was incredible and many hours were worked by the teams...”

COLLABORATION...

As told by John (Shep) Shepherd, Network Construction and Phil Stringini, Service Delivery Date: 04-11/02/11

While personnel attendance changed over the course of the restoration, the group photograph here shows the presence on Tuesday 8 February.

This room, which we referred to as the ‘Townsville War Room’, is where the Tropical Cyclone Yasi network restoration for the Burdekin and Townsville to Cardwell zone was planned and co-ordinated between Service Delivery, Network Construction and Silcar Energy Solutions.

The centre also operated as a direct briefing link to and from Rachel Cliffe, the Area General Manager Telstra Country Wide for community and media purposes.

Field crews from Network Construction and Service Delivery used this facility to share and use information gathered via Telstra’s Global Operation Centre’s (GOC) technical bridge to manage operations. The technical bridge is an open teleconference bridge using the GOC’s Major Incident Management Centre resources for site advice and activities.

The room commenced at 8:00am, Friday 4 February, the day after Yasi hit and closed down COB Friday 11 February, after eight continuous days of activity.

During this time, the pressure was incredible and many hours were worked by the teams involved in the War Room and in the field.

142

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 142 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 144: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COLLABORATION... As told by Dru Dingwall, Network Construction Date: 04-11/02/11

The Cairns War room was established with a clear charter to work with our business partners to restore all services from Cardwell to Cooktown and west to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

At all costs the core network had to be protected along both the coastal and inland routes. So it became paramount the right people with the right skills were stationed along the routes and were tasked with restoring network in and around these designated areas.

The collaboration between various Telstra business units was tremendous and allowed us as a team to gain traction very early in the recovery effort.

Working with both the district and local Disaster Management Groups, SES, Ergon Energy, Australian Defence Force, local contractors and transport companies, we were able to quickly prioritise and work together to clear access tracks or generate innovative solutions in order to restore services.

Once on site our technical teams were able to work with the Major Incident Management team and the Global Operations Centre personnel to begin restoring services across all the various technological platforms that exist within Telstra’s network.

It really was a great team effort. I am amazed at what our people can, and will do, in order to keep customers connected.

As per the Townsville War Room, the Cairns War Room commenced operating at 8:00am, Friday 4 February, the day after Yasi hit and closed down after eight continuous days of activity at close of business Friday 11 February.

COLLABORATION...

WAR ROOM APPROACH HITS

THE MARK

Opposite Top: (l-r) John Munro, Adam Ziemnicki, Phil Stringini, Steve Donaldson, Damian Cox, John Shepherd, Shane Bartell and Bob Gill (Silcar). Missing in this photo, but involved in the co-ordination, also were: John Dempster, Carl Brunner, Geoff Ford, Mick Young and Ron Rapson. Opposite Bottom: Phil Stringini and John Dempster in the War Room. Above: (l-r) Tony Broadway, Lyn Fuller, Dru Dingwall, Brian Crane and Gary Turner. 143

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 143 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 145: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

UGLY BUT INTERESTING – ABOUT OUR EXCHANGES

“After the storm had cleared an inspection of the site revealed the exchange had only just been pushed off its stumps.”

BUILT TO TAKE IT...

As told by John (Demo) Dempster, Network Construction Date: 04/02/11 onwards

Expecting the worst our technicians were often surprised by how well our hardy, little exchange buildings stood up to tsunami-style flash flooding and the severest of cyclonic conditions.

They may not be the nicest looking structure in town, but they are designed by Telstra engineers to do the job.

Consider the Feluga Exchange (located 10 kilometres north of Tully) which was situated in a location exposed to Cyclone Yasi’s wind gusts in excess of 200 kilometres per hour for some hours.

After the storm had cleared, an inspection of the site revealed the exchange had only just been pushed off its stumps and this was predominantly due to the wet soil conditions which permitted concrete stumps to shift.

The half inch hold down bolts, which affix the hut to the concrete stumps, prevented the hut from complete dislodgement and inevitably being turned onto its side. A well-seasoned contracted builder from Mackay was able to lift the hut back to its original position, re-concrete the original stumping and fasten the original steps without any damage to the copper and fibre cabling or the communication equipment. The hold down bolts were replaced.

See the next few pages for exchange images and where to find more exchange stories.

144

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 144 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 146: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

BUILT TO TAKE IT...

Opposite: Hooked up ready for lift. Top Left: Knocked off stumps. Top Right: Lifted so stumps can be reinstated. Bottom Left: Stump work completed. Bottom Right: Feluga, back up again and sitting pretty. 145

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 145 26/08/11 1:21 PM

Page 147: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Top L-R: Dean Currey, Jason Wade and John Parkin next to generator outside of Grantham Exchange, Lockyer Valley (see related story, ‘Coming to terms with Grantham’ p.122). Murphy’s Creek, Lockyer Valley (see related story, ‘Thunderbird operators are go!’ p.136). Peter Scherer at Redgate Exchange (near Murgon). Tully Exchange – technician Ross Auger installing new cards. El Arish Exchange had the paint stripped off it,

but was still in basically good working order.146

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 146 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 148: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Bottom L-R: Army helps out at Cardwell Exchange. A Cardwell hill top exchange (see related story, ‘Bill the builder comes to the rescue’ p.148). Damage to Dunk Island telecommunications equipment building/exchange – at the time, rigger Peter Ridge headed over to Dunk Island to check out the damage and restore what he could. Last two shots are of Kennedy Exchange, north of Cardwell, where Quinn Andrews worked with Silcar to restore power and restart the exchange.

147

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 147 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 149: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

BILL THE BUILDER COMES TO THE RESCUE

“Because of the amount of debris across the track we enlisted the help of Emergency Management Queensland to get the track cleared.”

TAKING OWNERSHIP...

By Ross Auger, Network Construction Date: 08/02/11

Ross Auger is the transmission specialist who was assigned the task of getting generators to exchange and mobiles sites in the Tully area after Cyclone Yasi for power restoration.

We had twelve gensets delivered to Tully so they could be distributed to assist priority sites.

It became apparent we had problems at a mobiles site situated high on hill in Cardwell. I had a 40kVA genset put aside for this site but, unfortunately, because of the terrain we were unable to access the site.

Because of the amount of debris across the track we enlisted the help of Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) to get the track cleared. They asked the Army to assist with clearing the road.

I got word the Army were there and they had a dozer. Great, they can pick up the genset in the bucket of the dozer and carry it up. Then I found out it wasn’t a dozer but a Bobcat – too small to lift the geny.

I got back on to EMQ requesting a 4x4 truck with a hiab (a small crane set up on the back of a truck) to lift the geny on and off.

The best they could offer was a flat bed truck with no means of lifting the genset, and the truck wouldn’t get up there anyway. The Army had nothing suitable either.

We explored the option of getting it in by helicopter but issues with the guyed wires from the tower would hamper close access to the hut.

Through the course of all this I remembered a builder in Cairns that lives in my suburb of Redlynch who had a Manatu, a fantastic 4x4 forklift that is self-levelling and will almost climb the side of a house. I rang Bill Moody to see if he was busy and if it would be possible to get his machine to Tully to do this job for us at the Cardwell hill site and the Cowley Beach mobiles site.

In Bill’s laconic style he said, “I’ll see if I can get a low-loader and ring you back.” Within an hour Bill was on the road from Cairns. In the meantime, I got our own contract truck driver Mike Marino who had been working tirelessly delivering gensets all over the north for us, to deliver the genys to the bottom of the hill in preparation for Bill to transport up the hill.

148

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 148 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 150: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

TAKING OWNERSHIP...

I met Bill and the truck in Tully and took him to the site where he slipped into action and delivered the geny to the top of the hill. We then packed up and headed back to Cowley Beach to deliver that one. From the time I rang Bill to getting the geny on the hill working was about five hours.

By 7:00pm we had mobile coverage back up and on the air.

So Bill provided his labour, his machine, a low loader and did a round trip of about 500 kilometres.

I was so focused on getting the job done I have to admit I forgot to ask Bill what the actual bill for the work would be. Now many people would take advantage of this small oversight, but not Bill, he was content to simply cover costs.

I guess it’s true when you really are in a tight spot people will just help.

Top: Ross Auger organising the genset relocation. Middle & Bottom: Army engineers cleared the path for a 4WD forklift to carry the all important generator to the top of the hill. Bill uses his 4x4 forklift to put the generator in place. 149

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 149 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 151: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

VIEW FROM CARDWELL TOWER

“All the dishes on this Cardwell tower had stayed the course, except one...”

RESPONSIVE...

Interview with Chris (Frosty) Frost, Network Construction Date: 08/02/11

On Tuesday 8 February, when restoring mobiles coverage to the Cardwell area it was found all the dishes on this Cardwell tower had stayed the course, except one which was pushed around by the Category 5 winds. This dish’s realignment by Cyclone Yasi did not impact services as luckily it was the only redundant dish on the tower.

The team moved quickly to initially secure the dish and then remove it completely from the tower.

Frosty reckons the real story here is the image taken from the tower. “The trees below had been stripped and it looked like a bushfire had devastated the area,” Chris said.

150

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 150 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 152: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE...

As told by Mick Young, Network Construction Date: 08/02/11

Abergowrie is a township inland from Cardwell and Ingham, North Queensland which found itself in the eye of Cyclone Yasi.

Mick Barnett, Network Construction, installed a generator there which ensured the telephone exchange kept running.

While on site, this image brought out the lighter side of the situation for Mick, so he snapped it and sent it on to me.

“This is the cleanest I have ever seen the toilet at Abergowrie,” he reckons.

Classic, understated, field operative humour, it helps keeps our guys sane when times are tough.

KEEPING A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOUR DURING TOUGH TIMES BAM AND

IT’S GONE!

Opposite Top: Solid dish at Cardwell repanned by Cyclone Yasi and now facing the hill. Opposite Middle: Trees stripped bare as far as the eye can see. Opposite Bottom: The force involved is evident by the damage caused. Above: The new open air restroom facilities at Abergowrie Exchange – refurbishment courtesy of Cyclone Yasi.

151

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 151 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 153: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RICK TO THE RESCUE

“I’ve met a lot of incredible people in my 17 years at Telstra - Rick Andrews is definitely one of them.”

CARING COLLEAGUES...

Interview with Joanne Flood, Information Technology Date: 09/02/11

Living in a high area, Joanne Flood knew her house would survive the Queensland floods, so she was more worried about her daughters who lived in the lower lying areas of Norman Park and St Lucia.

“On Tuesday I was trying to organise my daughters to come home. We thought it would just be a matter of timing the trip to coincide with a low tide and they’d be able to get through safely,” said Joanne.

“We hadn’t planned on the twin events of the Lockyer Valley catastrophe impacting the Bremer River downstream and overnight rainfall dumping over 100 millimetres of rain into the Wivenhoe catchment impacting the Brisbane River. By 11:00am we were completely isolated.”

Joanne was running her daughters through evacuation preparation over the phone when her colleague Rick Andrews sent her a text asking if her family was okay.

“I told him I was worried about my daughters. He immediately called and offered to take them in. He got their addresses and went to pick them up on Wednesday morning.

“On a normal day the trip would have taken about 45 minutes but Rick spent hours finding alternate roads around floodwaters to get to my daughters. The normal route was impossible so with the help of his GPS he found a very obscure way to get there.

“Once he collected the girls he took them to his home and kept them safe with his family for the next week. That night we lost power and our phones went down. We were cut off from the world but thanks to Rick we knew our girls were safe.

“Both my daughters’ houses ended up flooding and without the astonishing act of friendship shown by Rick, I would have been frantic with worry about my daughters being stuck there on their own.

“I’ve met a lot of incredible people in my 17 years at Telstra - Rick Andrews is definitely one of them,” said Joanne.

152

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 152 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 154: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CARING COLLEAGUES...

Above: Mark O’Connell at EMQ’s State Disaster Co-ordination Centre

Interview with Mark O’Connell, Service Delivery Date: 05/02/11 – 11/02/11

Working with emergency services is nothing new for Telstra, but working directly at Queensland’s Emergency Management headquarters is.

In the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi, Service Delivery’s Mark O’Connell was based at Emergency Management Queensland’s State Disaster Co-ordination Centre, working with key organisations on the Cyclone Yasi recovery effort.

Mark’s secondment, which was aimed at improving communications and relationships with major stakeholders and agencies (including Ergon, Silcar Energy Solutions, the Australian Defence Force and Queensland Police Service), proved mutually beneficial.

“The sense of direction and dedication was fantastic, with everyone from government, Police, infrastructure suppliers, etc., all pulling together to assist one another.

“We all did whatever we could to bring normality back as fast as possible to the communities and people who were suffering so much in the north. There was never a dull moment while I was at the Co-ordination Centre and at the end of each day I went home with the feeling I’d made a real difference,” said Mark.

MARK GETS UP CLOSE

AND PERSONAL

“The sense of direction and dedication was fantastic, with everyone from government, Police, infrastructure suppliers, etc.”

COLLABORATION...

153

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 153 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 155: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

SATCOW FLIES TO PALM ISLAND

“With no power on the island, most of this work was completed by torchlight.”

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

Interview with Clint Dickson, Networks and Access Technologies Date: 14/02/11

When it became apparent the small tropical island community of Palm Island had lost all its communications systems due to the effects of Cyclone Yasi in February and was completely isolated from the mainland, the real challenge was how to get a SatCoW (Satellite Cell on Wheels)* installed there as quickly as possible.

That is when Networks and Access Technologies’ technical specialist Clint Dickson came to the rescue.

After a regular 767 flight from Sydney to Cairns, Clint and the SatCoW flew on a chartered light aircraft to Palm Island, where they then hitched a ride with the local Police to the island’s telephone exchange.

Despite already travelling 3,000 kilometres that day and with the sun close to setting, Clint worked into the night to complete the set up and commissioning of the SatCoW.

With no power on the island, most of this work was completed by torchlight.

This is what a SatCoW is all about – modular, transportable by vehicle, boat or aircraft, self-contained with its own generator, fast to install, requiring only one trained technician and an assistant to deploy. However, in this case, Clint’s only assistance on the island was the local Police, who provided transport, fuel and security.

The permanent radio link to the island was restored several days later, which meant the services of the SatCoW were no longer required.

For Clint and the SatCoW’s return journey, it was a more leisurely three-hour boat ride to the mainland harbour town of Lucinda followed by a car trip to Townsville, where the equipment stayed until we were confident it was no longer required in the area. Then it was flown back home to Sydney.

For some it would have felt like being in an episode of ‘The Amazing Race’, but Clint took it all in his stride.

The deployment was a team effort with Stuart Wilson, Networks and Access Technologies senior technology specialist, playing a key role managing the logistics and operations behind the scenes.

Stuart Wilson actually created the SatCoW and now leads the emergency deployment of the facilities across the country, having personally deployed them in all states and territories.

Once the appropriate Wireless Mobile Coverage Delivery (MCD) engineering team decides a SatCoW is the right solution, Stuart co-ordinates the logistics associated with deploying the equipment to get it installed and operational in the quickest possible time.

*For more details about SatCoWs see the ‘Learning from experience’ section (p.176).

154

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 154 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 156: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

Top Left: Clint Dickson on Palm Island. Top Right: Packing gear in Cairns. Bottom Left: Satellite dish and mobile base station set up. Bottom Right: Stuart Wilson at a demo-deployment of the SatCoW for emergency service organisations (Blackwood River, Balingup, WA). 155

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 155 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 157: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WHIPPING UP SUPPORT

“As for the Townsville team, they were back in the centre the minute it re-opened.”

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

As told by Stephen Bowen, Service Delivery Date: Early February 2011

It took a Category 5 cyclone to close the Townsville Contact Centre for the first time.

As staff bunkered down at home, the customer calls did not stop.

The centre’s team manages customers calling for assurance support, including their PSTN (fixed line), BigPond®, ADSL, T-Box®, T-Hub® and mobile services and products, so the centre’s closure had the potential to cause some issues.

With the exception of some delays, the support of our people in Perth and our industry partners enabled us to manage the flow of calls and our customers’ expectations really well.

Our consultants in Perth did a great job ‘stepping up’, and in some cases becoming instant experts in areas they normally don’t manage day-to-day. I could not have been prouder of our collective team and the way they rallied to support our customers and their peers in Townsville.

As for the Townsville team, they were back in the centre the minute it re-opened.

This was inspiring and really demonstrated their commitment to our customers and business.

156

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 156 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 158: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...As told by Mark Pettiford, Network Construction Date: February 2011 onwards

In the lead up to Cyclone Yasi, the Queensland Regional Emergency Council led by John Parkin, met to form teams and war rooms in both Cairns and Townsville.

The Cairns team was led by Dru Dingwall and Townsville by John Shepherd and Service Delivery’s Phil Stringini and the Network Construction component of the Brisbane flood recovery effort was led by Michael Steele.

These two teams, along with Silcar, restored services to over 80,000 PSTN (fixed service) lines and over 120 mobile base stations in a seven day period.

Watching their results from 2,000 kilometres away in Brisbane made all within the Queensland Regional Emergency Council team very proud.

One outstanding feature during this time was the performance of our ‘top talent’ team members who stepped up to fill the shoes of those who were heavily involved in leading the restoration work.

Those who assisted in keeping the home fires burning for Network Construction (by supporting the disaster recovery team while keeping delivery schedules up for our customers) included Peter Cause, Jeff Scammells and Dave Kenna.

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

STEPPING UP

4 7

21 3

65

Above: 1. Dru Dingwall, 2. John (Shep) Shepherd, 3. Phillip Stringini, 4. Michael Steele, 5. Peter Cause, 6. Jeff Scammells, 7. Dave Kenna. Opposite: Perth team members Hazel Clinch and Megan Richardson. 157

Booklet_START5_NorthEast QLD.indd 157 26/08/11 1:22 PM

Page 159: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

A 500 kilogram Brahman bull lying on our cable was just one problem the Broome crew faced. See related story, ‘The Kimberley cougar strikes again’ (p.172).

CENTRAL WEST REGION(WESTERN AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

& NORTHERN TERRITORY)

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 158 26/08/11 1:23 PM

Page 160: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CENTRAL WEST REGION (WESTERN AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

& NORTHERN TERRITORY)

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 159 26/08/11 1:23 PM

Page 161: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

THE STOCKPORT COW

“It was a team effort with some significant sacrifices made to achieve this quick turnaround.”

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Interview with Peter Andreopoulos, Network Construction Date: 10/12/10

Following flooding rains in South Australia, which inundated the small, mid-north town of Stockport, Telstra Operations team members were engaged to deploy and commission a Cell on Wheels (CoW) in the area.

The purpose of the CoW deployment was to increase mobiles capacity to the Stockwell flood area, thus keeping emergency services connected and enabling residents to get back on their feet.

Peter Andreopoulos managed the Stockport CoW deployment. “It was a team effort with some significant sacrifices made to achieve this quick turnaround. Many individuals put their leave and personal plans on hold to not only do the right thing by the company but to help a community in crisis. Having people of this calibre, and with this commitment, certainly makes our job easier.

“By midday Saturday, the CoW had been configured, all transmission designs completed and connected with a portable DC generator set on site. The service was completed within 22 hours*.

“A great outcome for all, considering the busy Christmas period was just around the corner,” said Peter.

* At the time of deployment Peter’s team held the record for quickest CoW deployment nationally. To read how a Victorian crew went on to beat the Stockport CoW record by just one hour – see related story, ‘The fastest CoW in the country’ (p.80).

160

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 160 26/08/11 1:23 PM

Page 162: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RESPONSIVE... RESPONSIVE...

Opposite: Cell on Wheels (CoW) set up at Stockport. Above Left: Photograph taken by technician Neil Tilbee as he was transporting replacement exchange equipment via helicopter to sites around Carnarvon inaccessible by road. Above Right: A Carnarvon RIM roadside cabinet high and dry thanks to a raised earth platform. For more information on raised earth platforms see under the ‘Learning from experience’ section (p176).

As told by Alan Brown, Service Delivery Date: 17/12/10

Friday 17 December started like any other day with rain forecast. By the end of the day the rain hadn’t stopped and it continued on. It was clear Carnarvon faced a natural disaster – what would become the worst flooding in 100 years.

Local technicians Wayne Smith and Neil Tilbee could only reach essential plant by helicopter, unable to reach much of our plant and isolated radio customers by road, due to road washouts.

The gravity of the situation was soon realised and back up was quickly mobilised via air, with Glen Murdoch liaising, planning and mobilising crews and equipment.

A convoy of fibre crews, Install & Maintenance (I&M) jointers and Construct & Maintenance (C&M) jointers, made their way north from Bunbury in the south and Perth and Geraldton in the mid-west.

The convoy of ground crew arrived on 28 December using road bypasses at washouts.

Our ground crews worked 12 to 14 hour days, seven days a week, from the end of December 2010 to mid-January 2011, and had Carnarvon comms (land line, radio and fibre services) back to normal quickly.

The Carnarvon recovery crew were: Neil Tilbee (on station), Wayne Smith (on station), Neville Collins (first in fly), Ground crew: Dale Richards (I&M), Mike Jones (I&M), Brett Jones (I&M), Alan Brown (I&M), Ray McDonnell (C&M), Roger Williams (C&M), Graham Johnson (C&M), Matthew Totterdell (Fibre) and Peter Stone (Fibre).

The Exmouth and Manilya recovery crew were: Denis Cochrane and Evan Larter.

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

100-YEAR FLOODS

161

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 161 26/08/11 1:23 PM

Page 163: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Above Left: A boat capsized in a banana plantation just out of Carnarvon. Above Right: Stuck at Carnarvon North (not our trailer). Bottom Left: Outside the BP service station in Carnarvon. Bottom Right: Some things blossomed with the extra rain.162

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 162 26/08/11 1:23 PM

Page 164: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Above: And some things came out of hiding (that’s a snake slithering under the car). Bottom: North Carnarvon Exchange just high enough to beat the waters. 163

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 163 26/08/11 1:23 PM

Page 165: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

WHAT DID YOU DO OVER CHRISTMAS 2010?

“Come Tuesday, things were getting rather desperate and a decision needed to be made as to what action would be taken.”

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

As told by Tim Leahy, Service Delivery Date: 24/12/10

On Christmas Eve, Bruce Kellaway received a phone call from the Service Centre saying a fault had come in for the Darwin-Katherine back up fibre. Bruce asked for further information regarding where the fault was located and started to make phone calls to the guys to accompany him on a 290 kilometre trip to the Claravale fibre repeater station on Christmas Day.

Phil Langdon spent his Christmas Eve at Manbulloo repeater hut giving us a location and some valuable information. According to Phil, the break was some 10 kilometres north of the Claravale fibre repeater.

Christmas morning, the crew in Alice Springs and Darwin were called out to patch services.

Also on Christmas morning, both Ludo Hunter and Bruce Kellaway spent a precious few hours with their wives and children before departing for the depot to load up supplies and head off to the Claravale repeater hut. At the time we hoped the break would be close enough to the hut, and on the north side of the first creek, so we would have 4X4 access.

The first river crossing, Copperfield Creek, was flowing fast but not too deep and the guys crossed safely. They were not to know this crossing would claim a vehicle two weeks later with three men swimming to safety.

On arrival at Claravale fibre hut the guys tested the fibre and a few spares. The whole cable had broken and the fibre break was approximately 15 kilometres from the hut. They knew, due to local knowledge of the area, this meant they would need a helicopter to access the area.

They attempted to contact the Katherine helicopter pilot but he was out of mobile range on Christmas Day repairing fences due to the heavy rainfall in the area.

The guys returned to Darwin to organise a helicopter. The next morning a helicopter was organised to meet the techs at Claravale repeater hut on Saturday morning to assess the damage.

Bruce and the pilot spent one-and-a-half hours following the fibre route to find the river crossing where they believed the washout had caused the problem.

The next problem was two marker posts were missing, presumed washed away down the river. Without knowing the exact location the fibre was leaving the river on the south side, a repair was looking more difficult.

Time for Plan C, can we walk a machine in from Florina Station on the south side to dig up the fibre, or can we lift in a machine? Two possibilities and a heap more phone calls to organise. The oil rigs have heavy lift helicopters, up to three tonne, but they are on consignment to the rigs, and there was no lift hook in Darwin. The latter would take up to three days to organise. We could get a helicopter from Mackay in 36 hours which could lift 1.8 tonnes. The weight of the machine was 1.6 tonnes, so there was an option.

On Monday we organised for Bruce and Terry Davis from Service Stream to do a fly over to look for a route to walk a machine in from Florina Station.

164

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 164 26/08/11 1:23 PM

Page 166: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

DEDICATION... DEDICATION...

Top Left: Shot taken from chopper looking over the Fergusson River when trying to locate the fibre break. Top Right: One of the many creek crossings that were required to get close to the site, so that it was only a short chopper flight to the damage site. Middle Right: The chopper in the process of flying the stainless steel wire across the river. Bottom Left: Byron Griffiths, one of a team of five, who manually dug extremely sticky soil in hot, humid, fly-friendly conditions to locate and fix fibre issues. Bottom Right: The Fergusson River on Wednesday, after the water level had dropped.

This was aborted when the helicopter had a faulty part and was grounded for the day waiting for a spare part to be flown in overnight.

We also had issues with the fibre from Manbulloo to Katherine so we sent Anton Braam and Ludo Hunter to test the fibre there. Again there was a small issue with access to Manbulloo, so the guys patched around the faulty fibre.

Come Tuesday, things were getting rather desperate and a decision needed to be made as to what action would be taken. The helicopter was ready and Bruce flew over the Fergusson River to see the river had dropped dramatically and he could see the broken cable on the south side lying on the bank.

On Wednesday morning five guys (Bruce Kellaway, Ludo Hunter, Anton Braam, Jesse Heinrich and Byron Griffiths) were on the road at 6:00am to be in Katherine at 9:00am. They then drove to Florina Station to meet the helicopter and flew to the site to start manual digging on the north site and repair the cable.

We figure that approach should be okay as we have a marker post where the cable is – 1 metre away and 1.1 metre deep. Yeah right! Four metres of digging later and 1.5 metres deep appears the cable, this is now Thursday morning, and it is hot, humid and very fly-friendly.

Next we load up the helicopter with a 44 gallon drum of AV gas in a sling and tie the stainless steel wire to the fibre and fly it over the river at the end of the sling. Another hiccup happens when the cable and wire get stuck in a tree and we have a helicopter attached to the cable. So we quickly dropped the drum and sling. After recovering the drum and sling, the second attempt was successful.

Lunch time Thursday, fatigued and dirty, it is time to start splicing, and the pilot needs to be out of there by 5:30pm at the latest.

The splicing was completed and the guys got back to Katherine for a well earned rest. The next day there were still issues with some patching and testing required. Patch cords were sent from Darwin to Claravale on Saturday to get all services back on the air.

The next stage will be in the dry season when the permanent repair will take place.

165

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 165 26/08/11 1:23 PM

Page 167: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

HOME SWEET HOME

“Alan was not the only one sleeping out and about to ensure our exchanges stayed online for customers.”

DEDICATION...

As told by Mick Cooper, Service Delivery Date: 28/12/10

During restoration works at Carnarvon, team manager Alan Brown slept in the office at the Carnarvon Exchange for a couple of weeks as all other accommodation had been given to local residents who had been evacuated from their homes.

Alan had the soothing sound of an exchange air compressor running at approximately 72db, which is equivalent to sleeping 20 metres from a highway, to help put him to sleep each night.

Ahhh the serenity!

Alan was not the only one sleeping out and about to ensure our exchanges stayed online for customers. A number of Network Construction and Service Delivery technicians called local exchanges ‘home’ at the peak of the flood crisis.

See here photographs taken of some make-shift accommodations set up at our exchanges in and around Tully (Qld) due to Cyclone Yasi in early February.

Also, see ‘My night in Townsville Exchange’ story on (p.140) to read about Wayne Watling’s experience the night Cyclone Yasi crossed the coast.

166

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 166 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 168: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

“The police suspected an arsonist started seven separate fires along Forrest Highway...”

DEDICATION...

Opposite Top: Inside Carnarvon Exchange. Opposite: Other make-shift accommodations set up at our exchanges in and around Tully (Qld). Above Top: Dale Richards undertaking repairs to burnt out copper cables. Above Bottom: Damaged pit at Lake Clifton.

As told by Peter Old, Service Delivery Date: 10/01/11

On Monday 10 January a major bushfire developed in a semi-rural location in the Lake Clifton Exchange Area, Western Australia.

The police suspected an arsonist started seven separate fires along Forrest Highway (the major roadway between Perth and Bunbury).

The seven small ignition points quickly spread, joined together and became a major bushfire with flames up to 40 metres high. Residents had to evacuate with only a few minutes prior notice.

Due to the high winds and temperatures, the fire burnt out of control for nearly three days.

Trevor Hill from Telstra Country Wide attended the initial meeting of emergency services organisations and residents. Trevor followed this up with two other meetings to update and take questions from residents. He also initiated emergency plans for the residents, including our priority customers.

Two Telstra Emergency Communication Kits (TECKs) were provided to enable communications for the control centre that had been set up.

Telstra and other authorities were given access, with emergency services providing a safety escort, to survey and repair damaged plant as soon as it was possible to do so.

Peter Blaney-Murphy, Grant Gibbings and Shaun Parker worked to get the roadside cabinets (RIMs and RCMs) working.

Darren Dell and Richard Errey installed a repeater from the Mount John mobile tower as Lake Clifton’s mobile tower had been cut off due to damage to the optic fibre.

Rob Minchin dispatched a team to repair the fibre. The technicians who worked on the main cable, distribution cable, lead in cables and pit and pipe damage were as follows; Steve Spicer from the Mandurah team, Brett Matthews and John Moloney from Perth, Steve Priddle, Dale Richards and Trevor Wilson from the Bunbury team and Aron Wheatcroft from the Busselton team. Service Stream were mobilised to provide cable and hauling.

The fire caused five homes to be completely destroyed, four homes severely damaged, many sheds and outbuildings were lost, domestic and native animals perished and 1,600 hectares of land was burnt. Many other homes and sheds had less severe damage.

Additionally, homes that looked like they had been spared had wall boxes and internal cabling melted due to radiant heat.

Once again, in a time of need our people and our partners responded quickly to the crisis and most residents had their services working again within a matter of days.

My thanks to all who assisted throughout this ordeal.

COLLABORATION...

FIRES AT LAKE CLIFTON

167

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 167 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 169: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GREAT NORTHERN HIGHWAY DISAPPEARS

“Technicians from Broome spent 24 hours locating and repairing the damaged cable under adverse conditions.”

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

As told by Mick Cooper, Service Delivery Date: 16/03/11

On 16 March severe flooding damaged an optical fibre cable near Willare, located between Broome and Derby, in the far north of Western Australia.

Significant customer impact was experienced, including town and community isolation across the Kimberley region. Technicians from Broome spent 24 hours locating and repairing the damaged cable under adverse conditions.

Ten kilometres of cable was laid out along the highway to bypass the damaged section and splicing enabled service restoration.

Three days later a further flood surge passed through the area damaging the temporary cable. Crews from Perth were flown in to assist local Broome technicians and a further five kilometres of cable was laid along the highway and spliced once the flooding had receded.

Due to the infamous northern wet season, the local Broome team have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to working in harsh conditions caused by events such as floods and cyclones.

The health and safety of our people is always the first priority and taken into consideration before undertaking any restoration activity.

168

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 168 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 170: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

Top Left: The Great Northern Highway between Broome and Derby. Joe Ganino took this shot from a helicopter while trying to locate an alternative route to run the slave (temporary) fibre cable. Top Right: Joe Ganino walking along the Great Northern Highway ensuring the road is safe to travel along by vehicle. Bottom Left: Techs Craig Liddle and Peter Stone trying to secure slave (temporary) cable to the trees to prevent it floating onto the Great Northern Highway. Bottom Right: More rain - storm clouds heading towards Willare.

169

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 169 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 171: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

SNAKES, BUGS AND CROCS

“The local Telstra presence has been extraordinary to watch.”

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

By Neil Cooke, Service Delivery Date: 16/03/11

Setting aside the long hours, heat, humidity, snakes, bugs and crocodiles – it really is rewarding! It’s good to be a part of something worthwhile, working with a few good blokes giving their absolute all for the benefit of our customers.

One local resident told me, “The local Telstra presence has been extraordinary to watch. They are doing a great job and at times have undertaken tasks we marvel at.

“We have watched them on numerous occasions restore this fibre optic with such urgency and professionalism, we feel guilty just watching and not helping also.”

170

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 170 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 172: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

“It’s great to see the effort and dedication you guys are putting in to servicing the Kimberley.”

CUSTOMER DRIVEN...

Opposite: Any piece of dry land was fiercely guarded during the floods and this guy didn’t take kindly to our technicians being in his territory. Wayne Smith took this on a road just outside of Carnarvon. Above: Technician Craig Liddle recovering the temporary cable after flooding washed it on to the Great Northern Highway.

By Shane Caratti, Service Delivery Date: 16/03/11

As a communication technician and a relief team manager I have experienced all the stress and successes associated with an outage this big.

I have felt proud of how it has all come together and have discovered firsthand the meaning of team work and commitment.

I feel lucky to be part of a dynamic and strong team such as the Broome team and know the community has benefitted immensely from the way we work.

This will be a great Kimberley story in years to come and I have been proud to have been involved and witness the dedication shown.

Support from the public has been outstanding. The understanding and patience our customers have in these remote areas is absolutely remarkable.

During this time, a customer said to me, “It’s great to see the effort and dedication you guys are putting in to servicing the Kimberley.”

COMMITMENT... COMMITMENT...

PUBLIC SUPPORT OUTSTANDING

171

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 171 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 173: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

THE KIMBERLEY COUGAR STRIKES AGAIN

“Doing all you can do in these times is what we are about.”

COMMITMENT... COMMITMENT...

As told by Joe Ganino, Service Delivery Date: 17/03/11

We live and work in this community. Even in a community as large as the entire Kimberley means you know or have met nearly everyone. When the fibre goes down, it is all hands on deck as no one is untouched by the loss of service and it can become dire in the wet season when communities become isolated. Doing all you can do in these times is what we are about.

The communication technicians have demonstrated a great personal commitment to restore service to the Kimberley region in adverse and extreme conditions. The 14.5 kilometres of temporary fibre they initially walked out with the aid of local contractors, Service Stream, Main Roads, Broome Police and the Fire & Emergency Services Authority (FESA) has required cable trucks, 4WDs, the FESA chopper and a couple of boats on standby to restore service outages.

The cable damage is still a bit of a mystery. Suggested culprits have ranged from the Kimberley cougar eating it, trees uprooting and taking out part of the temporary fibre, vehicles, washouts and fast flowing floodwaters damaging the fibre. Parts of the Kimberley experienced 1.5 metres of water for the month of February alone.

We also had some animal suspects with crocodiles floating down the river, cockatoos flying around and there were a lot of livestock about at the time. But I have to say that my money is on the Kimberly cougar!

The commitment to restoring service was outstanding, not only by the local Telstra staff, but from their families as well that have had to do without their husbands/partners and fathers for what was months of work maintaining this vital link in this region.

172

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 172 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 174: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMITMENT... COMMITMENT...

Top Right: This damage to the slave (temporary) cable is still a mystery. Bottom Left: A 500 kilogram Brahman bull lying on their cable was just one challenge the Broome team faced. Bottom Right: Broome technicians Greg Gibson and Shane Caratti undertaking fibre repairs on the side of the Great Northern Highway near Willare. Fibre repairs are usually undertaken in a controlled environment such as a fibre van, but local Broome technicians have become accustomed to ‘open air’ repairs.

Due to the reoccurring nibbles on the cable, the culprit was christened the ‘Kimberley cougar’ by the Broome team. The legend of the ‘cougar’ is right up there with the Loch Ness Monster, Nullarbor Nymph and the Abominable Snowman.

173

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 173 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 175: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

JUST KEEP GOING

“Sometimes you just have to walk in water up to your neck...”

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

By Tony Hunter, Service Delivery (communication technician/ poet) Date: 17/03/11

Just keep goingSometimes you just have to walk in water up to your neck;

Sometimes you just have to haul 15 kilometres of fibre along the side of the road, under spotlights blazing after 20 hours straight;

Trying to splice fibre with every bug and mozzie thinking you’re on a date;

Just keep going... the comms are up mate!

174

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 174 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 176: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB...

Opposite: Shane Caratti and Greg Gibson undertaking fibre repairs near Willare (Joe Ganino centre). Top Left: Temporary fix to a tree, along the Great Northern Highway. Top Right: The road heading out to Carnarvon Airport. Bottom Left: Broome team manager Joe Ganino “I know we left the Highway out here somewhere”. Bottom Right: Neil Tibee’s transport to Carnarvon North to test faulty fibres.

175

Booklet_START6_CentralWest.indd 175 26/08/11 1:24 PM

Page 177: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

TREK recharging on a work vehicle.

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

Booklet_START7_Learning From Experience.indd 176 26/08/11 1:32 PM

Page 178: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

Booklet_START7_Learning From Experience.indd 177 26/08/11 1:32 PM

Page 179: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

In natural disasters an immediate requirement of most emergency service groups is comms, comms and comms. The ability to communicate means these organisations can concentrate on doing what they do best – co-ordinating efforts to care for communities in crisis.

Every time the Telstra team responds to a natural disaster we learn from the experience so we can do it even better the next time.

For example, after the Victorian Black Saturday Bushfires Telstra developed new technologies to help connect communities and emergency service agencies faster.

The first were the MEoW® (Mobile Exchange on Wheels) and CoW (Cell on Wheels) technologies. These were developed for quick deployment to

provide temporary mobile, landline and broadband services to communities impacted by natural disasters.

Other innovations include the Telstra Emergency Communications Kits (TECKs) and Telstra Remote Emergency Kits (TREK), which provide local emergency services rapid and reliable communications until normal services have been restored.

More recent innovations include a new website, telstra.com.au/networkoutages, which keeps customers informed during outages and disasters, and a clever roadside cabinet conversion plate.

Please see details following concerning past ideas and innovations, including those resulting from summer 2010/11.

INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS...

178

Booklet_START7_Learning From Experience.indd 178 26/08/11 1:32 PM

Page 180: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Opposite: Telstra Emergency Communications Kit (TECK) Top Left: The Rockhampton (Qld) raised earth platform in the dry.Bottom Left & Right: The platform at the height of flooding.

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE PAST IDEAS AND INNOVATIONS

Raised earth platforms Can a pile of dirt be classed as a good idea? It can if it keeps thousands of customers connected.

Back in 2006 the Network Construction team were engaged to upgrade and deploy a CMUX (Customer Multiplexer) cabinet. As part of the design process they identified the likely risk of flooding due to flood zoning of the area and hence sited and deployed on a raised earth platform.

The cabinet on its raised earth platform may not be one of the most attractive sites in Rockhampton, Queensland... but it certainly saved the day during the floods, keeping locals connected.

INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS... INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS...

179

Booklet_START7_Learning From Experience.indd 179 26/08/11 1:32 PM

Page 181: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

PAST IDEAS AND INNOVATIONS

Mobile Exchange on Wheels or the MEoW® The MEoW® was launched at an official event in Marysville, Victoria in July 2009.

The MEoW® is a simple and highly portable, fully-functional telephone exchange, specifically designed to provide communications to disaster areas.

The unit weighs three tonnes, is light enough to be towed behind a 4WD or light truck, and can be deployed within hours.

Once on site two technicians can activate the device to provide 450 telephone services and over 300 ADSL2+ services at speeds of up to 20Mbps.

Cell on Wheels (CoW) and Satellite Cell on Wheels (SatCoW)Both CoWs and SatCoWs provide temporary expanded mobile network coverage and/or capacity. They have been designed to support the Next G® network, thus allowing for simultaneous voice, video and data calls and can be used to provide rapid recovery of mobile network infrastructure when an existing mobile base station is damaged, during natural disasters and for remote installations in offshore territories and remote communities.

The standard CoW is trailer-mounted and once on site can be deployed in around 24 hours, depending on circumstances. See related stories ‘The fastest CoW in the country’ (p.80) and ‘Who let the CoWs out?’ (p.130).

SatCoWs use satellite transmission to a Next G® mobile base station and come in a number of forms including a trailer-mounted Satellite-Cell (which is a cut-down version of a normal Cell on Wheels) and a Portable Satellite Kit (which weighs in at about 300 kilograms and therefore can be delivered by road or air and deployed within a few hours). The kit has been designed so that the unit can be easily set up by just two Telstra technicians.

INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS...

180

Booklet_START7_Learning From Experience.indd 180 26/08/11 1:32 PM

Page 182: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Opposite Left: MEoW® (Mobile Exchange on Wheels) being demonstrated to local Service Delivery field team members at Gruyere Exchange (Vic), highlighting the benefits of the MEoW® for restoring customer services when there is a major exchange outage (l-r) Peter Mathieson, Steve Quinn and John Fixter. Opposite Right: SatCoW set up by Clint Dickson on Palm Island (see related story, ‘SatCoW flies to Palm Island’ p.154). Above Left: Telstra Remote Emergency Kit (TREK) with three handsets. Above Right: Mark Procter, Telstra Business, uses the TECK set up at the Tully (Qld) recovery centre.

PAST IDEAS AND INNOVATIONS PAST IDEAS AND INNOVATIONS

TECKs and TREKsWhere massive network interruptions occur, Telstra mobilises its Cells on Wheels (CoWs) providing mobile communications and their Telstra Emergency Communications Kits (TECKs) to provide local communication access for recovery and support centres.

The TECK is a small, portable communications pack designed to provide voice, data and broadband services to emergency services during times of crisis.

Three hundred kits have been sent to key locations across the country. Upon deployment each TECK is tracked allowing the swift recovery of individual units so devices can be tested and prepared for fast redeployment.

The TECK operates over Telstra’s Next G® network and includes a W25* wireless device and accessories to allow the device to be installed quickly.

The W25 is a 240 volt powered unit requiring access to mains or generator-provided power.

However, depending on the situation (road access, etc.), it may take a few days to arrange the relocation of a CoW. Therefore, the Telstra Remote Emergency Kit (TREK), which operates over the Iridium Satellite network, was developed and is made available prior to predicted events in order to provide communication during emergencies.

Each TREK contains three Iridium satellite handsets, with main and in-car chargers plus one solar mat, offering three ways to recharge the phones. Each phone is programmed with a mobile number to which other services can be redirected, which is not available on usual satellite services. TREKs are recovered and replaced with TECKs when mobile coverage is restored.*Ericsson’s W25 fixed wireless terminal is a high-speed wireless voice and data gateway and, when combined with Telstra’s Next G® network, provides the perfect solution for a mobile office.

INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS... INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS...

181

Booklet_START7_Learning From Experience.indd 181 26/08/11 1:32 PM

Page 183: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RIM to CMUX conversion plate During the devastating floods that gripped Queensland, many stories have surfaced of the challenges faced by our teams on the ground. One such challenge, at three sites within the Brisbane Metro precinct (two at Jamboree Heights and one at Chapel Hill), required a Remote Integrated Multiplexer (RIM roadside cabinet) replacement to enable restoration of services.

The issue Telstra encountered was that RIM materials are no longer manufactured, therefore another technology was required. Network Construction and Network & Access Technology teams decided the best course of action was to utilise existing RIM foundations and create a ‘conversion plate’ that enabled a CMUX (Customer Multiplexer unit) to be utilised.

Network Construction’s John Dempster and Greg Fay in conjunction with Networks and Access Technologies’ Evan Toon and Peter Harvey designed and constructed a plinth (adapter plate) that could be fixed to an existing RIM foundation and allow a CMUX unit to be connected.

This innovation enabled a quick resolution to a tricky problem, and by utilising the existing slab and conduit entry the team provided a conversion solution which can be easily built and easily used elsewhere in the network.

IDEAS AND INNOVATIONS DUE TO SUMMER 2010/11

INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS...

182

Booklet_START7_Learning From Experience.indd 182 26/08/11 1:32 PM

Page 184: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Above: Image of Telstra’s Network Outages page: telstra.com.au/networkoutages Opposite Left: After the RIM to CMUX conversion was complete, the MEoW® (which was being utilised at Chapel Hill to restore service to residential and business customers) was able to be relocated. Opposite Right: CMUX conversion nearly complete (note the adapter plate between the unit and old RIM foundations).

IDEAS AND INNOVATIONS DUE TO SUMMER 2010/11 IDEAS AND INNOVATIONS DUE TO SUMMER 2010/11

New website keeps customers informed during outages and disastersAs a result of the team’s experiences during the summer of 2010/11, the Network & IT Operations team developed a new Telstra website to give customers up-to-date information about network outages and restoration activities during major outages and natural disasters.

The new website was launched in July 2011 and can be found at telstra.com.au/networkoutages. Thanks to this website, customers can access the information at their convenience, without calling Telstra or waiting on the next news bulletin. It will also allow family and friends who may be concerned about people in disaster areas to check on the network.

During periods of normal operation this website will enable people to check what is happening to landline, broadband, or mobile services in an area simply by entering the relevant postcode. The site provides information about any outages that may be affecting that area.

During a natural disaster, the site will be expanded to include suburb or town name, with the status of landline, broadband, and mobile services in each town or suburb. It will also include a map to highlight the affected areas.

In addition, the website will assist people by providing them a link to report a fault and details on how to apply for disaster assistance packages where available.

INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS... INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS...

183

Booklet_START7_Learning From Experience.indd 183 26/08/11 1:32 PM

Page 185: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Allen Brazier and Leon Boddington taking a break from working on fl ood-affected pillar cutovers, St Lucia (Qld).

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 184 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 186: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

COMMUNITY, CUSTOMER AND INDUSTRY RECOGNITION

OF OUR PEOPLE’S EFFORTSFollowing are just a few examples of emails and letters received from

government agencies, emergency services and others, recognising the role Telstra Operations people play within their communities,

whether at work or volunteering.

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 185 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 187: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

CFA SAYS THANKS

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

To: Phil Astle [Phil was responsible for planning Telstra’s involvement in the ‘On the ground in bushfire exercise’ (p.24) and he received this email of thanks.] From: Troy Lowther, Leading Firefighter Country Fire Authority (CFA) Date: December 2010

Hi Phil,

I thought that I would take this opportunity to thank you and the other Telstra members for attending our exercise on Sunday 5 December.

I think that overall the day was a great success with the emergency services and support agencies all getting something from the exercise. A couple of the things that the facilitators have reported back from the day include Telstra’s involvement in:

• Providing and setting up the W25* Remote Next G® phone/fax machine at the staging area;

• Assisting crews with communications andresource management;

• Accompanying CFA strike teams in the fieldto observe communications and operational procedures; and

• Observing the IncidentControlCentre functionsand the associated communications issues.

I would like you to pass on my thanks to all the Telstra people that attended; they were all extremely polite and helpful, representing the company in the best light possible.

I hope that the day was a success from your point of view and I trust that you now have a better understanding of how incidents are conducted. Hopefully this gives you and your team an opportunity to look at ways to continue to assist the emergency services when required.*Ericsson’s W25 fixed wireless terminal is a high-speed wireless voice and data gateway and, when combined with Telstra’s Next G® network, provides the perfect solution for a mobile office.

186

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 186 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 188: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

FLOODSDISRUPTNATIONALRELAYSERVICE

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...InJanuary2011,Telstrarespondedtoarequestfromthe Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to assist the Australian Communication Exchange,whichneededtorelocatetheircallcentrelocated near the Brisbane CBD. Via their NationalRelay Service, this organisation provides vitaltelecommunication services for people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment.

Telstra helped relocate Australian Communication Exchange call centre staff into Telstra’s Mt GravattExchange.This includedsettingupten lines for theoperators to take calls, as well as establishing the necessary technical solutions to enable text-based, telephone typewriter emergency calls to be received.

Peter Gilmartin from Telstra Strategy and Corporate Services said within a few hours of receiving the requestfromtheACMA,TelstraOperationspulledoutall stops to achieve this outcome.

“This has been a fantastic effort from everyone in Network & Information Technology Operations andthose team members doing the work on the ground from Service Delivery.

“Once again this effort highlights what we as acompany can deliver in times of major disaster,” said Peter.

Zoë Boyd, Director of Strategy & Planning, Australian Communication Exchange recalls how it all cameabout:

During the height of the Brisbane flood crisis,thousands of businesses evacuated their premises.

Our organisation, which provides vitaltelecommunication services to deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired Australians nationally24hoursadayneededtoberelocatedalso. We needed a location where telephone

lines, power and crucial equipment could be connected for call centre staff to continue taking emergency calls.

Fortunately, a Telstra Operations team found awaytohelp.BrendonEdeandhisteamofferedto house the call centre staff at the Mt Gravatt TelstraExchangebuilding.

Malcolm McKellar arranged for Mark Nugent to be on site within 30 minutes to help installtelephone lines.

TheMtGravattExchangewasjustabarebonesbuilding so Mark also made sure the staff working inside would be comfortable. He organised a trip toBunningstogetfluorolightsandafewotherrefurbishments. He also co-ordinated a Telstra van to collect workstation seats from our building.

These extraordinary acts of generosity all happened in a matter of hours and meant that vital services were maintained for Australia’s deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired. The call centre staff worked from within the Mt Gravatt locationfor24hourswhilewaitingfornewsoftherisingfloodwaters.

Fortunately the water didn’t rise as high as initially predicated and the Australian Communication Exchangewasabletoreturntotheirbuildingthefollowing day.

Our sincerest appreciation to the Telstra teaminvolved for helping through the crisis.

ACMA also acknowledged Telstra’s contribution. Below is an extract from ACMA media release 25/2011 (11 March), ‘ACMA welcomes ACCAN*reportonQueenslandflooding’:

“Theseverefloodingriskcausedthetemporarysuspension of most services provided by the government’sNationalRelayService(NRS),whichprovides telecommunications services (including an emergency call service) to people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment. TheNRSBrisbanecallcentrewasevacuatedfor24hourson12January2011duetoconcernsaboutstaffsafetyandaccessduringthefloods.

“Importantly, due to the sustained efforts of the Australian Communication Exchange (ACE), astheNRSrelayprovider,andourgratefulsupportfrom Telstra, the text-based emergency access via106wasnotinterruptedoverthisperiod.”

*The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is the peak body that represents all consumers on communications issues including telecommunications, broadband and emerging new services.

Above: Some of the Australian Communication Exchange team relocated at Telstra’s Mt Gravatt Exchange. Opposite: On the ground bushfire exercise, 5/12/10. 187

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 187 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 189: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

QUEENSLANDDEPARTMENTTHANKSTELSTRAFORSPEEDYRESPONSE

The Network Applications and Services (NAS) ContactCentreOperationsteamareusedtodealingwith emergencies and, given the amount of cyclonic weather in Queensland, it is becoming increasingly common for them to assist customers in this area.

Before Cyclone Yasi even hit, the Contact Centre Operationsteamwasalreadypreparedforitsonsetby assisting some of its Queensland customers.

The Department of Employment, EconomicDevelopment and Innovation was one such customer.

The team recognised early that it would need to provide additional assistance, and an initial change request was made from the Department to increase the number of user licenses and upgrade to a full multimedia package.

At that stage Cyclone Yasi was expected to hit the coastbetweenCairnsandInnisfailat11:00pmthatevening, bringing winds of up to 280 kilometres per hour.

By 3:45pm the customer had access to theWebChat function and ten email addresses had been provisioned and added to its Telstra web-based contactcentreproduct,WebCCSolution,aspartofthe upgrade to the full multimedia feature package.

This speedy and professional response was made possible by a technical specialist within the Contact Centre Solutions Group, Matt Druhan, who organised a hasty configuration schedule with a CustomerServiceRepresentativeatBigPond®BillingLevel2Support, Hayley Brooks, who expedited the process of email provisioning.

So pleased was the Queensland Department that they not only thanked Matt for his assistance but also indicated thatwhile the roll out ofWebChatwasusefulforthefloodsandcyclonestheyaimtoinclude it for all their customers.

Director of the NAS Next Generation Operationsteam, Lincoln Jurd, congratulated the team for their efforts saying, “Our people are what sets Telstraapart from our competitors and the team has shown thatinacrisisthereisnoonebetter.WelldoneMattand Hayley.”

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

188

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 188 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 190: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

QUEENSLANDDEPARTMENTTHANKSTELSTRAFORSPEEDYRESPONSE COMMENDATIONSFORQUICKACTION

Intercarrier Fault Management (IFM) team manager DamienBale,Network&ITOperations,hasreceivedemailsfromTelstraWholesaleandexternalcustomerscommending his efforts during the recovery of the Queenslandfloods.

Damien took the lead on 11 requests from othertelecommunications carriers for network assistance following the disaster.

Among the requests, Damien arranged the commissioning and delivery of a temporary 10Gbservice between Sydney and Brisbane and also co-ordinated the upgrade of a four-line basic service, which was being used for a volunteer hotline, to a PremiumOnramp30servicewithina24hourperiod.

A normal request like this can usually take some time from the initial request to be designed and implemented, but these were extraordinary times so Network Construction put in an extraordinary effort, working back late to deliver early.

Damien ensured he was available on the Saturday to follow through the implementation of the upgrade. He did this to ensure that this didn’t place any extra load on the team, who were already under extra workload due to the volume of incidents they were managing as a result of the situation in Queensland.

Damien said, “What was really fantastic was thewillingness of everyone to get in and help, even if what they were doing was outside their normal role.

“Weevengottothepointwherewewerereadyandprepared todeploysoftwarepatches if thefloodingbroke through the sandbagging and impacted more of the network. Thankfully, in many cases, these weren’t required.”

Opposite: Matt Druhan and Hayley Brooks. Above: Damien Bale in the Major Incident Management (MIM) incident centre.

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

189

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 189 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 191: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

A‘BIGTHANKYOU’FROMVOLUNTEERINGQUEENSLAND

Networks and Access Technologies’ Barrie Hall explains what happened behind-the-scenes, from 13 to 15 January, which resulted in the CEO of Volunteering Queensland sending the following letter of recognition to Telstra’s CEO.

Volunteering Queensland came to me via GavinCostello, a friend of mine in Telstra Innovation Products and Marketing. They needed some emergencywebhostingandtheyneededtheir1800numberfixed.

The web hosting was simple to set up and was madeavailable toVolunteeringQueensland in lessthan three hours.

AfterseveralcallswithJelenkoDragisic(VolunteeringQueensland’s CEO), it became clear their realproblemwasthe1800number.ThefloodswereattheirworstinBrisbaneandVolunteeringQueenslandhad just started a campaign to encourage volunteers to phone in to offer help. The number featured in the ticker box on the bottom of the screen on most news channels at the time.

After making some calls and poking around a bit it became clear to me, while they had plenty of staff totakeinboundphonecallsattheiroffice,theyonlyhad four phone lines.

We quickly organised to have their ISDN serviceupgradedto30linesbutinordertobeabletomeetdemandquickly,Ialsoorganisedforsome15mobilehandsets to be sent to VolunteeringQueensland’soffice in Brisbane. However, couriers would nottake them and they ended up travelling to Brisbane courtesy of Channel 7.

We then had the 1800 number reconfigured todiverttothemobilehandsetsandtothenewfixedservices, once they were working.

Gregg Francis from Networks and Access Technologies organised to have one of his team membersinBrisbaneassistVolunteeringQueenslandwith a number of tasks including charging the handsets and setting up diversions on the Saturday morning.

Many, many people pulled together to get this done, but I would like to single out Gregg Francis and Alex Heathers from Telstra’s Chief Marketing Office fordoing the heavy lifting.

“This was a huge effort from across the company. I have never seen Telstra move so quickly and with such great internal co-operation.” – Barrie Hall.

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

From:JelenkoDragisic,VolunteeringQueenslandCEO

Dear Mr Thodey

OnbehalfofallofushereatVolunteeringQld, IamwritingtosayOneBigThankYouforTelstra’stimelyassistancetoourofficeduringtheJanuaryfloods.

Volunteering Qld received an overwhelming numberof phone calls from the community in response to the natural disaster. Over 500 volunteers were recruitedto take phone calls and to work shifts, alongside our CREW(CommunityResponsetoExtremeWeather)team.

MrBarrieHall,fromCorporate,EnterpriseandSecuritywas able to organise a number of mobile phones for useby keyCREWpersonnel,which ensuredalllandlines were open to receive calls from the public. Weare very pleased to advise that at least 83,000individuals registered their interest in volunteering during emergencies over a period of weeks during and aftertheflood.

WeatVolunteeringQldacknowledgeandexpressourappreciation for Telstra’s kind gesture.

190

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 190 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 192: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

A‘BIGTHANKYOU’FROMVOLUNTEERINGQUEENSLAND ANGLICAREWARMEDBYQUICKANDRELEVANTCONTRIBUTION

On 25 January Telstra CEO David Thodey visitedwith Telstra’s field restoration teams and also tookthe opportunity to meet with Telstra’s community partners, including Anglicare Australia, which distributed200Telstrapre-paidmobilehandsets,aswell as thousands of recharge and PhoneAway cards to people in need.

At the time Kasy Chambers, Executive DirectorAnglicare Australia said, “We were moved andwarmed by the quick and relevant contribution of TelstraduringtheQueenslandfloods.Theresponsetargeted getting people back in contact – being cut off at a time like that only exacerbates the effects.”

Opposite Left: Barrie Hall. Opposite Right: Elana Siu from Volunteering Queensland’s call centre. Above: Kasy Chambers.

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

191

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 191 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 193: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

PMOFFERSHEARTFELTTHANKSTOVOLUNTEERS

Service Delivery’s Tim Lostroh shares his experiences concerning community recognition volunteers received.

I met Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Australia Day, 26 January, when she came to Toowoomba, Queensland to be part of an event to thank the emergency service and military groups involved in the events of 10 January.

As the SES Group Leader of Toowoomba, I wasinvited to attend and meet with Julia along with our Deputy Controller.

Weweretakentotherotundaandweretolditwouldbe a private and quiet meeting – not really the case once the media arrived to cover the event.

The Prime Minister offered a heartfelt thanks to me personallyandfortheworkoftheToowoombaSES.

Although not present on this day Telstra technician TonyWuersching fromToowoomba isalsoa long-term SESmember andwas also activated duringtheJanuaryfloods.

As an SES volunteer I was invited to numerousevents. The two I remember well were an event on 20MarchwhenHisRoyalHighnessPrinceWilliamvisited Toowoomba to thank volunteers; and an eventon11JunewhereSESvolunteersparticipatedin a ceremony where the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, recognised our efforts during the summer 10/11.

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

192

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 192 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 194: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

PMOFFERSHEARTFELTTHANKSTOVOLUNTEERS SALVOSEMERGENCYVOLUNTEERSRECOGNISED

During December 2010, while technicians atBundaberg, Queensland worked through the night (see related story, ‘The magnificent seven’ p.97),ServiceDelivery’sPeterEvanswasbusyvolunteeringas the area co-ordinator for emergency services in the local Salvation Army.

“Ourmain aim at the beginning was to feed floodvictims and emergency service workers. We thenmoved into recovery mode when things started to clear up,” said Peter.

Thanks to the help of his family and support of his Telstrateam,Peterhasmanagedtofithisvolunteeringaround his full-time job as a jeopardy officer* inBundaberg.

“I started the breakfast shift with the Salvation Army at4:00amandthenmywifekeptgoingwhileIwentto work.

“During my smoko, lunch break and after work I got back to it and my wife and I normally got home late in the evening to do the paperwork.

“I’ve been involved in a few emergency situations before, but nothing compares to this,” added Peter.

OntheeveningofTuesday28JanuaryPeterandhis wife Kathleen attended an awards ceremony and both received a Queensland Disaster Heroes Medal from Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, in recognition of their efforts in Bundaberg which saw many people fed, clothed and sheltered during a great time of need.

*Jeopardy managers manage high priority customer work requests and ensure that high level enhanced appointments and commitments in jeopardy are proactively managed.

Opposite: Tim Lostroh and Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Above Top: (l-r) Kathleen, Rebekah, Peter and Aaron Evans at the award event, 08/06/11. Above Bottom: Peter Evans (right) delivering food to Wally Van Peperstraten as he works through the night in Bundaberg.

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

193

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 193 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 195: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RODANDTHEREJECTSHOP

Email from: Darren O’Connor, CIO, The Reject Shop

Sent: Thursday, 24 February 2011

To: CEO David Thodey and Telstra Enterprise & Government GMD

Subject: Queensland Flood Recovery

I know there are many Telstra employees performing great work in assisting Queensland torecoverfromtherecentfloodshoweverIjustwant to bring to your attention the outstanding workbeingdonebytheWidebandgroupledbyRodButcher.

Rodandhisteamhavedemonstratedagenuinecommitment to getting the work done, and assisting customers restore their services to the absolute best of anyone’s ability.

Whilst ithasbeenahugeteameffort,noteamoperates effectively without great leadership and I think Rod’s own performance has been excellent.

Events like this test organisations and peopleand Telstra’s outstanding response will not be forgotten.

The Reject Shop is located at Bundamba on thesouth side of Brisbane and had approximately one metre of water through it.

RodButcher’srolewastofacilitatetherectificationoftheservicesassociatedwiththefloodinginBrisbaneandTheRejectShopwasoneofmanycustomerswholosttheirserviceduetothefloods.

The works involved identifying what services were damaged and providing a solution that would restore the service quickly.

The customer’s existing Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) cabinet had approximately one metre of water through the communication room. The team arranged for the damaged cabinet to be removed, a new cabinet to be built, delivered, installed and AC power connected. The ISDN services were then installed and commissioned. This wasfinalisedlateFriday18February.

LateonMonday21February,Rodwascontactedbycustomer Peter Arians to enquire about the Internet Protocol Metro Area Network (IPMAN) service. Some of the equipment had been removed and put out of the way by the customer in an overhead trayinanattempttosavetheOMC(OpticalMediaConverter) unit. TheOMCunitwas found to havemoisture damage and required replacement also. Rodarrangedtohavetheunitreplacedthefollowingday and all services to The Reject Shop wereworking again.

ThecustomeratTheRejectShopwasdelightedatthe response he received from Telstra in restoring all ofhisservicesandthewayinwhichRodmaintainedcontact with him, delivering as promised.

However,Rodwasveryquicktopointoutthatthiswas a significant team effort and his role was tofacilitate an outcome from a project management perspective.

Others involved from theWideband team include:front-end and desk top review by Ian Braithwaite and Andrew Burnett; the initial site visit was completed by Des Kenyon and Stuart Simpson; design assessment carriedoutbyPaulBurnett,VictorSavarisand IanBroadhurst; Steve Burchill assisted by arranging the build and replacement of the cabinet; Sean Myatt installed the customer equipment; and IP platform workbyNaomiO’DonnellandMichaelO’Reilly.

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

194

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 194 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 196: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RODANDTHEREJECTSHOP ANINVITATIONTOANINFORMALEVENT WITHHISROYALHIGHNESSPRINCEWILLIAM

A number of Telstra team members involved in Cyclone Yasi recovery efforts were invited by the MayorofCairnsRegionalCouncilandQueensland’sPremier, Anna Bligh, to meet His Royal HighnessPrinceWilliamonSaturday19March.

The event was organised to thank volunteers and personnel who assisted with the groundwork, management and recovery efforts associated with Cyclone Yasi.

Those invited from the Telstra Operations ServiceDelivery and Network Construction teams included:

Above: Brian Crane in the crowd meeting Prince William.

Tony BroadwayMarty BrungerBruce CrawfordGeorgie HunterDarryl LangtreeGary NolanNeil SmithChrisVanElstJoshuaWeierQuinn AndrewsRossAugerNeil BilliauWayneCansickBarry Chaplin Mark CliffordBrian CraneDru Dingwall

Lyn FullerTimothy GrayPeter GuerinVicktaGulliverMal HaskardBill Hill WayneLangtreeWarrenMcNamaraCalan PriceChrisRhookMarkRyanPaul SpannerCraig TirrelGary TurnerChrisWilesAndrewWithnall

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

195

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 195 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 197: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

LETTERFROMTHEFEDERALMEMBERFORWRIGHT

Letter from: Scott Buchholz MP, Federal Member forWright

Received: Wednesday,22June2011

To: JamesShaw,TelstraGovernmentRelations

Below is a direct extract from the letter from the FederalMemberofWright.

“I am indeed grateful for the help and support Telstra provided to the people of the Grantham, Murphy’s Creek, Mt Sylvia and the general Lockyer Valley area during the dreadful floodsof January this year. Communications were and are vitally important and we – in the electorate ofWright–valuetheworkperformedbyTelstrapersonnel.”

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

196

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 196 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 198: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

LETTERFROMTHEFEDERALMEMBERFORWRIGHT

Opposite: John Parkin and Lockyer Valley team manager Jason Wade, while assessing damage to Grantham Exchange on 18/01/11, were shocked by the devastation flash flooding caused the small community. Above Bottom Left: Discussing progress of a repair job north of Warwick are (l-r) Scott Gorton, Dave Williams and Greg Long. Above Bottom Right: Pit work at St Lucia, Brisbane Allen Brazier (far pit) and Leon Boddington (closest pit).

OURPEOPLE’SCOMMUNITYCONTRIBUTIONRECOGNISED

In recognition of the efforts Telstra teams put in during theQueenslandfloodsandCycloneYasi,TelstrahaswontheCommunityContributionawardatthe2011Communications Alliance & CommsDay ACOMMAwardsinSydneyon7July2011.

Telstra was recognised for their people’s assistance to emergency services, commitment to keeping customers connected during the disasters and ongoing support for communities as they rebuild.

Following is a direct extract from the Communications Alliance website announcing why Telstra was chosen toreceiveACOMM’sCommunityContributionaward:

“When the floodsandCycloneYasidevastatedQueensland in January, Telstra was at the scene, assisting emergency service organisations with their telecommunication requirements and restoring services to their customers. Telstra’s support goes beyond this - recognising that recovery is a long-term process, it continues to assisttheaffectedcommunitieswithfinancialandin-kind support.” – Communications Alliance, 7July2011.

RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION... RECOGNITION...

197

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 197 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 199: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Top Left: Loading a Black Hawk in Rockhampton with gensets bound for Theodore (see related story on p.99). Top Right: Barry Chaplin, Tim Gray, Lester Lidston (ex-Service Delivery who came in from retirement to assist with the restoration) in Tully. Bottom Left: Sign of the times, a photograph taken by Clint Dickson while working at Palm Island (see related story p.154). Bottom Right: During Cyclone Yasi large trees were uprooted, here

we see one crushing a Telstra guard at Bushland Beach, Townsville.198

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 198 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 200: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Top Left: A research vessel high and dry on a football field in the Brisbane suburb of St Lucia is just one of the strange sights team members came across. Top Right: Rubbish piled high on the footpath, St. Lucia, Brisbane. Bottom: Signs of recovery at St Lucia, Brisbane. 199

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 199 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 201: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

John Parkin, Jason Wade and Dean Currey at Murphy’s Creek Exchange, 18/01/11.

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 200 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 202: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

LAST WORDS

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 201 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 203: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Phill Sporton, Executive Director, Service DeliveryThe level of natural disasters across Australia has been unique for a generation at least and has tested us in many ways. But the level of enthusiasm and collaboration seen across the recovery effort has been amazing.

Someoftheseteammembershadbeenworkingnon-stopsinceSeptember2010andhadnohesitation in rolling up their sleeves and getting out there until the job was done.

Thereasonweareabletodealwithtoughperiods-floods,fires,cyclones-iswehaveagreatbunch of people focused on our customers and keeping them connected. There are a lot of great individuals out there, but the community has seen one Telstra, working together to get the job done.

FROMTHETELSTRAOPERATIONSLEADERSHIPTEAM

LAST WORDS...

About Telstra OperationsTelstraOperationsisthelargestbusinessunitofTelstraCorporationLimited,withover20,000employees.

Telstra Operations is responsible for all aspects of the design, engineering, architecture,construction, and operation of Telstra networks, technology and information technology, plus the delivery of customer services across those networks.

ExecutiveDirectorswholedaTelstraOperationslineofbusinessduringsummer10/11,andwho had team members involved or impacted, remarked as follows about the experience.

202

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 202 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 204: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Craig Hancock, Executive Director, Network & IT OperationsThe events of this summer will remain with many of us for the rest of our lives. These events presenteduswithrecoverychallengesincludingfloods,bushfiresandCycloneYasi.Acrossourteams, people worked incredibly hard and, in many cases, in challenging conditions to assist affected communities restore their communications.

OurteamsintheMajorIncidentManagementandGlobalOperationCentreonceagainworkedside-by-side with teams across Telstra to co-ordinate and manage the many impacts these disasters had on our network.

The teams demonstrated their expertise at managing stakeholder communications in an emergencysituationandworkingcloselywithCorporateAffairs,forthefirsttimesocialmediaplatforms such as Twitter were used to keep customers informed.

I am so proud of the way everyone across Telstra comes together in a time of crisis – the commitment shown by all our teams is inspiring.

FROMTHETELSTRAOPERATIONSLEADERSHIPTEAM

LAST WORDS...

John Gibbs, Executive Director, Network ConstructionDespite the severity of the conditions imposed upon our networks over the summer, our infrastructure stood up remarkably well. However, mainly due to loss of power, there were significantcustomerimplications.Thisiswhereourproven,oftenproactive,responseduringthesetimes,stoodusingoodstead.Ourresponsewasverywellreceivedbythecommunitiesand customers affected, as well as emergency service personnel on the ground.

Thanks to the close collaboration between the Telstra Operations team and our externalpartners, we were able to move forward swiftly to clean, repower, rebuild and restore our networks. My gratitude to all involved for your sense of urgency and ownership towards keeping our customers connected.

203

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 203 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 205: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Michael Lawrey, Executive Director, Architecture, Online & MediaThe natural disasters that affected Australia during this past summer were unprecedented due to their unrelenting timing and the severity of damage they caused to Australian communities.

DuringthefloodsinQueensland,VictoriaandnorthernNewSouthWales,aswellasfiresinWesternAustralianandthedevastationthatCycloneYasicaused,Australiansneededtoknowthey could rely on the essential services of power, water and telecommunications.

OurpeopleworkedformanymonthsduringthesechallengingtimestoensureAustralianshadaccess to telecommunications services and I would like to recognise their efforts and thank themfortheirhardwork.OurpeoplearewhatsetsTelstraapartfromourcompetitorsandwehave shown that in a crisis there is no one better.

Mike Wright, Executive Director, Networks and Access TechnologiesCominginto2011theeasternstateswerebattlingthestartofadevastatingflooddisasterthatwouldstretchoverweeksand inmanyplacesreturnagainto inundatesometowns.WithinweeksCycloneYasiunleashedherwrathonNorthQueenslandasWesternAustraliadealtwiththedamagesufferedfrombushfires.

Times like these see teams across Telstra unite. These events see people from all areas of Telstra draw on their experience and expertise.

OurinnovativetechnologiessuchasourCellonWheels,SatelliteCellonWheelsandourMobileExchange onWheels (MEoW®) were deployed swiftly by our teams, providing temporarycommunications solutions to communities in crisis.

OverthesummerIwitnessedhowTelstrapeoplecometogetherplanningandimplementingourrecovery strategies to do what we do best: connect and serve our customers and communities.

204

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 204 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 206: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

Paul McManus, Executive Director, Network Applications & ServicesCyclone Yasi is now known as one of the worst natural disasters to have affected Australia causingmore than $500million damage to impacted communities.Combine thiswith thefloodsinQueensland,Victoria,northernNewSouthWalesandfiresinWesternAustraliaandthis past summer can easily be described as an extraordinary period in Australia’s history.

Iamincrediblyproudoftheeffortsofourstaffinresponsetothesehorrificevents.Asalways,we were on the frontline ensuring telecommunications services in impacted areas were restored quickly and in some cases, unaffected. Thank you to those who worked so hard during this time – your efforts were exceptional.

Patrick Eltridge, Executive Director, Information TechnologyTelstra is unique in that we touch the lives of almost every Australian. The natural disasters that affected Australia over summer put many people under immense pressure – but in the face of a challenge our people really showed us what they are made of. The quick thinking, team work and skill between our teams meant people could be reconnected with each other under difficultcircumstances.

I’m so proud to work with such spirited, committed people at Telstra, who not only care about the company but, have such genuine concern for their colleagues and the people impacted bythenaturaldisasters.Ourpeoplearethemostimportantpartofourorganisation,theyare our core.

205

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 205 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 207: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RECOGNISINGTHEFAMILIESOFTELSTRAOPERATIONSTEAMMEMBERS

LAST WORDS...

“I am always in awe of the patience and understanding of our employees’ family members; the mums, dads, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters; who put up with the absence of their loved one for weeks-on-end during the restoration phase.

“After crises such as these, it is understood that birthdays, anniversaries and other important family milestones are sometimes missed. Words cannotconvey how grateful we were to our people’s families for their support during this time.”

– Mick Cooper, Team Manager, Service Delivery

206

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 206 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 208: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

RECOGNISINGTHEFAMILIESOFTELSTRAOPERATIONSTEAMMEMBERS

LAST WORDS...

207Above: Jason Wade leaving Grantham, Lockyer Valley (Qld), 18/01/11. 207

Booklet_START8_Thanks.indd 207 26/08/11 1:36 PM

Page 209: Boots & all Telstra Operations summer 2010/11

BOOTS & ALL: SUMMER 2010/11Firsthand accounts of how the Telstra Operations team prepared for and responded to the summer’s devastating events.

BO

OTS

& A

LL: SU

MM

ER

2010/11

The Australian summer 2010/11 brought with it bushfires, cyclones, storms and flooding - all of which were typical events for this time of year. However, combine these with an unprecedented La Niña event and you have an extraordinary summer.

Boots & All captures over a hundred stories, recording an unprecedented moment of this company’s history - the summer of 2010/11. The comprehensive nature of this publication has only been made possible due to the generous spirit of the Telstra Operations team. Thank you to the storytellers and subjects for sharing their experiences.

Leon Boddington after putting in some hard yakka at St Lucia (Qld), 19/01/11.

Firsthand accounts of how the Telstra O

perations team

prepared for and responded to the summ

er’s devastating events.

BOOTS & ALL: SUMMER 2010/11Firsthand accounts of how the Telstra Operations team prepared for and responded to the summer’s devastating events.

Booklet_COVERS.indd 1 26/08/11 1:50 PM