Ross Barrett OAM had no interest in construction as a student at Newcastle Boys High School. But a vocational guidance counsellor set him on a civil engineering path. At the time, he and his parents did not even know what civil engineering was.
Ross studied at the University of New South Wales. “I can’t believe it worked out so well. To be honest, I wasn’t interested in uni at all. I’d go to the lectures and I’d do the assignments, but I was never really involved in uni life.” Ross says in those days, you went to university full time for part of the year then they found you a paid practical placement in a job for the remainder of the year. “At the start of my last year, they sent me to the Snowy. Until then I really wondered what I was doing at uni. I just wasn’t into it. But I got to the Snowy and the world opened up.”
Ross met his wife, a conscientious Arts student who spent many hours in the library, in his final year at uni. “I studied more in the library in the last year at university than in the total of my life before that! So, I ended up with a pretty good outcome at uni.” His university reference reads: “After a slow start, Mr. Barrett excelled.”
After university, Ross began his career in local government as an assistant engineer for the Ulmarra Shire (now part of Clarence Valley Council in northern NSW). “I did the designs. I did the surveys. I did the supervision. I worked my butt off.” After several years learning all he could, Ross took a job as deputy engineer in Merriwa (now Upper Hunter Shire) and two years later stepped up to the role of Shire Engineer in Boorowa. But private enterprise called him in 1969, and he responded to an advertisement by Woden Contractors who were looking for an engineer. “They had tendered a job for the National Capital Development Commission who controlled all the civil work in Canberra. Wodens had a price and a reputation that the NCDC were willing to take a punt on because they were local. They were told by the NCDC, if you employ an engineer, we’ll give you the job. At that stage, none of the local companies had engineers.” He stayed with Wodens for 35 years, rising to become Managing Director then, after retiring, continued as Chair of the Board until 2022 when the company was sold to employees.
Ross also became one of the national capital’s most respected construction industry figures, serving as President of Master Builders ACT from 2001 until 2012, after which he was made a Life Member. Amongst other achievements, he chaired the Capital Region Development board, the Regional Development Australia (ACT) board, Community Housing Canberra Ltd (CHC) board, the Land Development Agency board and the Boundless Canberra Inc. board. “They were mostly government appointments that came from my association with the MBA and the people I met and built relationships with,” Ross says. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012 for service to the building and construction industry, and has been recognised by Engineers Australia as one of Australia’s 100 most influential engineers.
Ross is candid about the lessons he has learnt along the way. “You think you know it all when you leave uni, but you don’t,” he says. “What you learn in the field is so much more important. The practical side, working with people, dealing with the authorities; that’s where you really learn.”
As a project manager, and later director, Ross has overseen developments across the ACT and beyond. He also reflects on the challenges of the job. “Engineering is about problem solving,” he says. “There are always issues: ground conditions, weather, budgets. The key is to stay calm, work it through and get the job done.”
The industry has changed significantly since Ross began. “When I started it was drawings on a board and slide rules,” Ross says. “Now it’s all computer models and GPS. The technology is incredible. But at the end of the day, it still comes back to people: relationships, communication, teamwork. That hasn’t changed.”
Ross has had a long and close association with the MBA and values its role in supporting the industry. “The MBA provides contracts, training, advocacy,” he says. “It brings people together. I’ve always found it a great support.”
Looking forward, he sees both challenges and opportunities. “We’ve got a skills shortage, housing affordability issues, sustainability pressures,” Ross says. “But there are also opportunities in new materials, new methods, renewable energy projects. It’s an exciting time if we can get the people to do the work.”
He is clear about what gives him the most satisfaction. “Seeing young people come through, helping them, mentoring them. And driving around Canberra and seeing the projects you’ve been part of, that’s very satisfying.”
