Superheroes often don a cape and a mask and sometimes wear spandex undies, but these heroines hang lanyards from their necks and control the water across the Goulburn Valley.
Every year, on June 23, International Women in Engineering Day celebrates the women making their mark in the engineering field.
Goulburn-Murray Water is spotlighting three trailblazing women who have significantly contributed to the local community.
Civil engineer Anne Noonan from Kyabram is a G-MW mainstay and has been with the water company since its establishment in 1994.
“When I came to Tatura to work for G-MW, I was the only female engineer there,” Mrs Noonan said.
“Before that, when I had been studying, I was one of five women out of an intake of 200. So, there weren’t many of us,” she said.
Mrs Noonan is thrilled about the current environment for women in engineering.
“I find it really exciting that we now have so many female engineers in our division,” Mrs Noonan said.
“We get along very well and are able to bounce ideas off one another.”
Asset planning co-ordinator Gemma Payne-Croston from Shepparton joined G-MW eight months ago and was pleased that it does not shy away from gender diversity.
“At G-MW, there are definitely more female engineers than in other organisations for which I have worked,” Mrs Payne-Croston said.
“It’s a great job, and it’s been really enjoyable learning a new industry at G-MW,” she said.
G-MW’s managing director Charmaine Quick, who also boasts an engineering background, is equally enthused about the growing diversity of STEM roles at G-MW.
“It has been very encouraging to see an increase in women in STEM roles at G-MW in recent years,” she said.
Mrs Quick said that G-MW had taken multiple steps to equal the playing field and create an inclusive environment for women to thrive, including enhancing parental leave, offering leadership development opportunities and building safety gear that fits everyone.
Looking back on her career choice, Mrs Quick said she was glad she chose an engineering pathway.
“Growing up on a farm, it was a great choice to use my practical skills and my interest in mathematics,” she said.
“I am also excited to see engineering is a career path that more women are choosing.”
Mrs Noonan agreed with Mrs Quick’s sentiments.
“I still enjoy it ... The thrill of problem-solving, the constant challenges, and the opportunity to learn new things keep me going as an engineer,” Mrs Noonan said.