William (Bill) Goodman – Collaroy SLSC
The 91-year-old became a member of Collaroy SLSC in 1941 and since then has lived and breathed Surf Life Saving. Bills enthusiasm, commitment, devotion and loyalty to his beloved surf club for over 76 years and equally the organisation of Surf Life Saving at all levels, has never been in question. Bill obtained his Bronze Medallion in 1943 and held many positions in the club throughout his time including Club Treasurer for 60 years.
As well as his Treasurer duties he was on numerous club committees such as; Constitution, Life Membership, Premises and the Building Committee. For many years he was delegate to the SLSA and on several organising committees for major surf lifesaving events held at Collaroy. In 1950 he was awarded Life Membership of Collaroy SLSC and only eight years later achieved Honour Blazer Membership which is the highest honour in the club’s 106 year history.
Bill grew up in Collaroy New South Wales and attended Sydney University, graduating with a Bachelor in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Mathematics. As part of his third year, he was placed with the Sydney Water Board in 1946 on a temporary basis for six months to gain practical experience.
He began working full time in January 1948 and spent seven years in the Research Branch, engaged mostly on model testing at the Manly hydraulic testing station. Bill went to head office and spent seven years in the design branch of the board then transferred over to sewer maintenance.
One of the ASTT’s (Trenchless Australiasia) most celebrated members, Bill was an industry pioneer and actively contributed to the advancement of no-dig technologies in the region. Bill, as he was known to most in the industry, was considered Trenchless Technology’s ‘go-to person’ for Sydney’s underground infrastructure, after he accumulated an intimate knowledge of Sydney’s sewerage system from trailing the pipes himself in the times before CCTV inspection. A true trenchless legend, he was the first Australian member of the International Society of Trenchless Technology (ISTT) and the first to introduce cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) to the Australian industry.
In November 1986, after 39 years, Bill officially retired from the Sydney Water Board. However, he and continued to work as a consultant when needed, providing his expertise on a number of projects, and writing over 70 reports. He estimated he inspected more than 3,000 sewers in his career.
Life Membership was achieved with Sydney Northern Beaches Branch in 1990 and Surf life Saving NSW in 2001. In 1995 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to Surf Life Saving and Basketball. Bill was recognised for his amazing dedication to the Basketball and Surf Life Saving at the 2013 NSW Sports Federation Awards with the Distinguished Long Service Award, amongst other legends from all sports.
Bill was awarded SNB Life Membership in 1990.
Bill passed away on April 19th, 2017. He was aged 91.