As you may all know by now, today is the last day at DPI Water for Prathapar, who managed the Groundwater Modelling team for the last few years, as well as a long history of involvement going back decades working both for us and with us in various roles.
I would like to thank Prathapar on behalf of all of us for his immense contributions to our department, both professional and personal, over that time. His knowledge of hydrogeology and groundwater modelling is of the highest order, and I always knew that when we asked for advice in modelling for Water Resource Plans, State Significant Developments, Salinity Assessments, or anything else that came up, we could have total confidence that we were getting the very best you could ask for.
And Prathapar could always frame it so you could understand it, whether as a technical peer or to a non-technical audience. Prathapar was a great colleague and mentor to staff he worked with, happy to teach and share knowledge, to "talk science" and to do so in a highly personable manner that made it a pleasure to work with him.
I know that this view is shared with our Water Planners, with the following acknowledgement from Beth Hanson:
"It's a rare skill to be able to translate complex technical information into plain English and adjust it to suit a variety of audiences. Prathapar holds that rare skill. Prathapar designed a session for groundwater planners where he explained how groundwater models are designed conceptually and the scope and limits of their application. This equipped the planners to better communicate with the modelling staff on our working groups, and also provide context to stakeholders in our consultations.
Prathapar accompanied me along with the hydrogeologists to present to the GVIA on how the Lower Gwydir Groundwater Source had behaved since the water sharing plan commencement and what model updates and calibrations had been made to improve our understanding and better inform decision making. The stakeholders were very impressed and appreciative of his knowledge and willingness to answer their questions to a level of detail that satisfied their interests.
As a colleague, I can only describe him as a gentleman and a scholar and it has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to work with him."
I can't put it any better than Beth has finished with,.
We wish you all the best in the future and know that you will continue to do well as you deserve to.
