Becoming a Jolly Good SWAGMAN - Memories of my days at CSIRO, Australia

On April 27, 1987, I arrived in Griffith to assume duties as a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Irrigation and Freshwater Research (CIFR).  The OIC of the Centre, Dr. John Sale, received me at the airport, wearing shorts.  I was not expecting my future boss to appear in shorts and insist that I call him by his first name, John.  We dropped off my luggage at the residence reserved for me and arrived at the Research Centre.  There, he introduced me to Dr. Wayne Meyer, my boss, who was wearing shorts and insisted that I call him by his first name, Wayne.  I was not accustomed to having bosses dressed in shorts, and had never called my boss by their first name.  That was how my first day at CSIRO Griffith started: I worked there for 9 years and 6 months and became a SWAGMAN.

Myself in 1987

SWAGMAN was the acronym coined by Dr. Chuck Robbins, a visiting fellow with Wayne, to stand for Salinity, Water, and Groundwater Management.  He justified, stating that salinity is a vagabond like a Swagman.  From then on, SWAGMAN stood for Irrigation Induced Salinity Research program, led by Wayne.  I did not know that it would open the gates to my international career in October 1996.

My immediate assignment was to numerically model the movement of salt and water from saline water tables and calibrate the model using data collected by Wayne from his world-class lysimeter facility.  I accomplished this in a relatively short period.  Then I ventured to integrate groundwater hydraulics into my models, which led to the development of SWAGSIM, my first software.  I received plenty of guidance from Ary van der Lelij and Derek Poulton, both of whom worked for State Water Agencies.  SWAGSIM joined a suite of software developed under the SWAGMAN Program.  We developed several software applications, including SWAGMAN Whatif, SWAGSIM, SWAGMAN Options, SWAGMAN Destiny, and SWAGMAN Farm.  We wanted to inform farmers about crops they could grow as an alternative to rice, minimize salinization, and remain profitable.  We developed hydro-economic models long before this term was introduced in the scientific literature.

A Presentation at the Rice Industry Research & Development Centre, 1994

It was also an exciting time in the Australian irrigation sector, marked by the Murray-Darling Commission's active role and the Management Transfer of Irrigation Districts.  There was so much to learn and contribute.  We were co-learning, well before the term became vogue.

During the late 80s and 90s, waterlogging and Salinity were considered the twin menaces.  Our research showed that the key is to manage net recharge.  The phrase Net Recharge Management became the mantra.

Rice was considered environmentally unfriendly.  Our research showed that crop diversification will lead to increased profits and reduced waterlogging and salinisation.

My Project Team was among the first in Australia (in some cases globally)

• to couple unsaturated flow processes with saturated flow processes in a numerical model, SWAGSIM.  The Danish Hydraulic Institute, the developer of the System Hydrologic European (SHE) Model, ran tests to compare the performance of SWAGSIM and SHE.
• to introduce simulation-optimisation modelling techniques to manage groundwater - PUMPMAN was developed to address waterlogging in Wakool, and was used by Murra Irrigation Ltd. till the Millennium Droughts.
• to develop hydro-economic models - even before the term started to appear in literature.  SWAGMAN OPTIONS, SWAGMAN Farm for irrigated agriculture, and LANDMAN for Land Clearance in the Mallee
• to use LANDSAT-6 Images to map land use (rice areas).  
• to analyse remotely sensed thermal infrared data using geo-statistics to identify variability of soil water holding capacity within large paddocks.

Cai, Vangie, and Gao visited our Team from overseas and contributed to our efforts.  We also provided student internship opportunities to Frank Peters and Kate Tregaskis.

With Gao Zhanyi, President Honorary at ICID 2025

I got my second PhD (metaphorically speaking) when I worked at CSIRO Griffith.  I learned how to fit in a team and how to lead a Team.  There were many mentors, including Graham Allison, Henry Barrs, John Blackwell, Nihal Jayawardene, Richard Smith, Roger Sides, and Warren Muirhead.  They all taught me how to cope with difficulties at work and progress.  And too many well-wishing colleagues, including Carl Pender, David Enever, David Erskine, Gary Jones, John Madden, Liz Humphreys, Mark Bailey, Rhonda Smith, and Rob Fleetwood.   The list will never end.  They all had time for me when I needed help or to socialise.

CSIRO Griffith Staff in the 1990s

During my tenure at CSIRO Griffith, I established strong professional relationships with individuals outside CSIRO, including Bill Trewhella, David Hoey, Don Woolley, Geoff McLeod, George Gates, Jay Punthakey, Mark Bramston, Mike Williams, and Noel Merrick.  Their support and collaboration provided significant opportunities for me to advance as a Groundwater Modeller at both the state and national levels.   Those relationships had lent a hand whenever I needed it.  I continue to advise state and federal agencies on various projects to this day.  

One fine day, the Deputy Director-General of the International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI) wanted to meet with me.  He said he had read some of my publications and wanted to know more about them (and me).  We met at 9 AM, and our discussions continued till noon.  Then we went for lunch, and after lunch, and before getting into his car, he asked if I would consider joining IIMI.  I smiled and nodded positively.  A few weeks later, I was invited for an interview in Colombo, and IIMI made an offer that I could not refuse.  

My last visit to CSIRO Griffith, 2014

The swagman travelled from Sri Lanka to CSIRO Griffith via the USA.  In October 1996, he resumed his vagabond lifestyle, starting an international career that continues today.