A colleague has led tributes to a Sunshine Coast Council executive who drove some of the organisation’s biggest projects.
Ross Ullman, who was project director of the $334 million Sunshine Coast Airport Expansion Project and more recently development coordinator of the Nambour Waste Precinct, passed away recently after a period of illness.
Bill Haddrill, the council’s liveability and natural assets group executive, described Mr Ullman as an “absolute gentleman and consummate professional” in a speech delivered at the council’s last ordinary meeting for the year.
“The trust in Ross was absolute at both officer and councillor levels, and when he spoke people stopped and listened because he knew his stuff and was able to communicate effectively with people from all backgrounds and experience,” Mr Haddrill said.
“If you asked a question, you listened to his answer because you just knew you were getting the best of advice.
“This trust was evident by council turning to Ross to lead the most complex of infrastructure projects, including the Sunshine Coast Airport Runway Expansion Project.
“He wasn’t simply gifted the opportunity, he was successful in winning the project director role against an international field of applicants.”
Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your email at the bottom of this article.
Mr Haddrill said “not too many people in the world” could have delivered the airport expansion as successfully as Mr Ullman.
“This project presented some unique challenges associated with the airport operations environment, coupled with marine dredging, transportation and discharge to provide the embankment material for a new runway, which now allows direct flights to more destinations, enhancing national and global connections,” Mr Haddrill said.
He said Mr Ullman also “skilfully managed and supported” stakeholders to build their knowledge during the expansion project.
Mr Ullman ran his own engineering consultancy for almost 21 years until 2016 before joining the council.
He began in his career with Department of Transport and Main Roads in 1974 after completing an engineering degree at James Cook University. He was senior manager of the South Western District when he finished with the department after 22 years.
Mr Haddrill said Mr Ullman was always willing to share his knowledge and experience with others.
“While many of us struggled with the complexity and enormity of such projects, Ross had a way of understanding the complex and communicating it in such a way that it just made sense to the rest of us,” he said.
“This was by no accident and those that worked closely with Ross knew that he wouldn’t just deliver a project, he would immerse himself in it and research the finest of details – from the scientific names of birds, which he would proudly rattle off as confidently as the most avid of bird watchers, to explaining the chemistry of PFAS and its associated environmental and water quality impacts at the airport and surrounds.”
Mr Haddrill said Mr Ullman would be sorely missed and hard to forget.
Outside of work, Mr Ullman was an active member of the Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club, where he was patrol captain.
He is survived by his wife Sue and children Scott, Mark and Jodie.
