From his involvement installing one of the first trenchless liners in Sydney, to his role as chief inspector for the New South Wales waterboard, Richard Pickup dedicated his career to no-dig and inspection methods, making him a pioneer and trailblazer of the Australasian trenchless industry.
As part of its series profiling icons of the industry, Trenchless Australasia sat down with Richard – now 95 years old – to discuss his life and career and take a trip down memory lane to where it all began.
His career has traversed a path in the trenchless industry like no other. Born in 1929, Richard started working in an era when pipeline networks were insufficient, with many stormwater and wastewater systems linking into the same network, causing health and overflow challenges for both the community and councils.
Throughout his career, Richard saw the evolution of pipe materials, from brick and cast iron to modern PVC and concrete solutions.
“We didn’t have access to mobile phones so would rely on landlines and word of mouth to keep us abreast of high rainfall that might be coming.”
“Technology was simple and new bits of cast iron pipe were fitted in with beads of lead and a hammer to spread the lead to make a secure join,” he said.
Richard also witnessed the transformation of pipe repair techniques, from traditional dig and replace methods to more sophisticated forms of rehabilitation which are common today, such as cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) relining.
Challenges at the time sprung from heavy rainfalls overloading pipelines, leading to breakages, and industrial pollution, which plagued Sydney’s water network.
“The network was always at risk from unreliable rainfall patterns and pollution from industries such as tanneries, brickworks, wool wash, slaughterhouses, soap, candle making and more, which used water in parts of their processing and then dispatched all of their waste into the drains,” Richard said.
“Various industry processes added chemicals and silt into the water, which led to pollution of the city waterways and creeks and demanded innovative change solutions.”
Communication was also a challenge.
“We didn’t have access to mobile phones so would rely on landlines and word of mouth to keep us abreast of high rainfall that might be coming.”
“The pipe was blocked and had collapsed in a section, so they had to put a diversion in to manage the water and look at rehabilitation options which had never been used in Australia before,”
The first of many
In 1972, when he was 43, the turning point in Richard’s career came while he was employed at the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board (MWS&DB), which would eventually become known as Sydney Water.
He had held roles and gained hands-on experience in construction at the MWS&DB, which laid the groundwork for his new position as Chief Inspector in the sewage sector.
This role involved coordinated explorations into pipelines looking for breaks and cracks, often with just a dolphin torch attached to a piece of timber to assist the man entry traverse inspections of the sewer networks.
Richard’s contributions were pivotal during the restoration of a major pipeline in Kensington, NSW, which led the now Sydney Water to a review of its overall networks.
“The pipe was blocked and had collapsed in a section, so they had to put a diversion in to manage the water and look at rehabilitation options which had never been used in Australia before,” Richard said.
A grant was given to Richard’s team to investigate the innovative methods of rehabilitation of UK sewer networks.
“They are bloody old and beautifully designed.” Richard said.
Monier supplied sample products to tackle the problem, and eventually, a $250,000 CIPP liner from the UK was selected for the project, equivalent to just over $2 million in today’s terms.
“The reason we selected that particular liner was that the only known successful projects using this type of liner had occurred in the UK,” Richard explained.
The team inverted the liner and cured it using hot water from an external diesel boiler.
Much to everyone’s disappointment, the liner failed due to water infiltration and had to be cut out with air saws. Eventually a second, replacement liner was ordered to conduct a second attempt at the rehabilitation.
To ensure the second liner worked, the project team installed spears to dewater the area to reduce the infiltration of water. The team then wet-out the liner onsite before inverting and curing the liner.
The installation was successful, making it the first project for MWS&DB to use a liner for rehabilitation project purposes in Australia.
“The success of the project encouraged manufacturers to develop liners and resin locally to ensure they were available for future projects. Although it was very experimental for the next 20 years or so,” Richard said.
“It is an exciting time working with UV relining methods and Pop has paved the way for us,”
Passing the torch
With his son Alan, Richard was also involved in setting up the method of smoke testing pipes – a method still used today to identify leaks and breaks, as well as illegal stormwater connections entering the sewer network.
“The process involved emanating an odorless mist through the pipes to show where there were leaks and breaks,” Richard said.
Through this work, Alan and his team discovered many examples where downpipes were overloading the mainline and costing the community more in water treatment.
Richard’s legacy is now carried forward by five of his grandsons, including James Pickup who continues to push the boundaries of trenchless rehabilitation through his pipeline maintenance and rehabilitation business, Australian Pipeline Management (APM).
APM has adopted the latest advancements in UV renewal methods and taken on many challenging projects, including a recent installation at the Albion Park Rail Bypass.
APM was awarded the tender for the Albion Park Rail Bypass and completed the works in June this year. APM successfully relined 80m of a 160m DN 1500 pipeline running east-to-west under a major highway using SAERTEX-LINER® MULTI.
“We selected this UV-cured fibreglass liner for its structural integrity and 100-year technical service life. It met our client’s needs and project requirements, as well as being an easy product to work with,” James said.
Inspired by his grandfather’s career, James said he has adopted Richard’s thirst for knowledge and innovation.
“I try and lead APM with an eye toward solutions that are environmentally responsible and practical,” he said.
This mentality is testament to James’ forward-thinking approach inspired by his grandfather.
Three generations of trenchless
As he reflected on his career in the trenchless industry, Richard acknowledged the evolution of the industry.
“Everything has moved so quickly in the industry, but APM is successful because James has evolved and kept up with industry changes,” he said.
As for James, he credits his grandfather for leading the way.
“It is an exciting time working with UV relining methods and Pop has paved the way for us,” he said.
This article featured in the August edition of Trenchless Australasia:
