The Team

Dr Garry Middle

Director

Dr Garry Middle is an adjunct senior research fellow at Curtin University, and is the Director of an independent training and research company VisionEnvironment. Garry has over 30 years’ experience in environmental planning, including environmental impact assessment, coastal planning and open space planning.
Garry is a long-term member of the Planning Institute of Australia, and is currently on PIA’s National Education Committee and the WA State Division Committee.
Garry is also a long-term member of the International Association of Impact Assessment and has worked in the area of environmental impact assessment as a regulator, practitioner and academic. He was the Appeals Convener for two years.
His expertise in coastal planning was recognised by his appointment in 2011 to the Western Australian Planning Commission and as the coastal planning and management expert. In that role, Garry has been active in prompting the implementation of key elements of State Planning Policy (SPP) 2.6, in particular, the need to carry out coastal hazard risk assessments and subsequent adaptation planning and management. Garry was also the organiser/convener of the 2014 National Coast to Coast Conference.
In his capacity as Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Sport and Recreation Research, Curtin University, Garry has been the principle researcher on a number of studies, including:
• Emerging constraints on the supply of active open space in Perth’s outer Metropolitan Suburbs;
• A study on the coastal values and character of coastal communities;
• Impacts of decreasing backyard sizes in Perth greenfield developments;
• The socio-economic benefits of s long distance urban coastal trail from Dawesville to Two Rocks; and
• Understanding and comparing different public land use values: Application for trails decision making in Western Australia.
Garry is also chair of Great Victoria Desert Biodiversity Trust, an independent Trust fund dedicated to funding research and on-ground works in the Great Victoria Desert.

Helen Brookes

Director

Helen Brookes is our principal hydrologist and has over 15 years of accumulated experience in the environmental and water sectors, which has been gained whilst working as a consultant in Australia and in the UK, and as a regulator with the UK Environment Agency. She has excellent project management and technical skills having been responsible for a number of wastewater and drainage engineering projects both in a technical and managerial capacity.

Helen has key experience in project management, hydrologic and hydraulic modelling and conceptual design of drainage and wastewater networks, receiving water quality modelling, statistical analysis and assessment of future risk. Helen has also had considerable experience in developing policy and strategic advice. Projects Helen has completed have involved review of current commonwealth and state government alternative water source legislation and policy. Helen holds a position on the UDIA urban water committee and through this, as well as through her continued high standards of delivery she has developed a high profile within the Western Australian urban water industry recognised by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the Water Corporation as a respected and responsible advocate of innovative and environmentally sensitive development.

Helen was the former Chair of Stormwater WA, continues to be active as a committee member and is a member of the UDIA Urban water committee.

Shelley Shepherd

Director

Shelley Shepherd is our principal environmental planner. Shelley has significant experience in environmental planning, gained from working within State and Local Government and the private sector. She is a strong advocate for the ability of the land use planning system to deliver innovative development outcomes and liveable communities which respond to environmental and climatic conditions.

Shelley has been working with Government at many levels to raise awareness of how to better integrate environmental issues into planning, and she was the lead consultant in the development and publication of Better Urban Water Management (WAPC 2008). Shelley is the Program Manager of New WAter Ways which is Western Australia’s capacity building organisation for water sensitive urban design. Shelley has access to a substantial network of experts, regulators and industry, which provides a valuable asset to the delivery of any project.

Shelley is well known for her ability to capture issues of importance and negotiate outcomes across a broad stakeholder group. She is an experienced facilitator and is able to communicate effectively with a wide range of parties including all levels of government and industry.

Shelley Shepherd was also nominated as a finalist for the 2014 WA Water Professional of the year award.

Ross Perrigo

Senior Engineer

Ross has ten years’ experience working as an Environmental Engineer, primarily specialising in urban water management and hydrology. Ross has consulted on projects in the urban development, infrastructure and resource industries across Western Australia including in the Metropolitan Area, Peel, South West, Great Southern, Mid-West and Pilbara regions. Ross is also a co-author of Chapter 9 (Structural Controls) of the Department of Water’s Stormwater Management Manual.
As well as having extensive experience in preparing urban water management documents in line with water sensitive urban design principles, including conceptual drainage design and site specific water management strategies (stormwater and groundwater modelling), Ross has expertise in various hydrological and hydraulic models, and GIS analysis. He has undertaken numerous water balance investigations and floodplain modelling using MIKE FLOOD, TUFLOW, XP-STORM and HEC-RAS models.
Ross also has significant experience in geomorphological investigations of river systems to determine historical changes to sediment transport and channel form. These assessments were used to predict future channel morphology and determine management measures to protect infrastructure.
Ross Perrigo is a Senior Engineer at Urbaqua and a member of Engineers Australia.

Halinka Lamparski

Senior Environmental Engineer

Halinka has twelve years’ experience working as an Environmental Engineer, primarily specialising in urban water monitoring and management, and catchment management. Halinka has extensive experience in developing and undertaking surface water and groundwater monitoring programs and assessment of water quality and hydrology on the Swan Coastal Plain. She has assessed design options for catchment water quality improvement using desktop studies, monitoring programs, modelling tools, and stakeholder consultation. She has also written Local Water Management Strategies, Urban Water Management Plans, Foreshore Management Plans, and Land Capability Assessments for land developers and local government, as well as guidelines on planning approvals required for non-drinking water use. Halinka has undertaken a number of environmental investigations and prepared environmental planning and strategy reports in both urban and regional areas, including the Pilbara region, to inform planning strategies and future development in regional areas. She has also spent ten months as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AusAID) in Beijing China, and volunteered for WWF-India investigating sedimentation, flooding and water scarcity in Dudwha Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh.
Halinka is a member of the WA AWA Committee, the City of Vincent’s Environmental Advisory Group, and the WA WaterAid committee.

Alex Towler

Environmental Engineer

Alex has over two years’ experience as an environmental engineer, centred around surface water and groundwater monitoring programs, catchment management and urban water management. Alex has undertaken large scale hydrological monitoring programs for the City of Armadale, Jandakot Airport and the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority, as well as groundwater monitoring programs within Federally listed environmentally sensitive areas. With a background in zoology and marine biology Alex has a particular interest in using ecological indicators to assess environmental health, particularly within riverine systems.

Alex has experience in urban water planning having prepared local water management strategies and urban water management plans in line with water sensitive urban design principles for multiple local governments and private developers.

Alex is a member of the Water Aid WA committee.

Yingyuan Shi

Graduate Environmental Scientist

Yingying attained her Doctoral degree from Wuhan University, majoring in Environmental Sciences. Her research explored the water resource management in the Three Gorges Reservoir focusing on the modelling and controlling of non-point source pollution and flooding.
Yingying is a Graduate Environmental Scientist at Urbaqua, specialising in strategic environmental and hydologic assessment and policy development.
During her time at Urbaqua, Yingying has gained experience in urban water management, preparing documents in accordance with Western Australia’s Better Urban Water Management guidelines to facilitate residential, commercial, and industrial development.

Julianne Olson

Office Manager

Julianne has over 9 years' experience working in the development industry with UDIA, particularly in event management, communications, and marketing. Julianne is Urbaqua's Office Manager.