OBITUARY

Menno Henneveld died on 06/06/2021.

Menno Henneveld AM FTSE was an acclaimed infrastructure leader with a people-centred approach to engineering.

Born in the Netherlands in 1946, he migrated to Australia with his family in 1952 and grew up in country Western Australia.

Menno completed a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Western Australia in 1969 and a Postgraduate Diploma in Administration from Curtin University in 1973.

A cadetship with the Western Australian Department of Public Works began his almost four-decade career with the

water industry. He later became Chair of the Western Australian Energy Water Ombudsman and held an array of leadership position in state, national, and international infrastructure organisations.

In 2002 he was appointed Commissioner of Main Roads Western Australia. Over the next decade, Mr Henneveld was responsible for delivering more than $6 billion of road infra-structure projects, $5.5 billion of road services, and for managing the state’s 18,000 kilometre and $42 billion road network.

He was elected an ATSE Fellow in 2008.

In 2012 Mr Henneveld was both the WA and National Professional Engineer of the Year. In 2015 he was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Menno’s colleagues remember his intellect, humility, integrity, and commitment to providing justice for vulnerable Western Australians. When discussing his largest achievements in a 2018 interview with Engineering Heritage Australia, he said:

“I think that’s something that sort of reflects the success I’ve had in my career is that I’ve always worked with really good people, and I guess my skill hasn’t been so much an engineering skill but getting the best out of people...”

Menno Henneveld died on 6 June 2021, aged 75. He survived by Monika — his beloved wife of 50 years — his sons Jason and Marcus, and two grandchildren.