AUSJET/ADCVA Newsletter

February 2026  

From the Chairman

Welcome to the February edition of the AUSJET/ADCVA Newsletter.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe festive season. It certainly came and went quickly, and the AUSJET/ADCVA Board has been busy since returning in the new year.

The Board is currently progressing several initiatives aimed at improving the Association’s benefits to members and strengthening our industry sector.

We have established a Board subcommittee comprising Lorraine Duffy, Randolph Briggs and Gabrielle Wardle to evaluate a new membership platform. This will include a new website, mobile app and Learning Management System (LMS). The platform will make it easier for members to interact with AUSJET/ADCVA while also delivering cost-saving efficiencies through improved administration and member services. It is an exciting project, and the subcommittee has done a fantastic job to date. We will provide a more detailed update at our upcoming General Meeting in Perth on 11 March.

Lance McKay, who has recently rejoined the Board, is progressing the NDD Hydro Excavation Study with La Trobe University — a project we have been working to initiate for some time. We have received the final study outline, including costings, and the Board approved the project in January. The cost to the Association will be approximately $60,000. We are currently in discussions with our reciprocal partners, NULCA and ASTT, regarding their involvement and potential financial contribution. The project is scheduled to commence on 2 March, with interim findings to be presented at AUSJET26.

The review of AS4233:2013 with Standards Australia has been approved; however, it is yet to commence. We are awaiting a start date following the resignation of the Standards Australia Project Manager responsible for the SF043 review committee. Once a new Project Manager is appointed, we expect to receive confirmation of the commencement timeline.

We recently called for Expressions of Interest for our new NextGen Committee to ensure our Association remains forward-looking and responsive to industry evolution. Ideally, we are seeking members aged 30 and under who are currently working in the industry to form this inaugural group. The Committee of six will operate as a “think tank” and advisory body to the AUSJET/ADCVA Board, and it is hoped that members of this group will become future Board representatives.

Planning for AUSJET26 at the Sydney Showgrounds in October is progressing strongly. This will be our third event and promises to be our biggest and best yet. The event is already well subscribed and tracking ahead of AUSJET2024. The outdoor demonstration area will feature grandstand viewing, and the site configuration will allow exhibitors to demonstrate equipment outside the scheduled demonstration times. Further information will be communicated in the coming months. The Board is excited about the event and looks forward to reconnecting with industry colleagues and welcoming new participants.

Before signing off, I would like to remind all members of the importance of incident reporting. We also encourage reporting of near misses so we can continue improving industry safety by sharing learnings. All reporting is treated confidentially; however, we do request contact details so we can work with the reporting party to develop safety alerts through our independent Safety Forum.

Kind regards,

Peter Jones

Chairman, AUSJET/ADCVA

DEN-JET Australia - Platinum Member and Sponsor of AUSJET / ADCVA

EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE   |   EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS   |   CONSISTENT DELIVERY

DEN-JET produces a wide range of Water Jetting Equipment. With research & development facilities, heavy in-house CNC machining capability and a full manufacturing facility in Denmark we handle the business from idea to end user support. We control logistics, support our own assembly plants in Europe and Asia as well as a network of distributors worldwide. We have grown rapidly during the past decade and were in 2009 granted the Gazelle award for being no 72 best performing company in Denmark out of 4000 super performers. In Singapore we received the outstanding Enterprise 2011 award and in 2012 the platinum award for promising SME 2012.

Our range of products covers complete electrical, diesel, petrol, hydraulic and air-powered Water Blasters from 100-3000Bar for the Industrial, Marine and Offshore markets. We produce a range of pumps, power packs (motor-pump units and engine-pump units) and Water Jetting Accessories for the OEM market and stock substantially in all our locations in Denmark, Singapore and China from where we support our customers along with a continuous growing distributor network. We are a team with more than 25 years of experience in developing and manufacturing Water Jetting Equipment in both Asia and Europe. We have a thorough knowledge about what pays off to manufacture in Asia and Europe both in terms of quality and cost. With a load full of mistakes in the past we have refined our decisions in order to obtain best quality/cost. Precision parts have become our strength in Northern Europe with many castings from Southern Europe and most metal plate and pipe fabrication done in Asia.

We know both our own and competitors’ products very well, our support and sales engineers have emphasized on in-field experience making us understand most application well. In terms of maintenance our key word is Visual Fault Finding meaning that we have installed gadgets to identify the fault visually and we do not dismantle before we have identified the cause of the problem. We look forward to support you no matter what Water Jetting Equipment you deal with. We often stay in daily direct contact with distributors in order to obtain market response, create special solutions or provide technical/sales support. We are dedicated to educating our team in order to provide a sustainable support for the customers dealing with our products now and in the future. Being a part of Den-Jet means a continuous aim for better products.

Best regards

DEN-JET Australia Pty Ltd

24-28 Bowyer Road, Wingfield SA 5013

E: au.sales@denjet.com 

P: +61 439 118 776

W: www.denjet.com

WOMA Australia - Platinum Member and Sponsor of AUSJET / ADCVA

The team at WOMA (Australia) is proud to present our renowned and reliable trailer-mounted ultra high pressure waterjetting unit.

This unit featuring a powerful 190kW unit with a flow rate of 20 liters per minute at 2800 Bar (other options in hp to 81lpm @ 1000Bar), this equipment is designed to meet the most challenging industrial cleaning demands; Surface Preparation, Tube Cleaning, Concrete Demolition, Descaling, Tank Cleaning, Vessel Cleaning and more.

WOMA Australia Pty Ltd

16 Redemptora Road, Henderson, WA 6166

hpwater@woma.com.au

08 9434 6622

www.woma.com.au

OBITUARY

A Gentleman and an Industry Leader

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of "Francis ‘Guy’ Jellicoe".  Guy was born on 16 March 1943, in Luanshya in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola, Zambia.  After attending St Andrews College in Grahamstown, South Africa, Guy went on to finish his schooling at Falcon College, before attending Gwebi Agricultural College in Rhodesia. 

Upon completion, Guy farmed in the Umvukwes region and in 1966, married Pat Nelson.  Shortly after their marriage they moved to Centenary where they farmed tobacco, maize and cattle. In 1968, Guy and Pat were blessed with a daughter, Dianne, and in 1970, a son Trevor.  Their happy years in Centenary were brought to an abrupt ending when in 1973 Guy’s father was murdered by terrorists.  This tragedy marked the end of their farming days in Rhodesia. Guy moved his family to the UK and whilst there, he managed to find work in the agricultural field, undertaking high pressure water cleaning of pig sties and chicken farms. Guy returned to Rhodesia in 1975 and together with Pat, they started a small high-pressure water cleaning business in Salisbury, the capital city of Rhodesia.

In 1981, Guy and his family were fortunate to be accepted as immigrants into Australia.  After moving to Perth, they never really looked back as they soon realised that if you are prepared to work hard, Australia is a land of opportunity.

In 1982, Guy and Pat started their own company, WOMA (Australia) Pty Ltd, a sales outlet which imported large High-Pressure pumps from Germany. After twelve months they built their own 120 HP machine and started a contracting division. The contracting division became well known worldwide, especially in aluminium and oil refineries and at one stage the business had the largest fleet of 600 horse power pumps in the southern hemisphere. 

In 1991 Guy unfortunately had a major industrial accident resulting in his inability to work in, or run the business for eighteen months.  Fortunately, during this extremely challenging time, Trevor and Pat, along with the support of their amazing employees, managed to continue with running the business.

Due to concerns about the high rate of injuries sustained during high pressure water jetting work, five water blasting companies and one water blasting equipment supplier came together to form an association with the objective of providing standards and training to ensure a safer industry. Guy was involved with the Australasian High-Pressure Water Jetting Association (Ausjet) in many capacities from then onwards.

Guy attended the initial WA Branch of Ausjet in September 1992. He attended meetings over the next 12 months and at the AGM in September 1993 he was elected to the position of President of the WA Branch. He also held the position of Vice President and was instrumental in forming the steering committee to develop Ausjet as one national body, the basis of what Ausjet is today.

During the following years, Guy worked with David Williams (Ausjet National Secretary), completing the National Skills Audit of HPWJ companies and operators throughout Australia. Guy was also keen to have a Vacuum Loading video developed for training, and the initial high-pressure water jetting course adopted and used within Ausjet member companies. He drove industry to develop and adopt a national standard for high pressure water jetting and regularly reviewed progress, freely forwarding information to be integrated in the draft interim standard.

Guy, through WOMA, began the development of semi-automated high-pressure water jetting equipment, effectively taking the operators away from the ‘work face’ high danger zone. He was always looking for new technology to better and improve safety and productivity within the industry.

By 2000, WOMA Australia employed around 450 people worldwide and in that same year, after an approach from Vivendi Environnement (Compagnie Générale des Eaux), the WOMA contracting business was sold to Collex (now Veolia Environment) with Guy staying on as General Manager until 2003. Guy and Pat retained the Technical, Engineering and Sales aspect of the business which Trevor ran until 2007.  After Trevor’s departure from WOMA, Ian and Dianne Blevin took over the business. In his years within the industry, Guy made significant contributions to the water jetting and industrial cleaning industry in the areas of safety, training, systems, standards and equipment.

Guy had always wanted to get back to country life and in 1993, he and Pat purchased their beautiful farm, Jutland Park. Upon retirement in 2003, Guy and Pat embarked upon the development of a Red Angus Cattle stud which in its time became one of the pre-eminent Red Angus stud cattle herds in Australia.  Along with their passion for Thoroughbred Race Horses they enjoyed a well-deserved and blessed retirement.

Industrially, Guy will be remembered as the founder of WOMA (Australia), as a gentleman of honour, as a man with vision, as a valued fair and progressive employer, as a leader in the WaterJet industry and as a highly valued member of the Australasian High-Pressure Water Jetting Association.  He was awarded the honour of Emeritus Member in 2019 due to his notable and distinctive contributions to the development and use of high-pressure water jetting systems and practices within Australasia, and his extensive years of service in assisting the Australasian High-Pressure Water Jetting Association with its objectives.

Guy, the caring and respected family man is survived by his loyal and loving wife Pat, his daughter Dianne, his son Trevor, his four devoted Grandchildren, Mathew, Byron, Georgina and Jack. 

May his soul now Rest in Peace.

Guy receiving his Emeritus Membership Award and Guy and Pat Jellicoe, WOMA Christmas party 2007

AUSJET26 & LEW26

Expression of Interest - NextGen Committee

The Opportunity

Our sector is evolving. Automation, robotics, digital safety, and sustainability are the new frontiers. Ausjet/ADCVA is establishing a NextGen Committee to ensure our association stays ahead of the curve—and we need you to be part of it.

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals aged thirty and under who are currently working in the industry to form this inaugural group.

This is not just another meeting to sit through. This is your seat at the table to influence how our industry trains, connects, and operates in the future.

What is the NextGen Committee?

The Committee of six (6) will function as a "think tank" and advisory group to the main Ausjet/ADCVA Board. Your mission is to bridge the gap between traditional industry practices and the future workforce.

Key Focus Areas:

• Modernising Training: How do we use apps, VR, and video to make training & safety better for our younger operators?
• Tech & Innovation: Advising the Board on emerging technologies like semi-automation, AI and digital reporting.
• Events & Networking: Helping shape Ausjet Connect and future meetings with topics to ensure they remain relevant and engaging for younger members.
• Career Pathways: Developing strategies to attract more apprentices, trainees and talent to our trade.

Who Are We Looking For?

You don’t need to be a manager to apply. We want diverse perspectives from the ground up; however, you do need to be employed by an AUSJET/ADCVA member company.

Importantly be:

• Passionate about safety and innovation.
• Willing to speak up and share new ideas.
• Can commit to meetings (generally online)

Don’t let the future happen to you. Help build it.

Send your expression of interest to join the NextGen Committee to: Gabrielle Wardle: support@ausjetinc.com.au

To find out more, connect here: NextGen Committee Charter and Position Description

Closing date is Wednesday 4th March 2026

Safety Snippets

Disclaimer
Aqua Prep is a small-to-medium-sized contractor with high staff retention, which makes it easier for us to build competence and retain intellectual property within the business.

During a recent AUSJET Health & Safety Forum meeting, I raised the age-old issue of competence and training standards for operators of high-pressure water jetting.

The issue was prompted by an email we received the previous week from a training provider commending Aqua Prep and one of our team members on her attentiveness and understanding of high-pressure water jetting and safety standards. This individual is a Leading Hand within our business, and we expect nothing less. However, it raised the question: what else is happening out there?

In the same week, another training provider commented on the “churn and burn” of operator assistants coming through courses with little understanding of what their job entails or how the training should be applied in the real world.

At Aqua Prep, we have the luxury of bringing people into the business as a No. 3, allowing them to become part of the team and learn from experienced operators. By the time they attend a training course, our expectation is that the course simply confirms what they have already witnessed in practice, while hopefully providing a few additional “gold nuggets” to take away.

In my opinion, the full Class B operator training is excellent. By that stage, an individual has typically completed over 120 hours of operation and worked across multiple sites or disciplines. They go into the course with their eyes wide open and a solid understanding of the work.

The real challenge for the industry arises during large shutdowns or when new companies start from scratch. There are two main functions of the course:

1. To train the individual and provide knowledge.
2. To ensure compliance and manage risk.

Both are critical. However, neither immediately sets a person up for real-world success.

I often describe high-pressure water jetting very simply. We can talk all day about handling a handgun with 25kg of reaction force pushing you backwards. But until someone suits up, puts on the helmet, and works under a wharf, inside a boiler, or down a confined space, they truly have no idea how they will react.

What we do is tough work. It’s not for everyone. As one of our supervisors put it: it’s not as though you grow up wanting to be a high-pressure water blaster.

So the biggest question becomes: How do we fix it?

My view is that we can’t fully fix it — and we won’t. But we can continue to talk about it, frequently and with purpose. We can continually raise awareness and foster greater respect for those new to our industry.

Let me be clear: the standards we set in Australia are among the highest in the world. What we have is strong. Our training companies are strong. Our suppliers are strong. Our contractors are strong.

The opportunity lies in maintaining the conversation and ensuring that competence, respect, and real-world preparedness remain front of mind across the industry.

Regards

Peter Bradford

Director

AUSJET / ADCVA