Andrew Cowburn from Norwich and Terry Oakes from Lowestoft were presented with 'Award for Merit' certificates by the outgoing Chairman Chris Graves at the East of England Annual General Meeting in Colchester on Tuesday 2 October.
Andrew is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He was an active member of the ICE East Anglia Committee in the 1990’s organising events and became Chairman in 1997. He was elected as a Territorial Member on the ICE Council from 2003 to 2006. This was also the time which saw the amalgamation of East Anglia with Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire (from Chilterns) and Peterborough (from East Midlands) to form the East of England Region. He served as a member of the ICE East of England Regional Executive Board and continues to serve the Institution as a member of the Norfolk Branch. Andrew has spent 40 years in civil engineering working for and with contractors, consultants and local authorities and from 2002 has run his own consultancy Cowburn Consulting.
Terry was an active member of East Anglian Committee of the Institution of Municipal Engineers from 1982 to the 1984 when it amalgamated with ICE. He also served as a member of the East Anglian Regional Board for 10 years from 1994. During this period he was Chairman for the region and promoted the concept of county branches to improve and widen member participation, a model that continues today. In 1995 he was elected to the ICE Council as a Territorial Member for three years. Terry was also on the National ICE Maritime Board from 1995 until 2001 and he continues as a corresponding member of its successor, the “Engineering Support Group Maritime”. He was a founder member in 2003 of the Norfolk Branch and is a member of the Coast Protection Special Interest Group for the region. Terry is an ICE Fellow and Managing Director of his company Terry Oakes Associates.
Chris Graves also from the Suffolk Branch has completed a two year term as Chairman and is succeeded by Andy Kenyon from the Essex Branch. Chris said he is delighted to mark the valuable contribution Andrew and Terry have made to the Institution and the region.
The AGM was held at Firstsite a new contemporary arts centre in Colchester. Before the meeting delegates and guests were treated to a tour of the current exhibition 'Sorry I'm Late' by Anthea Hamilton. Drawing on the histories of art, performance and cinema Anthea designed a walk around collage inspired by New York's energetic 1970s disco scene, the dazzling beauty of Venice and the highly stylised conventions of Japanese theatre. The exhibition runs until 25 November.