ATHRA Australia Elections

 

Photo: Former NSWGR rail motor CPH 27 at Canberra Railway Museum © Andrea Trappes

ATHRA Australia Elections

State Board Member for Victoria 2025-2027

  • Voting opens Mon 23 September 2025
  • Voting closes 23:59 AEDT Mon 20 October 2025

Candidates

Paul Draper

Paul Draper

Nominated by:

  • Yarra Valley Railway
  • Bendigo Tramway Museum

About Paul:

A Chartered Mechanical Engineer with 47 years of international experience in rail.

Currently working for RISSB as a Standards Development Manager.

Commenced my career with British Rail and undertook engineering roles in the railway workshops of Crewe, Swindon, Derby and Doncaster. I then commissioned rail vehicles in Thailand, Malaysia, USA, Denmark and the Republic of Congo.

I emigrated to Australia in 2007 and ran the Halcrow Victorian Rail Business.

I was the Compliance Manager for the Matangi Commuter trains for Greater Wellington and Rolling Stock SME for Victoria’s PTV overseeing the MR4 refranchise of Melbourne’s Train and Tram Operators.

I spent the last 5 years as the Standards Manager for the Level Crossing Removal Project and Rail Projects Victoria. I am on the Victorian panel of the RTSA.

I am a keen supporter of the heritage movement, supporting the Yarra Valley Railway over the last 12 years and organising an I Mech E Heritage award for Bendigo Tramways.

I am a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and previously Chair of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Victoria Panel.

I am keen to encourage collaboration between the Victorian member organisations and ensure that they are properly represented at ATHRA.

Tony Llewelyn

Tony Llewelyn

Nominated by:

  • Victorian Goldfields Railway
  • Geelong Steam Preservation Society (Bellarine Railway)

About Tony:

The reason for seeking nomination is to provide stronger input to ATHRA to support the views of the T&H railways in Victoria which I feel needs to be reinvigorated.

In my role as the ATHRA rep I would have high priority on meeting with all the T&H railways to find out what is their concerns etc so I can feed this through to ATHRA.

My background in support of this nomination is –

  • I have been involved with heritage/tourist railways since about 16 (now 65) with an active and continuous role in hands on loco / rollingstock restoration, plus train operations (RSW / fireman / driver) and management.
  • I started with the Bellarine Railway being involved in the loco maintenance, qualified as fireman, and was on the board for several years including at VP level, before I left in 1992.
  • I have been with the Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Society / Victorian Goldfields Railways since 1992 and was the Mechanical Manager for 11 years, including 9 years as President and developed the first SMS for the VGR in the late ’90s.
  • I stepped back to a mainly operational role in 2005 but since retirement I have again stepped back into management and maintenance role and have been on the VGR board again since 2022 and I’m also the Mechanical Manager.
  • In my working life I was a professional engineer which included 27 years with a large consulting engineering company.