Brighton area local, Kiarnah Davenport has claimed the title of Traffic Controller of the Year (TCOY) for Tasmania at the Traffic Management As­sociation of Australia (TMAA) annual conference for 2023. As a female in a male domi­nated field, Kiarnah reflected on what the award means for her and other women in the industry.

How does it feel to win the TMAA Traffic Control­ler of the Year Award for Tasmania? Being nominated for the award is still so surreal to me. I am beyond grateful to have been chosen to go up for this award, and even more grateful to have won it. It is definitely one of my most proud moments!

How did you first get into traffic controlling? I was an apprentice hairdresser for three years, and after realis­ing the hair industry wasn’t for me, I wanted a big change in career and traffic control stood out to me the most. It honestly was the best decision I had ever made.

What does an average day at Traffic Dynamix look like for you? Within traffic control, every day is different. You never know what you’re in for on the day. We get to see how things operate when providing traffic control to clients.

Are there many women in the traffic controlling industry? Is that grow­ing? Women working in the traffic control industry has grown rapidly! It is absolutely brilliant to see women joining the hi-viz army and loving the industry.

What does traffic con­trolling mean to you? Traf­fic control means so much to me, we step foot on our Tas­manian roadways to protect our client’s safety for them to pursue their job which makes the world go round. Whether it’s a job fixing a burst water main, a power outage, or even events. Without traffic control these do not go forward, and I am proud to be a part of it.