From the United Kingdom to Western Australia, Blue Phoenix’s Chris Gee is training a new generation in energy and resource recovery.
Four years ago, Chris Gee left behind a career that had already spanned two decades, stepping onto a plane with his young family and a clear purpose: to help build something Australia had never seen before.
The move from the United Kingdom (UK) to Western Australia was a leap into a new market, a new regulatory environment and a new stage for incinerator bottom ash technology.
At the time, the Blue Phoenix Incinerator Bottom Ash processing facility in Kwinana was the first large-scale facility of its kind in Australia – and it needed people with experience to bring it to life.
The plant takes ash from the nearby Kwinana Energy Recovery facility, recovering metals and converting the remainder into safe aggregate for roads and construction.
Chris had started from the ground up in the sector. Beginning as a plant operative in 2002, taking on cleaning and hands-on roles, he worked his way through the ranks. By 2010, he had moved into supervision, building technical knowledge one system at a time and learning the nuances of plant operations across different sites around the world.
That experience would prove critical in Kwinana, where the challenge was not to operate an existing facility but to help commission, refine and optimise a new one.
“I wanted to be here for the first processing plant in Australia,” Chris says. “It was a challenge, and it was a flagship site. Most construction needed commissioning, and we had to introduce all the safety systems and build a full maintenance program from scratch.”
The move was not an easy decision. Leaving behind established networks and familiarity came with personal and professional risks. For Chris, the weight of that choice was felt most sharply in the months leading up to the relocation.
“It was challenging, saying goodbye,” he says.
“The UK had given me and my family everything we could ask for. But this was something new – a chance to build something from the beginning.”
Arriving in Australia brought a different kind of pressure. Beyond the technical demands of commissioning a complex facility, there was the reality of starting over: new schools for children, new systems to navigate, and the long process of securing a permanent future.
“When I came to Australia, everything was new and exciting, but there was pressure as well,” Chris says. “You’re trying to settle your family, build a career, and work towards staying here long term.
“One of the hardest parts personally was helping the children settle into a completely new life at what can be an awkward age. They had to leave their friends behind and adapt to a different environment, culture, and way of life. As parents, that was one of the biggest worries we carried throughout the move.
“Thankfully, we were surrounded by a really good group of friends and colleagues, and Blue Phoenix supported us through those early stages, helping the children settle in and making us feel welcome. That support network made a massive difference to our family and helped us feel at home much quicker than we expected.”
Another challenge was finding a rental property in Perth, which Chris describes as “extremely difficult, competitive and stressful”.
Blue Phoenix and Ian Lynass, Managing Director of Blue Phoenix Australia, organised temporary accommodation while the family looked for a longer-term place to call home.
“Without the company and Ian’s support, it would have been far more difficult to manage on our own,” Chris says. “Their help and guidance made the transition much smoother and allowed us to focus on settling the family and starting our new chapter in Australia, which my partner and I are very grateful for.”
At Kwinana, the work itself demanded constant adaptation. While the fundamentals of incinerator bottom ash and recycling technologies were familiar, each site brings its own variables – from feedstock composition to regulatory expectations.
The team was also largely inexperienced in this type of operation.
“We had staff who were completely new to the industry,” Chris says. “They were green, but they were keen to learn. That gave us the opportunity to train people from the ground up and build a competent team.”
Among those learning on the job is Liam MacDonald, a trainee supervisor who joined the plant straight out of school.
With no prior exposure to energy-from-waste operations, Liam quickly found his footing and has moved through roles at pace, developing skills under the guidance of more experienced operators.
Chris says that progression is exactly what the project set out to achieve, creating a pipeline of local talent.
“Liam came in straight out of school and became passionate about it,” he says. “He wanted to learn more, put his hand up for opportunities and has already stepped into a leading hand role.”
For Liam, the appeal has come from seeing the process itself. Working across the plant floor, seeing material move through systems and understanding how value is extracted from waste has made the work tangible.
The process of refining the plant is ongoing, from adjusting machinery to improving recovery rates. For Chris, that constant evolution is part of the appeal.
“There’s always something new to learn,” he says. “You’re tweaking machinery, trying to get the best processing and recovery results. If you do the same thing, you’ll get the same results, so you’re always looking to improve.”
As his role developed, Chris was given opportunities to learn the business side of operations, which was a completely new challenge for him. The company invested time in helping him understand how to properly manage a business, not just operationally but financially. He received training in budgets, profit and loss, cost control, forecasting, and planning to support the business’s performance.
He says working closely with the accounts team provided a deeper understanding of how day-to-day operational decisions directly impact overall results. He also took part in planning sessions with the operations team, reviewing production targets, staffing, maintenance strategies, safety improvements, and long-term site goals.
This exposure helped him grow from a plant-focused operator into someone who understands the wider picture of running a successful site and supporting a team. Those skills become even more relevant in a market still finding its footing with incinerator bottom ash.
“There’s still a level of hesitation because this facility is the first of its kind in Australia,” Chris says.
Part of the challenge is in demonstrating the value of recovered materials and gaining broader acceptance across infrastructure and construction sectors. For Chris, that means not just proving the technology works but showing how it fits into existing systems.
“It’s about getting people to see that this is a viable product,” he says. “Once it’s approved and understood, it has a real role to play.”
The scale of what has been achieved in Kwinana is not lost on him.
The plant represents years of planning and execution. At the same time, it has created pathways for local workers to enter and grow within a specialised industry.
“I’ve lived and breathed this industry for more than 20 years, and coming here was about being part of something bigger”
“We’ve built a team from the ground up, trained people who had never worked in this space before and created something that didn’t exist in Australia.”
“Looking back on the journey, it highlights what can be achieved with hard work, strong support networks, and a company willing to invest in its people and their families.”
For more information, visit: www.blue-phoenix.com
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