EESA Verbal History Program
Real stories from those who’ve powered the electric energy industry.
To commemorate the Electric Energy Society of Australia's centenary in 2024, we’ve launched the EESA Verbal History Program—a growing collection of recorded interviews with individuals who have helped shape the electric energy industry in Australia.
Conducted by specialist historian Mr Darren Valentine, each interview captures personal experiences, reflections, and insights into the challenges, changes, and milestones across the industry—past, present and future.
These are not just formal histories. Interviewees are encouraged to speak freely, share their own perspectives, and bring their stories to life—anecdotes and humour very much included.
Each interview runs for around 1 to 1.5 hours, professionally edited and transcribed, with recordings presented in a clear and engaging format. New content will be added over time, gradually building a significant body of knowledge that reflects the lived experience of those in the industry.
Whether you're part of the sector or simply curious, these stories offer a unique opportunity to hear directly from those who’ve worked at the heart of Australia’s electric energy systems.
Patrick McMullan
Terry Miller
Terry Miller has held executive appointments during very tumultuous changes in the electricity supply industry. During the 1990s period he was appointed to a number of Ministerial Committee roles and has held several senior executive management positions including CEO of Electricity Association of NSW, and senior executive managerial positions with Advance Energy and Country Energy. At Country Energy he served as Group General Manager Networks and then Group General Manager Service Delivery between 2000 – 2008. After leaving Country Energy in 2008 he was employed in a number of consulting roles and as a senior technical advisor (electricity supply) in the NSW Government.
Providing context, Terry chronologically retraces the historical realties of the electricity energy supply in NSW, stretching back from the 1920s to the present. He also sheds some light on the breaking up of the industry into separate entities, including the formation of Ausgrid, Integral Energy and Essential Energy. Terry explains his support for Essential Energy CEO John Clelands’s recently espoused solutions to some of the current issues surrounding this massive industry transformation
He praises Essential Energy for their future-focused, active approach to the current energy and
He was also President of EESA in the 1990s and was a co-editor of the EESA Monthly Bulletin for many years.
When you now look at Terry’s complete verbal history – see the links below - you have the following questions answered:
1] How the electricity industry initially dealt with their industrial relations issues
2] What was the rationale for an industry ombudsman
3] What is an Accredited Service Provider and why did they evolve?
4] How could AI assist the electricity supply industry moving forwards?
Maurice Overy
Rachele Williams
