Celebrating Industry Excellence: Bob Cahill Awarded STA Life Membership

Thursday 12, Jun 2025

The following article is reproduced below with permission from the STA

The Specialised Textiles Association is proud to honour Bob Cahill with the 2025 Life Membership Award—our highest recognition for outstanding and sustained service to the industry.

Bob’s contribution to the specialised textiles sector spans decades. With a career rooted in manufacturing, sales, and wholesaling, and later establishing his own company in 2004, Bob has long been a source of innovation and expertise. Holding a degree in Agricultural Science and driven by a passion for engineering, he has become a trusted technical resource within our community.

What sets Bob apart is not only his deep industry knowledge but his tireless dedication to helping others grow. From mentoring young professionals to sharing knowledge openly with peers and competitors, Bob has championed collaboration and community at every step.

A Legacy of Leadership and Service

Bob has made a lasting impact through many roles and initiatives, including:

• Serving on the STA Council of Management
• Founding and chairing the STA Young Leaders Program—many of whom are now successful business owners and industry leaders
• Supporting the Awards for Excellence
• Contributing articles to Connections magazine
• Assisting with Expo speaker programs and presenting technical seminars
• Emceeing awards dinners and entertaining members at AGMs with his legendary dad jokes
• Playing an active role in the Lightweight Structures Association for more than 10 years, currently serving as Treasurer

His selfless leadership and commitment to growing a stronger, more inclusive and innovative industry have earned him deep respect across the sector.

We are delighted to celebrate Bob Cahill’s achievements and thank him for the immeasurable impact he has made. Congratulations, Bob, on your Life Membership—and thank you for everything you continue to do for our community.

Bob is someone the LSAA is tremendously proud of and who has contributed his knowledge, expertise and guidance to the LSAA as a member of our General Committee for 12 years before joining the LSAA Executive in the role of Treasurer, the role he holds today. We are delighted to republish the above article received from STA which in many ways also reflects Bob’s contribution to LSAA, its members and the Lightweight Structures industry. 

Congratulations Bob!

Bob also shares his other passion for the great Aussie Bush with LSAA colleagues and friends.

Every so often he returns to Scotland to knock off a few more of the remote "Munros"

ArchiBuild Expo is the proven and trusted trade event connecting premium brands, manufacturers and suppliers with key stakeholders involved in the design, specification, selection and purchasing of products, and solutions for non-residential and residential projects.

LSAA is an Industry Partner for this event and we have a stand #2211 at the event. Posters from previous LSAA Design Awards, Past Conference Banners and various entries from our 2025 International Student Design Competition are on display.

Part of the prescence there will be the announcement of results from the 2025 LSAA International Student Awards.

The LSAA thanks the Archibuild Expo for their support and providing us with the venue and the platform for the presentation of the results of the competition and to the students for presenting their winning entries.

For more details see the main ArchiBuild Website

LSAA Overview

The Lightweight Structures Association of Australasia (LSAA) is a Not for Profit, autonomous, inter-disciplinary group of interested parties involved in the field of lightweight architectural structures. We started in 1981 as the Membrane Structures Association (MSAA) but expanded in 1994 to include other innovative structures such as cable-nets and high-tech glazing facades.

Operating primarily in Australia and New Zealand our basic aim is to promote the proper application of lightweight structures, their design, fabrication, construction and materials and to encourage the development of these and other aspects essential to lightweight structures.

LSAA Mission Statement

Our mission is to "To lead, promote and develop excellence and innovation in lightweight structures by inspiring research and disseminating expert knowledge to expand the industry and opportunities for our members".

LSAA Activities

We do this by holding Conferences and our industry leading LSAA Design Awards.

Our most recent event was the LSAA 2024 Conference and Design Awards September 12-13 2024 at
Swinburne University.

The theme was 'Connecting to Tomorrow' See Menu items for the Conference and Awards 

Note: the most recent article is listed first. Some articles may appear on the LSAA Homepage for a while but then be moved to a new location such as Industry News.

Bob Cahill honoured with STA Life Membership - May 2025

The Specialised Textiles Association has Awarded Life Membership to Bob Cahill - a great contributor to the LSAA

2025 LSAA Student Competition Award - Results

The results of the Second International LSAA Student Design Competition were announced at the ArchiBuild Expo 2025 in Melbourne

Frei Otto 100 - The Spirit of Lightweight Construction

This event celebrates the remarkable achievements of Frei Otto - the father of lightweight structures and an inspiration for many many people

Announcing the LSAA 2025 Student Design Competition Award

Australian Open Tennis Event in Melbourne 2025

For the Australian Open in Melbourne the main matches are held in either the Margaret Court Arena, the Rod Laver Arena, the John Cain Arena and Kia Arenas with their retractable or innovative roofs.

Cyclone Tracy Hits Darwin - Christmas Day 1974

Cyclone Tracy was considered to be the most damaging cyclone in Australia's history. Although extremely small in area the wind speeds were substantial. Significant changes to the Wind Loading Standards AS 1170.2 followed. House construction methods changed also.

Australian Summer of Cricket 2024-25

This very brief article is to say that the venues used for the 2024-25 summer of cricket in Australia contests - or at least the stadium roof structures - are the focus for much of the work that our LSAA members are focused on.

Melbourne Arts Centre Spire and Theatres Celebrate 40 Years

An overview of the design development of the Melbourne Arts Centre Spire in the mid 1970s and in particular the lower spire skirt to represent a ballerinas tutu. The upper spire geometry is depicted in a "pre-CAD" drawing from 1977 by Dr Peter Kneen

Carols by Candlelight at the Iconic Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne

Sidney Myer Music Bowl is the current venue for Carols by Candlelight - since its completion in 1959 - is a pioneering, world class example of tensile architecture using stressed cables in a double curvature form to resist environmental loads (wind) and to act as an effective sound shell for music.

Carols in the Domain Sydney - A Note About the Stage Canopy

History of the Sydney Carols in the Domain Demountable Stage Canopy Structure designed in the 1980s

New Orleans' Superdome Stadium Rennovation

The New Orleans' Superdome is getting a rennovation after 50 years of service. Much of the rennovation works is towards making a better "experience" for patrons which has been a trend in recent years in stadium designs. It played a vital role during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Tennis - The Australian Open (AO) - Another Ball Game

Aside from that other game involving a hard red or white ball (sometimes pink) that misbehaves in the air especially when new, there are crowds of people take great delight in the summer Australian Open Tennis Tournament being held in Melbourne.

Like the recent article about the Test Series Cricket in Australia, this article is not really about the art of playing first class tennis but that the venues where the games are played usually involve a significant roof structure which involves careful architectural and engineering design.

Several of the LSAA Members have been involved in these projects.

Severe Cyclone Tracy was considered to be the most damaging cyclone in Australia's history.

Although extremely small in area the wind speeds were substantial - the anemometer at Darwin Airport recorded a gust of 217 km/h before being destroyed - with sustained speeds of 189 km/h as it hit Darwin. An accepted peak speed is reported as 236 km/h.

66 people were killed either on land or lost at sea and the city was flattened. Most people were unprepared as an earlier cyclone passed by without causing havoc.