Arnold Dix (8 March 1964) is a lawyer, scientist and author from

Monbulk Monbulk is a town in Victoria, Australia, 42 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Monbulk recorded a population of 3,651 at the 2021 census. The town is the h ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. He is currently the president of the International Tunneling and Underground Space Association.

Early life and education

Dix earned an honours bachelor of science from Monash University in 1986, and a bachelor of laws from Monash University in 1988.

Career

Dix is a registered barrister at the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation. The High Court was establi ...

and a member of the

Victorian bar The Victorian Bar is the bar association of the Australian State of Victoria. The 2024-2025 President of the Bar is Justin Hannebery KC. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. Those who have been admitted to practice ...

. He is a former counsel of White & Case legal firm and a former partner of law firms Maddock Lonie; Chisholm; and DLA Phillips Fox. Dix was a visiting scholar at the Tokyo City University. He is a former visiting scholar of engineering at

Queensland University of Technology The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point ...

and at

Western Sydney University Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus public research university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university in its current form was founde ...

. Dix is the elected president of International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA), which is based in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

He is also the founder of The ALARP Group. In 2023, he was part of the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation of 41 workers in India who were trapped in

Uttarkashi Uttarkashi is a town and the headquarters of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Geography Uttarkashi is located at . It has an average elevation of . Demographics India census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is t ...

, India. Dix has also been involved in improving the safety of bulk milk truck tankers. In 2023, he was announced by the National Bulk Tanker Association (NBTA) as the keynote speaker for Bulk Tanker Day. In 2020, Dix together with Lord Robert Mair and Peter Vickery QC, established Underground Works Chambers. The company offers technical and regulatory solutions for challenges related to underground spaces. Dix is a member of the

National Fire Protection Association The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a U.S.-based international nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property damage, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards. , the NFPA claims to have 5 ...

standards committees for Road (NFPA 502) and Rail (NFPA 130) Tunnels safety. He also serves on PIARC for road Tunnel related matters.

Uttarakhand tunnel rescue

On 19 November 2023, Dix joined the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation. Upon arrival, Dix promised to evacuate all 41 workers safely. Dix played a leading role in the operation that saved 41 workers who were trapped nearly 200 ft below the surface. He worked together with five agencies ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL, who had encountered difficulties completing the rescue mission. Dix suggested that the team use soft mining techniques, to avoid disturbing the mountain and causing another avalanche which would put the workers at further risk. Rescuers had been using large earth drilling machines which caused vibrations that made the tunnel more unsafe. The large drills also broke down from hitting metal obstacles from the collapsed tunnel, forcing the rescue operation to be paused frequently. Dix proposed much slower and gentle approaches that he considered safer. The rescuers used a thin pipe to carry the trapped workers to safety. They finally excavated by hand to avoid disturbing the rock and causing further damage. Dix displayed faith during the rescue by setting a makeshift temple during the rescue, which gained attention on social media. During the rescue mission, Dix was seen praying at the temple of local deity Baba Bokh Naag ji.

Personal life

Dix has two siblings,

Helena Dix Helena Dix (born 26 May 1979) is an Australian operatic soprano and specialist in bel canto roles. In 2005 Dix represented Australia in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. She was awarded as an associate of The Royal Academy of Music in 2015 for he ...

and the late Colin Dix. He is married to Divina Dix. He has three children—Sam, Hannah and Edward—from his first marriage to Karen Beckmann. He has one stepchild, Trisha, from his current marriage.

Awards and honors

Awards

* In 2011, he was the recipient of the Alan Neyland Tunnelling Society award for tunnel fire safety excellence. * In 2022, Dix was honored with a Committee Service Award by the

of the United States of America for his contribution to road and rail tunnel fire safety. * In 2023, Dix received recognition from Australian Prime Minister

Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...

for his work in the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue. * In 2024, Dix was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Awards by Monash University.

Publications

''The Fatal Burnley Tunnel Crashes Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Incident - March 2007 (2011)'' Dix, Arnold (2025). ''The Promise: How an everyday hero made the impossible possible''. Australia, AU: Simon & Schuster Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dix, Arnold 1964 births Living people Australian mining engineers 21st-century Australian engineers Australian barristers 21st-century Australian non-fiction writers Australian male non-fiction writers Writers from Victoria (state) Monash University alumni Academic staff of Queensland University of Technology Academic staff of Western Sydney University