St Andrew’s prides itself on the enriching experiences it offers students, and these opportunities don’t end with their degree. Over the years, we have been fortunate to facilitate some incredible internships for students in workplaces within our community. This year, three third-year engineering students, Tom Lynch, Roelf van der Merwe, and Oscar Beregi, obtainable an exciting internship by Rhomberg Sersa Australia.
Romberg Sersa is a leading rail construction and maintenance specialist who have built some of the biggest and most complex rail projects in Australia and the world. Daniel Beatty, a Construction Manager with Rhomberg, reached out to St Andrew’s in search of interns interested in working on their current project – the Western Sydney Airport Metro Line. Daniel is a past college student himself, having resided at Cromwell College on the grounds of the University of Queensland. His positive experience there led him to deeply believe in the value of collegiate life, and the high quality of students within our colleges. “I firmly believe that the overall experiences I gained during my college years have been some of the most influential in terms of shaping both the person I am today and in helping send my progressional career on the path that it is today,” he explained. “The holistic, diverse and immersive life experiences that you are presented with, coupled with the supportive environment that college offers, are genuinely unmatched in my mind.”
Daniel has a passion for “giving back” and channelled this into his internship initiative. “It’s our duty as professionals to give back, guide and help mentor the next generation, and this is my way of (trying) to do that,” he explained. “My ultimate hope is that these undergrads then develop and do the same thing when they have the chance.” For students, he emphasised, “nothing matches having the opportunity to try something firsthand yourself and see if it is right for you.” Following Daniel’s presentation at St Andrew’s, Tom, Roelf and Oscar were brought on board as Undergraduate Engineers in February 2025. We spoke to Tom to hear more about the experience.
Tom followed his brother’s footsteps to St Andrew’s. “I was amazed by the enriching experience which St Andrew’s offered,” he said. “It was a place I felt would support my academics, cricket and musical pursuits. Above all, the close knit and high-achieving community at Drew’s was one I aspired to be a part of.” He is currently studying a combined Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Commerce at the University of Sydney.
From Tom’s perspective, the experience with Rhomberg was incredibly “valuable and enjoyable.” It also gave him a great “understanding of how major projects like this work from a management point of view.” He hopes to continue working with Rhomberg while he finishes his degree and “potentially move into their R&D team, which develops rail-related equipment that is used in the construction and maintenance of railways.” From Daniel’s perspective, the internship program has been a great success. In his words, all three participants from St Andrew’s “have grown into valued members of the wider RS project team and have taken on key responsibilities that have contributed to the overall success of the project.” However, his hopes for the students extend beyond the project: “They are going to be able to take their kids for a ride on that train one day and say, ‘Dad helped build that’ – how cool is that?”