About the Forest
The Engineers Australia Forest is of 500 Quercus palustris, commonly called the Pin Oak ‘Freefall’. It is Forest 41 at the Arboretum and was planted in July 2009.
The origin of the species name is Quercus which is Latin for oak, palustris is Latin meaning growing in marshes or wet places and ‘Freefall’ is a cultivar name referring to the autumn leaf fall. The species is a member of the Fagaceae Family.
The species is native to eastern North America. In 1965, Dr Robert Boden OAM began developing a cultivar of Quercus palustris that defoliates after the autumn show of colour. The cultivar ‘Freefall’ was wholly developed through his research in Canberra, Australia. He took cuttings from pin oaks that fully defoliated in autumn and trialled them at the Yarralumla Nursery. Apical buds taken from these trees grown were grafted onto pin oak seedlings. These were the first plants of the cultivar ‘Freefall’, which fully defoliates in autumn.
It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing in height to 25 metres with a spread of 15 metre. Its crown is conical when young with a central leader and numerous branches. It belongs to the 'red oak' section of the genus.
Jon Stanhope, the Chief Minister of the ACT, joined with members of Engineers Australia and Dr Robert Boden OAM to plant the first Pin Oak trees at the Arboretum on Tuesday 19 May 2009.
Caption: From left to right: Mr Peter Taylor, Chief Executive, Engineers Australia; Mr Tom Brimson, President Canberra Division, Engineers Australia; Mr Peter Godfrey, National President, Engineers Australia; Chief Minister Jon Stanhope; Mr John Mackay, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Arboretum.
Trees Dedicated to Engineers
Tree | Name | Description |
1 | Mr Peter Godfrey | National President - FIEAust CPEng |
2 | Mr Jon Stanhope | ACT Chief Minister |
3 | Mr Tom Brimson | Canberra Division President - FIEAust CPEng |
4 | Mr Peter Taylor | Chief Executive - FIEAust CPEng FASCE FIPWEA |
5 | Dr Robert Boden | Tree Specialist |
6 | AVM Julie Hammer |
Immediate Past President - AM CSC FIEAust |
7 | Prof Doug Hargreaves | National Deputy President - FIEAust CPEng EngExec |
8 | Mr Bruce Howard | National Councillor |
9 | Mr Barry Tonkin | National Councillor - FIEAust CPEng JP |
10 | Dr Marlene Kanga | National Councillor - FIEAust CPEng |
11 | Ms Gunilla Burrowes | National Councillor - BEng FIEAust Mphil MIEEE |
12 | Mr Bronte Strout | National Councillor - FIEAust |
13 | Mr Mervyn Lindsay | National Councillor - FIEAust CPEng |
14 | Mr Denton Bocking | 2010 President of Canberra Division - MIEAust CPEng |
15 | Ms Jennifer Murray | 2011 President of Canberra Division - MIEAust CPEng |
16 | Mr Doug Mitchell | 2012 President of Canberra Division |
17 | Capt Ian Noble | 2002 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
18 | Ms Maddy Palipana | Member Canberra Division Committee - MIEAust |
19 | Mr Nathan Munro | Member Canberra Division Committee - GradIEAust |
20 | Mr Andrew McLarty | Member Canberra Division Committee - TMIAust |
21 | Sir John H Butters | 1927 Chairman Provisional Committee |
22 | Colonel Percy Thomas Owen | 1927 First Chairman of Canberra Division |
23 | Mr William Potts | 928 Chairman of Canberra Division |
24 | Mr W.S Brownless | 1929 Chairman of Canberra Division |
25 | Mr Thomas Hill | 1930 Chairman of Canberra Division |
26 | Mr H Mouat | 1931 & 1939 Chairman of Canberra Division |
27 | Mr A.M Fraser | 1932 & 1938 Chairman of Canberra |
28 | Mr A.C Fleetwood | 1933 Chairman of Canberra Division |
29 | Mr A Percival | 1934 Chairman of Canberra Division |
30 | Mr J Fleming | 1935 Chairman of Canberra Division |
31 | Mr L Thornton | 935 & 1941 Chairman of Canberra Division |
32 | Mr Henry Percival Moss | 1937 Chairman of Canberra Division, MIEAust |
33 | Mr G.A Rittinger | 1940 Chairman of Canberra Division |
34 | Mr Michael McKay | MIEAust |
35 | Mr N Cook | 1943 Chairman of Canberra Division |
36 | Mr Samuel Arthur Broome | 1944 Chairman of Canberra Division |
37 | Mr Marcus De Plater | 1945 Chairman of Canberra Division |
38 | Mr T.K Hogan | 1946 Chairman of Canberra Division |
39 | Mr Clive Price | 1947 & 1967 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
40 | Mr Frederick Kenneth Hosking | MIEAust CPEng |
41 | Mr W.A Marshall | 1949 Chairman of Canberra Division |
42 | Mr B Beresford - Smith | 1950 Chairman of Canberra Division |
43 | Mr James Richard Leslie Hocking | 1951 Chairman of Canberra Division - MIEAust CPEng |
44 | Mr H.N Hicks | 1952 & 1959 Chairman of Canberra Division |
45 | Mr Keith William Jack | 1953 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
46 | Mr Rennie Nowak | 1954 Chairman of Canberra Division - MIEAust CPEng |
47 | Prof Arthur Hardie Corbett | 1955 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
48 | Mr M Kuner | 1956 Chairman of Canberra Division |
49 | Mr Colin Arthur Keith Edward Austin | 1957 Chairman of Canberra Division - OBE FIEAust CPEng |
50 | Mr R.D Gossip | 1958 Chairman of Canberra Division |
51 | Mr William Charles Andrews | 1960 Chairman of Canberra Division |
52 | Mr G.D.B Maunder | 1961 Chairman of Canberra Division |
53 | Mr Allan McKenzie | 1962 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
54 | Mr Aldo Ferrari | 1963 Chairman of Canberra Division - MIEAust CPEng |
55 | Mr John Bickle | 1964 Chairman of Canberra Division - MIEAust CPEng |
56 | Mr N.A Simpson | 1965 Chairman of Canberra Division |
57 | Mr Kenneth Elwin James | 1966 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
58 | Mr James Leslie Goldsmith | |
59 | Mr Rowland Eric Todd | 1968 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
60 | Mr D.A Stockdill | 1969 Chairman of Canberra Division |
61 | Mr William Elwood Bolton | 1970 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
62 | Sir Joseph Glen | 1971 Chairman of Canberra Division - OBE FIEAust CPEng |
63 | Mr Albert Ernest Minty | 1972 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
64 | Mr Ross McIntyre | 1973 Chairman of Canberra Division |
65 | Mr Desmond Stuart Guy | 1974 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
66 | Capt Geoff Hood | 1975 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
67 | Mr John William Peter Slater | 1976 Chairman of Canberra Division |
68 | Mr Thomas Hinton Cooke | 1977 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
69 | Mr John Michael Kain | 1978 Chairman of Canberra Division - MIEAust CPEng |
70 | Prof Harry Edward Green | 1979 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
71 | Mr Howard Charles Grant | 1980 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
72 | Mr Keith Ronald Forsey | 1981 Chairman of Canberra Division |
73 | RADM William J Rourke | 1982 Chairman of Canberra Division - AO FTSE FIPENZ HonFIEAust CPEng |
74 | Mr Cyril George Joseph Streatfield | 1983 Chairman of Canberra Division |
75 | Mr Stephen Dick Hardy | 1984 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
76 | Mr Alva Edwin Purkiss | 1985 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
77 | Mr Ross Noble | 1986 Chairman of Canberra Division |
78 | Mr W.E Sansum | 1987 Chairman of Canberra Division |
79 | Prof David Anthony Hood | 1988 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
80 | Mr Alan Livingston Christie | 1989 Chairman of Canberra Division |
81 | Mr Geoffrey Colin Feasey | 1990 Chairman of Canberra Division |
82 | Mr Shukry Sahhar | 1991 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
83 | Col Michael John Ford | 1992 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
84 | Mr Chris Graham | 1993 Chairman of Canberra Division |
85 | Mr David Leigh Daverin | 1994 Chairman of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
86 | Mr Allan Johnson | 1995 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
87 | Mr Frank Wilkinson | 1996 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
88 | Mr Greg Walters | 1997 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
89 | Mr Rolfe Hartley | 1998 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng FIPENZ |
90 | Mr John F Nea | 1999 & 2000 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
91 | Mr Hugh Crawley | 2001 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
92 | Mr Glen Crawley | FIEAust CPEng |
93 | Mr Mike Evans | 2003 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
94 | Mr Jeffrey Bollard | 2004 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
95 | Mr Peter Croser | 2005 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
96 | Mr John Anderson | 2006 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
97 | Mr Bob Nairn | 2007 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
98 | Mr Lindsay Evans | 2008 President of Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
99 | Mrs Barbara Lowe | Deputy Director Canberra Division |
100 | Mrs Vesna Strika | Director Canberra Division |
101 | Mr Simba Kippaya | |
102 | Dato'Ir Leong Hoon Pang | HonFIEAust CPEng |
103 | Dato'Ir Yee Cheong Lee | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
104 | Dr Andrew Sydney Withiel Thomas | HonFIEAust CPEng |
105 | Dr Brian Edmund Lloyd | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
106 | Dr David Keith Sweeting | HonFIEAust CPEng |
107 | Dr Dennis Neil Cooper | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
108 | Dr Geoffrey Raymond Rigby | HonFIEAust CPEng |
109 | Dr Hon-Kwan Cheng | HonFIEAust |
110 | Dr Ian G D Cameron | FTSE FICE FIAMA HonFIEAust CPEng FASCE |
111 | Dr John Gilmour Nutt | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
112 | Dr John Gilbert Wager | HonFIEAust CPEng |
113 | Dr John Michael Schubert | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
114 | Dr John William Connell | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
115 | Dr Ken Michael | AC AM FTSE HonFIEAust CitWA EngExec |
116 | Dr Kenneth John Moss | BE(Hons) PhD HonFIEAust CPEng FAICD |
117 | Dr Michael Anthony Sargent | AM HonFIEAust CPEng FTSE FIPENZ EngExec |
118 | Dr Maxwell Gordon Lay | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng D Eng |
119 | Dr Mark Sebastian Wainwright | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
120 | Dr Martin Cole | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
121 | Dr Peter C Farrell | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
122 | Dr Peter Greenwood | HonFIEAust CPEng EngExec |
123 | Dr Peter Miller | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
124 | Dr Robert Culver | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng(Ret) |
125 | Dr Robert Hallowes Brown | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
126 | Dr Robert Ian Mair | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
127 | Dr Roger Ian Tanner | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
128 | Dr Ronald John Yates | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
129 | Dr Thomas Blair Connor | AO FTSE FIPENZ HonFIEAust CPEng |
130 | Dr Trevor Stanley Bird | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
131 | Dr Yue Onn Michael Fam | HonFIEAust CPEng |
132 | EmProf Douglas Howard Clyde | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
133 | EmProf David Herbert Pilgrim | AM HonFIEAust CPEng(Ret) |
134 | EmProf David Hugh Trollope | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
135 | EmProf Lance Aubrey Endersbee | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
136 | EmProf Mat Darveniza | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
137 | Mr Peter Lyndon Tyree | HonFIEAust CPEng |
138 | GEN Peter Courtney Gration | HonFIEAust CPEng |
139 | GEN Peter J Cosgrove | AC MC HonFIEAust |
140 | HRH Prince Phillip Duke of Edinburgh | KG KT OM GBE QS HonFIEAust CPE |
141 | LTGEN John Murray Sanderson | AC HonFIEAust CPEng |
142 | MAJGEN Michael Jeffery | AC CVO MC(Rtd) HonFIEAust |
143 | MAJGEN William James Crews | AO HonFIEAust CPEng |
144 | Mr Bruce Sinclair | AM HonFIEAust |
145 | Mr Albert Henry Tognolini | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
146 | Mr Allan John Gillespie | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
147 | Mr Anthony James Herbert | HonFIEAust |
148 | Mr Alexander McDonald McLachlan | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
149 | Mr Alexander Wargon | HonFIEAust CPEng(Ret) |
150 | Mr Berwick Carlyon (Skip) Tonkin | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
151 | Mr Barry Dodd Webb | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
152 | Mr Barry Joseph Grear | AO FIPENZ HonFIEAust CPEng |
153 | Mr Brian Thorley Loton | AC FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
154 | Mr Bruce William Stodart James | OAM HonFIEAust CPEng |
155 | Mr David Burnet Sugden | AO HonFIEAust CPEng(Ret) |
156 | Mr David Graeme Croft | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
157 | Mr Donald George Fry | AO HonFIEAust CPEng |
158 | Mr Douglas Gordon Price | AM FTSE FASCE HonFIEAust CPEng |
159 | Mr Donald Hector Aitken | AO ISO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
160 | Mr Donald James Little | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
161 | Mr David John Singleton | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
162 | Mr David James Skellern | HonFIEAust CPEng |
163 | Mr Eric David Storr | HonFIEAust CPEng |
164 | Mr Edwin Joseph Abercrombie | BE Becon HonFIEAust CPEng |
165 | Mr Frank Richard Bishop | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
166 | Mr Geoffrey Bernard White | AO HonFIEAust CPEng |
167 | Mr Grahame David Campbell | HonFIEAust CPEng |
168 | Mr Grant Hosking | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
169 | Mr Harold Charles Richards | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
170 | Mr Harold Naunton Davies | MBE HonFIEAust CPEng |
171 | Mr Harry Stewart Wragge | AM Hon DEng HonFIEAust CPEng FTSE |
172 | Mr Ian Stewart Pedersen | HonFIEAust CPEng EngExec |
173 | Mr John Buxton Laurie | AC FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng(Ret) |
174 | Mr Jan Eric Kolm | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
175 | Mr Jeremy Kitson Ellis | HonFIEAust CPEng |
176 | Mr Jack Kendall Knight | HonFIEAust CPEng |
177 | Mr John Richard Dixon Hughes | HonFIEAust CPEng |
178 | Mr John Rankine | HonFIEAust CPEng |
179 | Mr Kenneth John Kelsall | AM HonFIEAust |
180 | Mr Kenneth Michael Conway | HonFIEAust CPEng |
181 | Mr Kenneth William Joseph Mathers | HonFIEAust CPEng |
182 | Mr Keith William Lewis | AO CB FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
183 | Mr Louis Aron Challis | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
184 | Mr Morrish Alexander Besley | AC FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
185 | Mr Malcolm Alexander Kinnaird | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
186 | Mr Martin Hallowell Thomas | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
187 | Mr Michael Power | AM HonFIEAust |
188 | Mr Norman Harold Traves | HonFIEAust CPEng |
189 | Mr Neil Murray Worner | HonFIEAust CPEng |
190 | Mr Owen Peake | HonFIEAust CPEng |
191 | Mr Peter Charles Hollingsworth | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
192 | Mr Peter John Knight | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
193 | Mr Peter John Laver | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
194 | Mr Peter John Waraker Cottrell | AO OBE HonFIEAust CPEng |
195 | Mr Peter North | AM HonFIEAust |
196 | Mr Paul Peter Dougas | HonFIEAust CPEng EngExec |
197 | Mr Richard Alan Chappel | HonFIEAust CPEng |
198 | Mr Richard Albert Kell | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
199 | Mr Ronald David Christie | AM HonFIEAust CPEng |
200 | Mr Robert Donald Hill-Ling | AO HonFIEAust CPEng |
201 | Mr Richard Harcourt Lees | HonFIEAust CPEng |
202 | Mr Richard John Eardley Wharton | HonFIEAust CPEng |
203 | Mr Robert Merry Hillman | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
204 | Mr Ray Rowland | HonFIEAust |
205 | Mr Stuart Gordon Hornery | AO HonFIEAust CPEng |
206 | Mr Stuart Gerald Lister | HonFIEAust |
207 | Mr Stephen Golding | AM RFD HonFIEAust CPEng |
208 | Mr Thomas Baxter | HonFIEAust CPEng |
209 | Mr Terrence George Gibson | HonFIEAust CPEng |
210 | Mr William Graham Gosewinckel | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
211 | Mr William Harold Clough | AO OBE FTSE Hon HonFIEAust CPEng |
212 | Mr Walter John Stamm | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng(Ret |
213 | Mr William Joseph Wild | HonFIEAust CPEng |
214 | Mr Wallace Macarthur King | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
215 | Mrs Else Egede Shepherd | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
216 | Prof Adrian William Page | HonFIEAust CPEng |
217 | Prof Alan William Roberts | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
218 | Prof Brian David Outram Anderson | AO HonFIEAust CPEng |
219 | Prof B J Habibie | HonFIEAust CPEng |
220 | Prof Christopher Joseph Dalzell Fell | AM FTSE FIChemE HonFIEAust CPEng |
221 | Prof Graham Clifford Goodwin | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
222 | Prof Graeme John Jameson | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
223 | Prof Henry Antonio D'Assumpcao | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
224 | Prof Harry George Poulos | AM FAA FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
225 | Prof Judy Agnes Raper | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
226 | Prof John Broughton Agnew | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
227 | Prof John Montague Simmons | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
228 | Prof Leonard Kelman Stevens | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
229 | Prof Laurence Murray Gillin | AM FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
230 | Prof Michael Bruce Dureau | HonFIEAust CPEng |
231 | Prof Mary Josephine O'Kane | FTSE HMIIE HonFIEAust CPEng |
232 | Prof Nicholas Snowden Trahair | HonFIEAust CPEng |
233 | Prof Paul Fawcett Greenfield | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
234 | Prof Peter James Parr | HonFIEAust |
235 | Prof Russell Estcourt (Sam) Luxton | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
236 | Prof Rolf Prince | AO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng FR Eng |
237 | Prof Trevor William Cole | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng(Ret) |
238 | RADM David Guy Holthouse | HonFIEAust CPEng |
239 | RADM Peter Ross Sinclair | AC HonFIEAust CPEng |
240 | Mr Harold Edward Pegrum | |
241 | Sir Arvi Hillar Parbo | AC FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
242 | Sir Bruce Rodda Williams | KBE HonFIEAust CPEng |
243 | Sir Eric James Neal | AC CVO FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
244 | Sir Rupert Horace Myers | KBE AO FAA FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
245 | Sir Sydney Schubert | FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng |
246 | Ms Sally Chapman | Director Newcastle Division |
247 | Mr Ross Douglas Barrett | FIEAust CPEng EngExec |
248 | Mr Darren Burrowes | FIEAust |
249 | Mr Andrew Montgomery | 2013 President Canberra Division |
250 | Mr Murray John Northrop | FIEAust CPEng |
251 | Mr Alan Sharpe | FIEAust CPEng |
252 | Mr Shirley Arthur Bocking | MIEAust CPEng |
253 | Mr Byron Nelson Sullivan | MIEAust CPEng |
254 | Mr Nigel Max Johnson | FIEAust CPEng |
255 | Mr Alan William McIntyre | MIEAust |
256 | Mr Lyndon Alan Tilbrook | MIEAust CPEng |
257 | Mr Athol Yates | MIEAust |
258 | Mr Robert Calaby | OFIEAust |
259 | Mr Robert John Mofflin | FIEAust CPEng |
260 | Mr & Mrs Ron and Bernice Falkenburg | |
261 | Mr Fred Haigh | |
262 | Mr Ronald Black | Dip Eng Civil, FIEAust,LGE,FAICD |
263 | Mr Geoffrey Harper | Tasmania Division Members of Engineers Australia |
264 | Mr Neil Body | MIEAust |
265 | Mr Bill Hingee | 1942 President Canberra Division - FIEAust CPEng |
266 | Mr Graham Conran | FIEAust CPEng |
267 | Mr Adrian Piani | MIEAust CPEng |
268 | Mr Doug Tompsitt | FIEAust CPEng |
269 | Mr & Mrs Kip & Julianne Tanner | MIEAust |
270 | Ms Philippa Godfrey | GradIEAust |
271 | Mr Ron Badger | FIEAust CPEng |
272 | Dr David Robinson | FIEAust CPEng |
273 | Prof Alex Baitch | HonFIEAust CPEng FIPENZ RPEQ |
274 | Mr Bradley Armstrong | AFIEAust CEngA EngExec NER IntETn(Aus) |
275 | Mr Neil Greet | 2015 President of Canberra Division |
276 | Mr Alan Thompson | 2016 President of Canberra Division |
277 | Mr Nick Clarke | |
278 | Federal Parliament of Australia | Members of the House of Representatives |
279 | Federal Parliament of Australia | Senators |
280 | Brig JMC Corlette | |
281 | Mr Wal Mckensey | |
282 | Mr Peter Cockbain | HonFIEAust |
283 | Mr John Waanders | Ceng FIChemE FIEAust CPEng |
284 | Mr Reg Ramstadius | FIEAust CPEng(Ret) |
285 | Mr Greg Mashiah | FIEAust |
286 | Dr Robert (Bob) Patterson | FIEAust |
287 | Prof Wilbur N Christiansen | |
288 | Mr Doug Jones | FIPENZ HonFIEAust CPEng(Ret) |
289 | Mr Bob Nelson | |
290 | Prof Robert Melchers | HonFIEAust CPEng |
291 | Mr Geoff Lilliss | HonFIEAust CPEng NER |
292 | Mr Harold Alan Jones | OBE MIEAust CPEng |
293 | Mr George Redmond | ISO MIEAust CPEng |
294 | Mr Norm Sneath | MA Bcom MS MICE MIStructE MIEAust |
295 | Mr Udo Rockman | MIEAust CPEng |
296 | Mr Brian Connell | |
297 | Mr Graeme Kelleher | AO FTSE FIEAust CPEng |
298 | Prof Brian O'Keeffe | AO FIEAust CPEng FAIN |
299 | Mr John Blackbourn | |
300 | Mrs Elena Vvedenskaia & Dr Nikolai Lobanov | FIEAust & MEng PhD |
Stories of the Engineers
Sir John H Butters
Details
Tree number: 21
Name: Sir John H Butters, MIE Aust
Date of birth: 23 December 1885
Date of death: 29 July 1969
The story
Sir John Henry Butters was born at Alverstoke, Hampshire, England. He received a University of London intermediate Bachelor of Science (engineering) degree and a first-class certificate for electrical engineering from Hartly College in 1904.
Butters joined John I. Thornycroft & Co. Ltd, shipbuilders and engineers of Southampton, as an apprentice and improver. In 1905 he moved to the technical department of Siemens Brothers Dynamo Works Ltd at Stafford and gained experience designing dynamos and motors. In 1909 the firm transferred him, as chief engineer, to their Australasian branch based in Melbourne.
In 1910, still employed by Siemens Brothers, he was consulted by Complex Ores Co. Ltd of Melbourne and its subsidiary, the Hydro-Electric Power and Metallurgical Co. Ltd, about their proposals to produce electricity in Tasmania to facilitate the processing of zinc ore.
Almost from its inception, Butters was involved in the Great Lake hydro-electric scheme, the first major attempt to harness the water-power of Tasmania in this way. The hydro-electric company started active operations in August 1911 and Butters resigned from Siemens Brothers to become its engineer-in-chief and manager on 1 September.
He was responsible for the design, layout and construction of a masonry dam at the Great Lake, intake works on the Shannon River, a power-station and transmission line, and an electricity distribution and sub-station complex for Hobart.
In 1918 he became president of the newly formed Tasmanian Institution of Engineers, and in 1920 was elected chairman of the Tasmanian division of the Institution of Engineers, Australia.
Butters was also a member of the board, set up by the Tasmanian minister for education in September 1919, to investigate the possible co-ordination of engineering courses at Hobart Technical College and at the University of Tasmania, which recommended that a degree in engineering should be established at the university.
Butters successfully applied for the position of full-time chairman of the Federal Capital Commission, a body created under the Seat of Government (Administration) Act, 1924, to expedite the development of Canberra;
The commission was a statutory corporation in which were vested the whole of the land and other public assets in the Federal Capital Territory: for the first time a single authority had responsibility for the administration, design and construction of Canberra as well as the development of municipal activities and the control of private enterprise.
Initially the commission was charged with the job of completing Parliament House at the earliest possible date—January 1927 was suggested—by which time office and residential accommodation was also to be ready for parliamentary staff and a small secretariat.
Butters, described as 'big, bronzed and direct of speech', was the driving force; he was determined that Canberra would 'have none of the terrible eyesores which mar so many of our cities'. His achievement was recognised when, during the visit of the Duke of York for the opening, he was knighted.
In July 1926 Butters proposed to the Institutions of Engineers Australia headquarters in Sydney that a Division be formed in Canberra. On 3 May 1927 the Canberra Division of the Institute of Engineers was formed and Sir John Butters was appointed the provisional Chairman of the new organisation, until Col Percy Owen was formally elected as Chairman later that same year.
He was a Councillor in 1920 and President in 1927-28 of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. As a result of his efforts, in February 1928 it became the first national body to hold its annual conference in Canberra.
Sir John Butters was Chief Commissioner of the Federal Capital Commission from 1924 to 1929. Following his time at the federal Capital Commission, Butters moved to Wahroonga, Sydney, set up as a consulting engineer and continued in private practice until about 1954.
During this time he was vice-president of the board of commissioners of the Government Savings Bank of New South Wales (1932); in 1935-36 he was chairman of the Macquarie Street Replanning Committee and in 1937-38 of the Circular Quay Planning Committee.
In 1931, when General Motors absorbed Holden's Motor Body Builders Ltd, Adelaide, he joined the first Australian board of General Motors-Holden's Ltd and continued as a director until his death.
He died at Turramurra on 29 July 1969. He married Lilian Gordon Keele at Waverley on 10 February 1912; she and their three daughters and a son survived him.
Reference: Australian Dictionary of Biography; published by the National Centre of Biography at the Australian National University.
Peter Godfrey
National President - FIEAust CPEng
Details
Tree number: 1
Name: Peter Godfrey HonFIEAust, CPEng, EngExec
Date of birth: 15 March 1956
The Story
Peter Godfrey is a civil engineer with extensive management experience. He commenced his professional career in 1979 and progressed through engineering roles to senior management positions. His career has encompassed both operational management and business support roles across diverse industries throughout Australia.
Peter has substantial experience in civil contracting, construction materials, equipment supply, local government and consulting industries. He has worked for organisations including Boral, CSR’s Readymix Group (now part of Holcim), the Victoria/Tasmania Caterpillar equipment dealer, William Adams, Brambles, Coffey International Ltd, and also the former Tasmanian government owned Civil Construction Corporation (now part of Downer Group).
In 1997, Peter established his own consultancy practice, BAS Consulting, which focuses on providing senior management support to engineering oriented organisations, particularly in the areas of corporate governance, leadership training, strategy development, change management, risk management and project delivery.
His clients include civil contractors, builders, manufacturers, local government municipalities, engineering consultancies, universities, government agencies and rail operators.
Peter has a rich involvement with Engineers Australia. He has held various honorary positions within the professional body and was the 2009 National President.
Peter’s leadership in engineering and management professions has led to his membership of, and active involvement in a number of influential groups. For instance, during his term on the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council, he took a key role in securing the 5th Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region, held in Sydney.
Peter was also a key initiator and member of the Safer Construction Taskforce comprising industry, government and professional bodies which produced the Guide to Best Practice for Safer Construction.
Peter chairs the RMIT Construction OHS Research Centre's Industry Advisory Group, and is a member of the Swinburne University’s Civil Course Advisory Committee and The University of Melbourne’s International House Risk Management Committee.
Peter has been a member of:
- Metro Trains Melbourne Board's Safety Committee,
- the National Research Council for a Sustainable Built Environment’s Steering Committee for Safety Impacts of Alcohol and Other Drugs in Construction,
- Director of the Australian Council for Built Environment Design Professions,
- a member of the National Engineering Registration Board and the National Board of the Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management.
Peter has also chaired a number of committees including:
- Engineers Australia’s Engineering Practice Taskforce for the Future,
- the 2008 Engineering Team Task Force,
- its International Committee,
- the 2009 and 2010 successful Bye-laws Committees,
- the 2010 Year of Engineering Leadership Steering Committee
- and the Steering Committee for the 2012 Engineering Leadership Conference.
He was also a national judge of the National Engineering Excellence Awards from 2010 to 2014.
Peter has delivered numerous presentations at conferences and in professional settings. He has led many workshops and is a lead facilitator for Engineering Education Australia’s Leadership Residential, and has delivered training in Contract Risk Management and Professional Practice, Innovation and Risk programs.
These roles have provided important input into the direction of engineering in Australia as well as guiding Australia’s engagement with international engineering groups. Peter has been listed in Engineers Australia Magazine’s Top 100 of Australia’s most influential engineers.
VOLUNTEER HISTORY - Engineers Australia
National roles
- Judge, Australian Engineering Excellence Awards (2010 - 2014)
- Chair, Program Committee Leadership Conference (Melbourne 2014)
- Chair, Steering Committee Engineering Leadership Conference (Adelaide 2012)
- Chair, Steering Committee Engineering Leadership Conference (Brisbane 2010)
- Chair, Steering Committee – Year of Engineering Leadership (2010)
- Chair, By-laws Committee (2010) (Developed new Constitution)
- National President (2009)
- Chair, Bye-laws Committee (2009) (Review Royal Charter & Bye Laws)
- National Deputy President (2008)
- Chair, Steering Committee – Year of the Engineering Team (2008)
- Member, then Chair, International Committee (2005 -2008)
- Member, National Engineering Registration Board (2006 – 2008)
- Member, Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management
- Chair, Joint Board for Aerospace Engineering (2006 – 2007)
- Member, Joint Board for Naval Architecture (2006- 2007)
- Member, 2020 Task Force for the Future Committee (2006)
- National Vice President, Engineering Practice (2005 - 2007)
- National Vice President, Communications & Marketing (2004 -2005)
- Councillor (2004 – 2010)
- Member, National Congress (2001 - 2011)
- Chair, CPD Committee
- Member, Organising Committee 5th Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region (2007 -2010)
- Member, Safer Construction Taskforce (2006-2007)
- Director, Australian Council of Built Environment Design Professions (2006 – 2009)
- Member, Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (2003 – 2005)
- Chairman, Civil College Board (2003 - 2004)
- Member, National Committee Australian Geomechanics Society (2000 – 2008)
- Member, Civil College Board (1999 - 2005)
Local roles
- President, Tasmania Division (2002)
- Convenor, Engineering Excellence Awards, Tasmanian Division (2001)
- Vice President, Tasmania Division (1999 - 2001)
- Member, Tasmania Division Committee (1998 - 2003)
- Chairman, Civil Branch, Tasmanian Division (1998, 2000, 2001)
- Member, Civil Branch Committee, Tasmanian Division (1997- 2002)
- Member, Member Affairs Sub-Committee, Queensland Division (1991)
- Chairman, Sunshine Coast Branch (1989 - 90)
- Chairman, Southern Engineering Conference (1989)
- Honorary Secretary, Sunshine Coast Branch (1988)
University Sector
- Chair, RMIT’s Construction OHS Research Advisory Group (2010 - )
- Member, Civi Engineering Course Advisorty Committee, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Science, Swinburne University of Technology (2008 - )
- Chair, External Review of the Faculty of Engineering & Industrial Sciences (November 2007– April 2008)
- Member, Risk Management Committee, International House, Universtity of Melbourne (2010 - )
Institute of Quarrying
- Treasurer, Tasmania Branch (2001 - 2002)
John Blackbourn
Details
Tree number: 299
Name: Mr John Blackbourn
Born: 26 May1842, Dover, Kent, England
Died: 7 January 1911, Bulgunna, St.Kilda, Victoria, Australia
The Story
John Blackbourn was the Defence Engineer, Public Works Department, Colony of Victoria, and after Federation, the Defence Engineer of the Commonwealth of Australia. He was responsible for the construction of all the colonial Port Phillip Heads Fortifications (Fort Queenscliff, Fort Swan Island, Fort Nepean) as well as the design and construction of Princess Royal Fort, King George Sound, Albany, Western Australia, including the installation of the hydro-pneumatic ‘Disappearing’ guns.
John Blackbourn was born in 1842 in Dover, Kent, England, the son of a chemist and druggist. The family home and shop were close to the Snargate Street entrance to the early 19thC Grand Shaft; a triple spiral staircase leading to the upper fortifications.
There were, at this time, almost no engineering university courses or other specialist schools of engineering.
The UK 1861 Census lists him living in Kensington, London, as a boarder with Capt. (ret.) John Lindsey where he was listed as a Civil Engineer. he had
The beauty of John Blackbourn’s engineering plans lie in his artistic draughtsmanship and water colour use - clearly visible in his Victorian Fortifications drawings.
History:
- 1863 - Apprenticed to engineers Rowland Mason Ordish and William Henry Le Feurve, Westminster England
- 1863- 1865 Assistant engineer, Ordish and Le Feuvre
- 1865 - 1866 Design engineer, Millwall Docks, London, under William Wilson MinstCE
- 1866-1869 Resident engineer, Limehouse Basin improvements, London, England under Edwin Thomas MinstCE
- 1869 –10 Nov to 11 March 1870 visits Melbourne, Aust. before returning to England
- 1870-1871 Assistant contractor’s manager, Devon and Somerset Railway England
- Sept 1871 – May 1872 migrates to Cairo, Illinois, U.S.A., a significant heavily defended Union ‘River Junction’ during the Civil War, utilizing multiple earthwork gun batteries. Contractor’s engineer - Cairo and St.Louis Railway, USA. Engineer-in-charge fortifications, Fort Point, San Francisco, United States Army Corp of Engineers.
- He constructed defence piers at Fort Point, and probably Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco harbour in 1873-74. It is also believed he designed and constructed two gun emplacements under the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, called the east and west batteries. In December 1872, he submitted design plans and specifications for a bulkhead and embankments to run through Mission Creek and Canal Street, San Francisco, as part of the reclamation of Mission Bay. His estimate of $1,860,920 was the highest submitted and the committee accepted the cheapest of six submissions.
- 1874 Published a paper ‘The Action of marine worms and the remedies applied in the harbor of San Francisco, California’ - which was read before the UK Society of Civil Engineers.
- In 1875 the US Chief Army Engineer - on the basis of the previous paper -suggested John Blackbourn may have been acting as a Spy to copy plans of the defences at Fort Point for a foreign government. Colonel Stewart, Blackbourn’s immediate supervisor at San Francisco, immediately absolved him of suspicion and noted that while Blackbourn’s occupation as a works overseer had familiarized him with ongoing construction of the East and West batteries at Fort Point, all significant military plans had been transferred to the central office prior to his employment.
- 1874 – Departed San Francisco for Sydney Australia.
- June 1874 Examination for Engineers & Surveyors Melbourne, granted Certificate of Competency as Engineer and Surveyor (CE) (1st Class Cert), Shires Statute and Boroughs Statute 1869 Vic. John Blackbourn was registered to work as a Road & Rail Engineer in Victoria.
- 1874 He designed Johnston Street Bridge, Melbourne. This was a replacement for a failed earlier bridge, the first bridge across the Yarra River built in 1865.
- 1875 -79 Resident engineer, Port Wakefield and Blyth Railway, Port Wakefield and Kadina Railway, South Australia, under Henry Coathupe Mais MinstCE completed Oct 1878.
- 1879 – Briefly in Auckland NZ: appointed Waipawa County Roads Engineer. Returned to Melbourne in September, 1879.
- 1879-1882 Private practice Melbourne.
- 1882 – Appointed Military Surveyor . Department of Public Works Victoria, Assistant to Major Peter Scratchley RE - Defence Advisor to the Australian Colonies - and on Scratchley’s departure for England in 1884, he was appointed Engineer-in-charge, Defence Works Branch, Public Works Depart, Victoria. It was unusual for a Civil Engineer to design and oversee military fortifications, as this was the domain of serving military Royal Engineers.
- March 1882- Applied (unsuccessfully) Engineer-in-chief, Metropolitan Board of Works, Melbourne. Associate Member (assocMinstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers.
- 1884 – Surveyor for works at Fort Queenscliff, Fort Nepean, Fort Swan Island.
- 1885 – 1896 – As Assistant PWD Engineer - Defence, John Blackbourn was responsible for the design and construction of most Port Phillip Heads fortifications between 1884 and 1896. This included new hydro-pneumatic and other BL gun positions as these improved weapons were acquired by Victoria. His design work utilized British Royal Engineer Fortification specifications, ensuring they were adapted to the various sites and were structurally sound.
- 1891 – Superintendent of Works, Public Works Branch, Department of Home Affairs, Commonwealth of Australia
- 1896 -1901 – Albany W.A. Princess Royal Fort. Federal Public Works in Victoria. Chief Defence Engineer for the Commonwealth. John Blackbourn is remembered in Western Australia where he designed and built Princess Royal Fort at Albany in 1896. He was seconded to W.A. to design and construct the fortifications as Albany was to become a defended harbor and coal port.
- 1901– Following Federation of the Australian colonies he was appointed Chief Commonwealth Defence Engineer.
- 1907 – To UK to visit sister. – photo/portrait
- 1911 – Death, 69 years.
John Blackbourn was a prominent member/secretary of the Brighton Freemasons Lodge and wrote frequent civic letters to Melbourne newspapers over developing Albert Park for public use, and on rail travel, workers conditions.
From 1869 to 1890 he kept a scrap book of newspaper cuttings on various issues of interest to him – a few facts about his early life in England and his time in America.
- 1874 - Married Alice Young from Tasmania, and had 3 children (Percy, Leila and Gerald), living at St. Kilda, Melbourne. He is buried in a family grave in Kew cemetery.
- 1988 – Bicentennial plaque of recognition Institution of Engineers, W.A.
- Princess Royal Fort, Albany.
- 2014 – Officially recognized by Parks Victoria, Fort Nepean, as a significant figure in the development of the Port Phillip Heads defences.
Some of his projects can be seen today:
Victoria:
Fortifications from 1880 - 90’s – Ft Nepean, Ft Swan Island, Ft Queenscliff, Fort Franklin, Eagles Nest Battery, Crow’s Nest Battery
West Australia:
Albany, Princess Royal Fort 1988 – plaque of recognition by Institution of Engineers, Western Australia.
Sally Chapman
Details
Tree number: 246
Name: Ms Sally Chapman
Date of birth: 8 July 1960
Date of death: 31 May 2009
The Story
Sally Chapman was a much respected and admired Executive Director of the Newcastle Division of Engineers Australia. and became at the time of her passing, from nearly 27 years, the longest serving Newcastle Division and IEAUST (then EA) staff member in Newcastle's 100 and EA's 90 year history’s respectively of supporting the current Engineering profession, and educating and encouraging the next generation of Engineers.
Sally Ann Chapman, who died aged 48, was born in Newcastle, NSW on 8 July 1960, the eldest child of Doug and Julia. The family was living in Stroud at the time where her father was the Shire Engineer. The family moved back to Newcastle where Sally started at Hamilton South Primary School – the same school her siblings Alison and Tim, and her son William attended. She was selected for secondary school tuition at Newcastle Girls High School and as a result was a proud member of the final graduating class, joining in the honour of being part of the strong professional female clique under that school moniker who have contributed so strongly to the development of Regional, State, National and International communities.
An avid supporter of the social and sporting aspects of Hunter Rugby Union in both her early and later years, her other interests of cross-stitch embroidery, reading, culinary events, international and domestic travel, and wine appreciation were to develop and remain with her always.
Sally was a very social person, a born organiser and events manager, and she made it look effortless. Sally was also a great networker. She developed strong and lasting friendships with a wide array of people she met in both professional and private capacities. It was often said that Sally knew everyone in Newcastle. The white pages or ‘six degrees of separation theory’ had nothing on Sally’s knowledge base.
On completing the HSC, Sally won a teacher training scholarship to go to University. Here she studied English and Classical Civilisation. But after graduating Sally decided not to take up a teaching position in country NSW as she wanted to stay in Newcastle.
Instead she started work as a receptionist with Cutcher and Neale accountants, and it was here that she began her part-time association with the Institution of Engineers on October 5, 1982. As the Institution’s needs grew, so did Sally’s role with them and she eventually transferred internally in 1987 from being an employee of Cutcher & Neale to work full time for the Engineers. When Sally started, the Institution had a total membership of 36,000, and the Newcastle Division, covering the area from the Hawkesbury River, north to the Queensland border, had just over 1,400. In 2009 at the time of her passing, Engineers Australia had almost 89,000 members with Newcastle Division having more than 3,500.
Sally was the first female Division Director in Engineers Australia and at the time of her death was one of five out of nine Divisions that had female Directors. Newcastle Division also made IEAust history with the first female Division chairman in 1993 yet Sally’s 100% commitment to whoever held that position never changed.
She supported and organised numerous National and Divisional Presidents and worked with eight different Chief Executives over her working life. It would be near impossible to calculate the number of volunteers from all the various affiliated country and Newcastle based Engineering groups that Sally administered over the years, including valuable time willingly given to the development of the Young Engineers committee, and her frugal management style endeared her to many.
A lot of Sally’s time in the early years was taken up by administration and seeking sponsorship of the Engineering Summer School. Particular mention must go to the financial support she garnered from industry sponsors and the returns that she gave in her time and as their ambassador within many of the yearly activities that take the Engineering profession to the public, both young and old. Some of these include the dedicated work she did with the Science & Engineering Challenge targeted at secondary school students, and Science & Technology Challenge, a primary schools based program. The Engineering Studies Competition was for Year 11 students only but all were welcome to attend the Discover Engineering Seminars which became part of the National Science & Engineering week, an eagerly attended event which Sally would often stage at the Newcastle Museum with its interactive Engineering exhibits.
Sally was a strong contributor to the Executive Team as a team player, sound thinker, advisor, and "historian," often mentoring new Division Directors or Presidents, and ultimately benefiting greatly those Division member's who subsequently went on to be National Presidents.
After so long it was second nature for Sally to elicit participation in Fellows dinners, EngQuest, guest speaker lunches, AGM’s and the National Presidents visit which would also require Sally to accompany her president and usually their partner by all means of conveyance to the far flung regions of the division and their country groups.
Her efforts in organising and supporting the Newcastle Division in hosting the 1992 National Engineering Conference were extraordinary, as was her annual successes with coordinating country conferences since their inception, her critical acclaim for the annual Engineering Excellence Awards selection process and presentation function, and her exceptional skill in managing engineers of all levels, locations and persuasions. She was virtually the nerve centre of the Newcastle Division and often referred to as the ‘Jewel of the Hunter’.
Her great insight, and guidance on best practice was legendary. She was never fearful of new initiatives to make improvements, set exemplary goals and achieved meaningful and focused outcomes. Her analytical assessment reflected both her experiences of past years - good and bad - and a visionary approach suited to the needs of that time.
Motherhood came late to Sally but in 2000 she and her husband Chris, whom she had met in 1993 at a social function cleverly arranged by a mutual friend, had the pleasure of welcoming William into their lives who would grow up and become the same type of person that enamoured her to so many.
Sally loved Newcastle and with it the people she grew up with. She also knew the importance of a work life balance and took her health seriously. A regular at Ocean or Merewether baths, Sally had a real affinity with water and the sea, and her favourite memories throughout her life were usually at Bar Beach, Lake Macquarie, Smiths Lake or Boomerang Beach.
Tragically in late 2005 Sally became ill yet during her courageous battle that lasted four years, she showed amazing strength as she remained very positive in her outlook, and contributed to the operations of the Newcastle Division whenever she could. At the February 2010 Division Committee meeting Sally was presented with a local seascape by Novocastrian artist John Earle in recognition of her earlier celebration of 25 years service with Engineers Australia.
Sally was a leader, not only within Engineers Australia, but also in the community having volunteered with ESL (English as a Second Language) programs in her early life and sitting on the local WEA board amongst others. She worked very closely with local engineers and government in co-ordinating the engineering response to the disastrous Newcastle earthquake in December 1989 which was formally acknowledged. Sally was inspirational to many; and the engineering profession and Newcastle community is the stronger for her enormous contributions.
Sally was given the honour of becoming an Associate Member of Engineers Australia in 1991 and was the Inaugural recipient of the 2005 Engineers Medal for continued leadership and commitment to serving engineers and the engineering profession in the Newcastle Division of Engineers Australia. EA also posthumously honours Sally Chapman by hosting with Newcastle Division The Sally Chapman Memorial Dinner during the annual Engineering Week where her extensive contribution is recognised and the awards for Young Professional Engineer and Professional Engineer of the year are presented.
Sally Chapman is survived by her husband Chris Sim and their son William, and their extended families both in Australia and New Zealand.
David Body
Details
Tree number: 264
Name: David "Neil" Body, RFD, ED, ASTC, BE, MIEAust (Ret)
Date of birth: 6 March 1933
The story
Neil Body commenced his career in Civil Engineering in 1950 at the Sydney Water Board and studied for a Diploma at the Sydney Technical College. While there he assisted McIllwraith in the production of the point rainfall intensity frequency duration data to be included in the first edition of the Institution’s Australian Rainfall and Runoff.
At the completion of the Diploma course he joined the staff of the School of Civil Engineering with Prof. Crawford Munro. Here he participated in drafting the hydrologic aspects of Australian Rainfall and Runoff, authoring the appendix on urban stormwater design. At this time he became involved with the Institution’s Hydrology Committee No. 6 and remained a member for many years being responsible for convening several of the regular Hydrology Symposia sponsored by that committee.
After completing a Research Fellowship from the Water Research Foundation of Australia and graduating from the University of NSW, in 1959 he joined the Bureau of Meteorology in its Hydrometeorological Section. Here he was responsible for the design and implementation of the flood forecasting systems for the Macleay, Hunter and Brisbane Rivers. He also derived estimates of the extreme floods for the design of dam spillways for the SEC Victoria and the HEC Tasmania. Towards the end of his association with the Bureau he was leader of the Water Studies Section where the revision of the statistics on rainfall intensity was undertaken for inclusion in the new edition of AR&R.
Within the structure of the Australian Water Resources Council he was the Bureau representative on its Technical Committees on Surface Water and Catchment and Floodplain Management and the Research Advisory Committee. He was chair of all these committees for an extended period. In the international sphere he was the leader of the Australian delegations to the specialist Commission on Hydrometeorology of the World Meteorological Organization and the meetings of the Councils of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Decade and Program. During this period he was chair of the Australian National Committee for these programs. He served as a member of the executive committees of all these international programs, being the rapporteur for the End of Decade conference of UNESCO in 1974 and in 1981 he chaired the combined international conference convened by WMO and UNESCO to review their respective programs in hydrology.
He also chaired the Hydrology Committee of the Australian Academy of Science and convened several of the symposia sponsored by the Academy.
In 1973 he joined the Division of Land Use Research of CSIRO as leader of the Hydrology Group in that Division. Over the next twenty years he served as Assistant Chief for that Division and its successors. In 1984 he was awarded the Institution’s Warren Medal for a paper dealing with the interaction of landscape parameters and catchment hydrology which he authored with several colleagues in the Division. He gave the Crawford H. Munro Memorial Oration at the hydrology symposium of 1985.
After retirement in 1993 he served as the Visitor to the three CRCs concerned with water programs.
In a parallel career in the CMF he attained the rank of Lt. Col., commanding 2 Fd Regt RAA 1970- 73. He received the Blamey Award in 1967, being placed second in the assessment for promotion to Lt. Col. in that year.
Bradley Armstrong
Details
Tree number: 274
Name: Bradley Armstrong AFIEAust CEngA EngExec NER IntETn(Aus)
Date of birth: 3 April 1957
The story
Brad was born of Australian parents in Honolulu, USA, in 1957. His father’s employment with Qantas had the family living in Asia and Hawaii, then moving to San Francisco, where Brad had his first year of schooling.
The family relocated to the southern suburbs of Sydney when Brad was six years old. He completed his schooling at Sutherland North Primary School and Gymea High School, gaining his Higher School Certificate in 1974. In 1975 he took up a cadetship with Wormald International Pty Ltd and associated part-time studies in mechanical engineering at St George Technical College in Sydney. He was awarded his Certificate in Mechanical Engineering with Honours in 1979.
The cadetship with Wormald provided a solid grounding in several engineering disciplines, commencing with fire services and, importantly, in project management for major construction projects. Projects included monitoring maintenance records and related key performance indicators for fire detection servicing across the Sydney CBD, a shopping centre in the Wollongong area and fire protection extensions at Wallerawang Power Station.
Brad married in December 1980 and relocated to the New South Wales-Central Coast, where he was involved in the construction of Eraring Power Station. In 1983, at the age of 25, Brad was the youngest project manager on the construction of Bayswater Power Station in the Upper Hunter Valley under the auspices of a Newcastle-based Wormald subsidiary, Engineering Controls and Systems (ECS) and was relocated to Muswellbrook.
ECS were contracted to provide piping systems, storage tanks and automated control throughout the complex. Brad was responsible for a workforce which at its peak numbered five supervisors and 40 employees. The work required managing relationships with the major client (the former Electricity Commission of New South Wales) as well as fellow contractors to maintain the smooth running of the construction and the expected returns for ECS and its parent company.
During their time in the Hunter Valley Brad and his wife welcomed the arrival of their elder son. Brad remained at the Bayswater site until November 1985, when he was appointed project manager of upgrading works to the Coniston Beach Sewage Treatment Plant in the Illawarra. The family relocated to Wollongong to complete this project.
Eager to stretch his capabilities, Brad was awarded a position with Matthew Hall Pty Ltd as ACT Commercial Manager, chiefly working on the construction of the new Parliament House in Canberra from May 1986. This iconic project was rewarding to be involved in, both from personal and historical perspectives. Brad was responsible for all commercial aspects of the Matthew Hall ACT division’s operation, including contractual negotiations, and control of divisional financial reporting.
He remained with Matthew Hall until October 1988, taking up an offer from the Matrix Group of Companies to be their Contract Manager, responsible for day-to-day commercial operations of specific projects.
In January 1989 Brad and his wife celebrated the arrival of their younger son. In October of that year the Matrix group folded, and Brad returned to Matthew Hall, again as their Commercial Manager, until Matthew Hall closed their ACT office in October 1990.
Brad then commenced with Project Coordination Pty Ltd as their Building Services Manager, involved in the provision of superintendence, commissioning and post-occupancy management of major developments in the ACT. Projects included the John Gorton Building refurbishment, the RG Casey Building construction and the Department of Finance property divestment program.
It was during this time that his long association with various redevelopments and new construction projects—including the Diagnostic and Treatment Building—at The Canberra Hospital began. Redevelopments ran continuously on the hospital campus from 1989. Brad began to build a solid local reputation as a ‘go-to’ person for hospital projects, which has only grown in the time since. Projects on the hospital campus included developing engineering and negotiation skills, especially when seeking to upgrade or renovate life-critical systems and locations in a working hospital environment. Works were frequently undertaken overnight to minimise possible impacts on staff and patients.
Again, seeking a new challenge, and wanting to create something innovative in the field of construction engineering, in 1998 Brad decided to set up B Armstrong & Company with the tag line “Pursuing Engineering Excellence”, providing building services consultancy to the ACT and surrounding region from conceptual design through construction to handover. With a reliable reputation already firmly established, the consultancy proved highly successful.
His years of hands-on experience meant that he was equally valuable when engaged to represent the interests of building owner or building contractor. Projects which Brad worked on during this time include: Department of Social Services new headquarters; Australian Customs and Border Protection Command new headquarters; CSIRO Black Mountain redevelopment; Australian Federal Police Forensics and Data Centre; Department of Finance and Administration property divestment program; Scarborough House redevelopment; Australian National Museum Annex; Calvary John James Clinic; and Brindabella Office Park.
In time, the number of projects seeking Brad’s expertise became too much for a one-person consultancy and Brad started working in tandem with a like-minded and experienced ACT colleague, Steve Wheelhouse. Together, they filled a niche in the construction industry in the ACT region, providing sound consultancy advice across construction engineering disciplines and specialising particularly in ‘green’ credentials and environmentally-friendly buildings.
In July 2008 Barmco Mana Partnership formally came into being, with Brad and Steve as the principal partners. The partnership proved to be a valuable resource for a range of clients, including Commonwealth and ACT governments and the private sector. Projects have included: Caroline Chisholm Building; Doris Blackburn Building; Louisa Lawson Building; repeat business from Department of Human Services on the above projects; and consistent repeat business from Calvary Health Care. The success of the partnership comes from its emphasis on the long-term usefulness of a building or refurbishment, rather than just a short-term focus on ‘get it done and get out’.
The partnership grew and thrived. It was the winning entry of four nominees in a field of 600 entrants for the 2014 ACT Telstra Small Business Awards in the micro business category. It is also active in the wider community beyond the construction industry, participating in community events.
In 2014 Brad was admitted to Engineers Australia (EA) as an Associate Member. He was named 2014 Engineering Associate for the ACT and was a finalist for the national Associate in that year. He presented a paper at the EA conference that year on smart building technology—IT practices meeting building services. In March 2015 he was accepted as a Fellow Member of Engineers Australia and in April 2015 he achieved Associate Chartered status with Engineers Australia also in 2016 he was included on the National Engineering Register and in 2017 added Engineering Executive to his Engineers Australia credentials. To further advance his vision for the engineering profession becoming part of Engineers Australia ACT Divisional Committee in 2015 and the College of Leadership and Management in 2017.
From 2016, with an increasing demand for services and with the addition of a new partner the Barmco Mana Partnership became Barmco Mana McMurray Pty Limited. With an eye to the future the company again expanded in 2018 establishing a full-time presence in the Sydney construction scene.
Brad’s vision is to leave a legacy of innovation and reliability in engineering practice in the construction industry. Although he finds great personal satisfaction in being able to stand at almost any lookout in Canberra and point to building projects that he has been involved in, he is not content to have his legacy measured only in bricks and mortar. The expansion of his original one-man vision into the Barmco Mana McMurray Pty Limited secures his succession plan to hand over a thriving small enterprise that is dynamic, innovative and actively seeking out best practice and new ideas across the range of engineering disciplines in the construction industry.
“……. we revisited a list of reasons for small business failure and realised how helpful it is to do the opposite—to turn these around into positives and then assess them on our own ‘how well are we doing?’ list:
- Leadership—are we providing the vision and drive required to keep our business growing and adaptable?
- Value and niche—are we actively identifying what is uniquely ours in a busy marketplace and searching out new possibilities?
- Customer needs—what does this customer need for this project? Let’s not assume that it will be ‘just like the last one’.
- Business model—will the model we are using yield profit? Is there something better that we could use?
- Financial management—are we making measured, ethical decisions with an eye to the future? Let’s be neither wasteful, nor skimp now and sell ourselves short down the track.
- Expansion—are we growing at a pace that takes the right amount of risk to have a go but not getting carried away with a bubble that may burst?
Pondering these sorts of questions is what sets the innovative small business apart from one that is simply ‘chugging’.” ………………. Brad Armstrong 2015
Bob Nairn
Details
Tree number: 97
Name: Mr Bob Nairn
Date of birth: 11 January 1936
The Story
As a consulting engineer, Robert J Nairn has established an international reputation for transport planning and modelling. He has been a significant contributor to the transportation and traffic planning in Canberra for over four decades.
The application of his technical expertise in traffic engineering, economics and computer based modelling to the work of the National Capital Development Commission and its successor the National Capital Authority, has helped enable this organisation to be at the leading edge of transport planning.
While directing companies based in Canberra, his development and flexible application of the TRANSTEP modelling software has allowed him to undertake major transport engineering studies in cities with traffic conditions as diverse as Manila, Tokyo and Seoul, as well as regional Australia and Australian capitals.
He holds the appointment of Adjunct Professor of Engineering at University of Canberra and is an energetic community volunteer.
Bob Nairn has been a career-long member of Engineers Australia and is a Fellow of the Institution with professional qualifications in civil engineering and economics. He represented Canberra Division on National Congress for six years and was President of Canberra Division in 2007.
He has been a major contributor to and Chair of the Engineers Australia Transport Branch and is a Life Fellow of the US-based Institute of Transportation Engineers where he is an international participant in advancing the professionalism of transport planning.
Bruce Sinclair
Details
Tree number: 144
Name: Mr Bruce Sinclair
Date of birth: 3 October 1927
The Story
Andrew Bruce Sinclair obtained the degree of Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) (Hons) at University of Sydney in 1948 and undertook post graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951 as one of Australia’s first Fulbright Scholars.
He married Marjorie Cleland in 1954 in Sydney, where they lived with their four children most of Bruce’s working life. However, a significant amount of his professional work was carried out in Canberra, where he moved to in 1990, having co-founded and established what was described as Australia’s leading engineering and technical consultancy.
As detailed in the attached CV, Bruce worked from 1954 for a range of public and private employers, notably Rankine & Hill working on Canberra development, before starting his own Sydney based firm, Sinclair Knight with partner Jack Knight in 1964.
He spent 23 years as the first CEO of the company, establishing it as a major technical and professional consultancy in Australia and Southeast Asia. Under the employee shareholding ownership rules he had established, he relinquished his shares on retirement from the firm.
Sinclair Knight’s successor from 1994, Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), grew to become one of Australia’s largest consulting technology companies with more than 7,000 staff worldwide before being sold to US based Jacobs Engineering in 2013 for $1.3 billion.
During his working career Bruce was a prominent member of the Association of Consulting Engineers Australia (ACEA) and The Institution of Engineers, Australia Sydney Division. He made a major contribution to the engineering profession, including as a National Councilor for many years, an Honorary Fellow and National President of IEAust in 1979/80.
Bruce was recognised with the honour of Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to the profession of engineering in 1981, and was awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Medal for outstanding services to the Institution in 1996.
Bruce was responsible for initiating the photographic gallery of Presidents that adorned the former Council Room in National Headquarters, continued in the redeveloped Engineering House where it is again displayed.
On moving to Canberra Bruce was ACT Director/Representative of Sinclair Knight/SKM. As an independent consultant, he conducted a number of studies and reviews for ACTEW, the ACT Government and for Engineers Australia National Office, as well as transport studies in Sydney.
Bruce became an active member of Engineers Australia Canberra Division, undertaking such tasks for the Division as the assessment of existing buildings in the Kingston industrial precinct prior to the Kingston Foreshore development, and the recognition of Sir John Butters in the memorial dedicated on Mount Ainslie.
He was a founding member of RedR Australia and from 1992 to 1996 he was chair of RedR Australia and a board member of RedR International (with NZ and UK), deploying Australian engineers and other professionals in disaster relief work around the world.
Bruce remains a patron of RedR and has also served as the chair of Canberra Friends of Dili, a community based non-government organisation in the ACT which is developing ties with the Dili community in Timor-Leste. He has also been an active member of Rotary International.
A further honour was bestowed on him in 2013 him when he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Canberra as one of Australia’s most successful civil engineers.
Service to the Community
Bruce Sinclair’s service to the community has developed from the founding culture and values that he and Jack Knight instilled in their firm: openness, integrity, high professional standards and supporting one another to achieve results. This was combined with vision of staff shareholding and equal opportunity.
As part of the many projects that Bruce undertook personally, he worked and lived in a number of countries in Asia, and was instrumental in developing a significant export market for Australian engineering expertise. As stated in the Engineers without Borders newsletter:
“Bruce Sinclair’s personal engagement in South East Asia set the precedent for SKM’s pursuit of work in the development area. In the past 35 years, over 300 development projects have been completed by staff in developing countries across Asia, the Pacific, South America, and Africa.
Current work focuses on supporting clients, primarily AusAID, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This work has demonstrated that appropriately targeted technical assistance should be used for the benefit of all communities.”
On retirement from his consulting firm, Bruce continued this commitment to development assistance and community service from Canberra through his voluntary work in establishing RedR Australia as a significant development NGO, performing as chairman from 1992-96, board member of RedR International, and ongoing patron.
Over the past two decades, RedR Australia has expanded the breadth of expertise it is able to offer in humanitarian emergencies, deploying more than 700 people to over 70 countries.
In the 2013/2014 financial year, they deployed 111 specialists to assist communities in desperate need following disasters and emergencies. RedR Australia also continues to build capacity within the NGO sector through its humanitarian training activities.
NGO employees now make up half of the 600 people who attend RedR core courses annually in Australia.
During this time of heavy voluntary engagement with RedR, Bruce was also an active member in Rotary International, through projects such as the Canberra City Rotary Club funding a computerised voice synthesiser for a Braddon motor accident victim.
Henry Percival Moss
Details
Tree number: 32
Name: Mr Henry Percival Moss
Date of birth: 1883
Date of death: 1954
The Story
Henry Percival Moss worked as an electrical engineer in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania and consulted to local government in Victoria before joining the Department of Home Affairs in Melbourne in 1914.
He contributed significantly to the physical and economic development of Canberra while based in Melbourne, through his early work with the Commonwealth Government as Electrical Engineer on the construction, commissioning and maintenance of electrical power generation and distribution services; and as Chief Electrical Engineer on the design of electrical services for Provisional Parliament House and East and West Block offices.
While residing in Canberra from 1929 to 1942 he contributed to the social development and wellbeing of Canberra through his leading and supportive role in the community, including as Chairman of the Canberra Division of The Institution of Engineers, Australia in 1937.
Henry Moss also made a significant contribution to engineering during this time as the Chief Electrical Engineer in the Commonwealth Works organisation, through his wider responsibility for electrical works throughout Australia, including Canberra, and his willingness to share his understanding of engineering with the profession and the wider community.
He made a further significant contribution to the Engineering profession after leaving Canberra, during and following WWII as Australian Controller of Electrical Supply. This role involved restricting the non-essential use of electricity to ensure capacity for wartime production, and technical guidance in reducing shortages and expanding available capacity.
In this time, he participated in the planning for a major power station in South Australia, advocated for an interconnected electrical grid on the Australian east coast and for the development of the Snowy Mountains hydro-electric scheme. This was followed by his participation as technical advisor to the Reparations Commission and as Commonwealth representative at international power conferences in Europe.
Murray Northrop
Details
Tree number: 250
Name: Mr Murray Northrop
Date of birth: 9 August 1939
The Story
Murray Northrop’s name is synonymous with successful engineering consultancy services in Canberra. Founding Northrop Engineers in 1976, he introduced ‘client side thinking’, whereby he and his staff put themselves in the client’s shoes to achieve high quality engineering outcomes that satisfied the client’s real drivers. He fostered a collaborative approach with both clients and other consultants, most notably architects, who awarded him the Royal Australian Institute of Architects Canberra Chapter Presidents Award in 2002.
He was an early advocate of a value management approach to project planning. He also became noted for his innovative project management approaches to complex projects, such as disassembling the deep space tracking antenna at Honeysuckle Creek and re-assembling it at Tidbinbilla. His approach to engineering saw Northrop Engineers win a range of excellence awards.
His contributions to both his profession and his community are substantial. He was a member of the Engineers Australia Civil College Board and both a Canberra Chapter Chair and National Councillor for the then Association of Consulting Engineers, Australia. At a community level, he was a member of a range of Canberra bodies including the Exhibition Park Board, the Advisory Committee on the Very Fast Train and the National Capital Beyond 2000 Advisory Committee.
Murray Northrop’s personal skills and application as an engineer, his dedication to the Canberra community and his collaborative approach significantly contributed to the physical, social and economic development and well-being of Canberra.
Rolfe Hartley
Details
Tree number: 89
Name: Mr Rolfe Hartley
Date of birth: 12 November 1951
The Story
Rolfe Hartley has nearly forty years' experience in civil and environmental engineering and project management, since graduating in civil engineering from the University of NSW in 1974. He also holds postgraduate degrees in transport engineering from UNSW and in infrastructure planning and management from Stanford University, USA.
As a Fellow of Engineers Australia and the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, he has shown passion for promotion of the engineering profession and a healthy environment.
He has had a distinguished career in Government including as the Director of Environment and Heritage in the Department of Defence, and in the consulting engineering industry in Australia, including senior management in KBR and Aurecon.
During his career Rolfe has been very active in Engineers Australia. He was the 1998 President of Canberra Division and served as the Division’s representative on the National Congress. He was elected a National Vice President in 2003, National Deputy President in 2006 and the National President in 2007.
He was the Commissioner for Ethics and Discipline for Engineers Australia, Chair of the National Engineering Registration Board, member of the Management Committee of the Professional Standards Society and on the Anti-Corruption Technical Standing Committee of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations.
He has had a continued active role in the Canberra Division, including through leadership of the ACT Infrastructure Report Card Committee, the Canberra Engineering Excellence Awards and Chair of Engineers Australia’s Canberra 100 Sub-Committee contribution to Canberra's Centenary.
A key role was as Chair of the Pin Oak Forest Steering Committee, responsible for the Freefall Experience competition for the design of a significant new feature within the Engineers Australia forest at the National Arboretum.
In the wider community he has had several terms as Jury Chair for the annual ACT Keep Australia Beautiful Sustainable Cities Awards and Chair of the Australian Science Festival.
Freefall Pin Oak Forest
The National Arboretum Canberra is situated on a 250-hectare site in the Greenhills Forest overlooking Lake Burley Griffin. The Arboretum is currently home to 94 forests of rare, endangered and symbolic trees from Australia and around the world.
More than 48,000 trees are growing across the Arboretum site, including the largest cultivated collection of living Wollemi pines, Wollemia nobilis, in the world. The plantings at the National Arboretum have been designed to provide visitors with the experience of being enveloped in a forest of one species, and feature trees from over 100 different countries.
Engineers Australia has a long tradition supporting and planting trees in the National Capital. In 1926 members of the then Institution of Engineers Australia travelled from Sydney to Canberra to plant trees in Manuka Circle. Their aim was to raise greater public interest in Canberra and to contribute to the beauty of the national capital city.
In 2009 Engineers Australia commemorated its 90th anniversary by sponsoring the Pin Oak Forest in the new National Arboretum. Engineers Australia was the first organisation to sponsor a forest of around 500 trees at the Arboretum. Drawing on the theme of the anniversary, Looking Forward – Looking Back, the forest connected history with the future of the national capital.
The Engineers Australia forest is of Quercus palustris, commonly called the Pin Oak ‘Freefall’. It is a magnificent conic shaped deciduous tree, dark green in summer with a wonderful bronze-red show in autumn.
The Pin Oak was one of the species planted in Manuka Circle in 1926. The ‘Freefall’ cultivar is an outstanding tree developed in and for Canberra in the 1960s by Dr Robert Boden OAM, a luminary in the Australian tree and botanical world.
In celebration of Canberra’s Centenary in 2013, Engineers Australia, Canberra Division conducted a design ideas competition to create a feature installation for the Pin Oak forest.The Freefall Experience Design Ideas Competition was an outstanding success attracting entries from across Australia.
The winning entry was by a Queensland firm, Bligh Tanner, whose entry was titled Freefall and inspired by Australian engineering achievement, the Cochlear implant. Early planning has now commenced to raise the necessary funds to construct this showcase feature.
To learn more about this project view our video Freefall – The Full Story.
The Pin Oak Forest is also an opportunity for Engineers Australia to commemorate the achievements of our engineers. Some 200 trees have been reserved in honour of individuals, senior office bearers and other distinguished citizens who have delivered conspicuous service to the Australian people through the engineering profession.
Members of Engineers Australia also have a unique opportunity to reserve a tree in the ‘Engineers Australia Forest’.
High profile patrons support installation to recognise Australian engineers
On Wednesday 25 March 2014, The Hon Warren Truss, MP Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development announced two national leaders as Patrons of the Engineers Australia Freefall Pin Oak Forest Installation Project:
- Professor Brian Schmidt, Laureate Fellow at the Australian National University and 2011 Nobel Prize Winner
- Dr Chris Roberts, CEO and President of Cochlear Implants Limited
These Patrons will work with Engineers Australia to realise the dream of design, development and construction of the winning entry, Freefall. The goal is to have the installation constructed by 2019 to commemorate the centenary of Engineers Australia as a national Organisation.
About the National Arboretum Canberra
The National Arboretum is an initiative of the ACT Government. It is a visionary proposal destined to become ‘one of the great arboreta in the world… a place of outstanding beauty of international standard and interest that is a destination and recreational resource for the local community and visitors to Canberra…the Arboretum will feature 100 forests of Australian natives and various rare and endangered trees from Australia and around the world. This concept redefines the meaning of a public arboretum in the 21st century. As it develops into the future, it will become a significant recreational and educational asset with an important role for sustainability, the protection of biodiversity and for best practice in horticulture and water management’.
An arboretum was always envisaged for Canberra. Walter Burley Griffin, the Chicago architect who won the 1912 international competition for the design of Australia’s new national capital city, proposed a continental arboretum of trees from all over the world.
One hundred years later Griffin’s ideas would find expression following a tragic bushfire in 2003 that destroyed significant parts of Canberra’s landscape setting. Turning adversity into opportunity, the ACT Government determined to build a showcase arboretum for the local community and for the nation. Extending the legacy of design competitions in the development of Canberra, the master plan for the arboretum site was selected through a competition in 2005.
Landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean and architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer won the competition with their proposal for 100 forests. 100 gardens. The forests and gardens will form a mosaic layered with public buildings and spaces for celebration, conversation, reflection, play and exploration.
The Arboretum was officially opened to the public on 2 February 2013 as part of the Centenary of Canberra celebrations. It will be a place for conservation, study, display and the preservation of trees and ‘a place of unequalled beauty and relevance for future generations’.
About the Forest
The Engineers Australia Forest is of 500 Quercus Palustris, commonly called the Pin Oak ‘Freefall’. It is Forest 41 at the Arboretum and was planted in July 2009.
The origin of the species name is Quercus which is Latin for oak, palustris is Latin meaning growing in marshes or wet places and ‘Freefall’ is a cultivar name referring to the autumn leaf fall. The species is a member of the Fagaceae Family.
The species is native to eastern North America. In 1965, Dr Robert Boden OAM began developing a cultivar of Quercus palustris that defoliates after the autumn show of colour. The cultivar ‘Freefall’ was wholly developed through his research in Canberra, Australia. He took cuttings from pin oaks that fully defoliated in autumn and trialled them at the Yarralumla Nursery. Apical buds taken from these trees grown were grafted onto pin oak seedlings. These were the first plants of the cultivar ‘Freefall’, which fully defoliates in autumn.
It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing in height to 25 metres with a spread of 15 metre. Its crown is conical when young with a central leader and numerous branches. It belongs to the 'red oak' section of the genus.
Jon Stanhope, the Chief Minister of the ACT, joined with members of Engineers Australia and Dr Robert Boden OAM to plant the first Pin Oak trees at the Arboretum on Tuesday 19 May 2009.
Caption: From left to right: Mr Peter Taylor, Chief Executive, Engineers Australia; Mr Tom Brimson, President Canberra Division, Engineers Australia; Mr Peter Godfrey, National President, Engineers Australia; Chief Minister Jon Stanhope; Mr John Mackay, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Arboretum.
In 2011, during Engineering Week, explanatory signage was unveiled at the Arboretum, marking the forest as the Engineers Australia Forest and explaining the Freefall Pin Oak cultivar.