Freefall Pin Oak Forest

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

Date of birth: July 1842

Date of death: 1911

The Story

John Blackbourn was born in Dover, Kent, UK, the son of a chemist and druggist.   The family home and shop was 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.  Probably leaving a local school in 1858, it is believed that John at 16 years of age gained an articled position at Dover, perhaps with the South Eastern Railway (Dover Station), or the London Chatham Dover Railway (Dover Admiralty Pier Station).  

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.  We can assume he had commenced his 7 years as an articled apprentice engineer some time prior to this date (1859-1860).   The beauty of John Blackbourn’s engineering plans lie in his artistic draughtsmanship and water colour use - clearly visible in his Victorian Fortifications drawings.

BIOGRAPHY:

• 1868-69 – Resident Engineer, Regents Canal & Railway Company, Limehouse Basin
• 1869 – visits Melbourne 10 Nov 1869 – 11 March 1870 before returning to the UK
• 1871 – 72: migrates to Cairo, Illinois, U.S.A., where he was a resident civil engineer constructing the St. Louis - Cairo Railway. Cairo had been a significant heavily defended Union ‘River Junction’ during the Civil War, utilizing multiple earthwork gun batteries.
• 1872 – 74 – Fort Point, San Francisco (01/06/72 – 24/01/74).  Engineer and overseer.  He constructed defence piers at Fort Point, and probably Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco harbor in 1873-74.  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 defenses 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.
• 1879 – Briefly in Auckland NZ:  appointed Waipawa County Roads Engineer. Returned to Melbourne in September, 1879.
• 1882 – Appointed Military Surveyor -Assistant to Major Peter Scratchley - Defence Advisor to the Australian Colonies - and on Scratchley’s departure for England in 1884, he was appointed as Victorian PWD Fortification Engineer.   It was unusual for a Civil Engineer to design and oversee military fortifications, as this was the domain of serving military Royal Engineers.
• 1874 – Departed San Francisco for Sydney Australia.    
• 06/11/74 - Examination for Engineers & Surveyors Melbourne, awarded A1 level result.  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 to 79 Port Wakefield .SA.  Resident engineer for construction of the Port Wakefield-Kadina Railway - completed Oct 1878.
• 1884 – Surveyor for works at Fort Queenscliff, Fort Nepean, Fort Swan Island.
• 1885 to1896 – 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.   
• 1896 to 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 etc.  From 1869 to 1890 he kept a scrap book of newspaper cuttings on various issues of interest to him, a few about his early life in England and his time in America.

• 1874 - Married Alice Young from Tasmania, and had 3 children, living at St. Kilda, Melbourne.   He is buried 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

Western 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.

Bradlley Armstrong 

Details

Tree number: 274

Name: Bradlley Armstrong AFIEAust CEngA

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 then Hawaii. They then moved 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 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 the 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 on Lake Macquarie. In 1983, at the age of 25, Brad was made a 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 (Electricity Commission of New South Wales) as well as fellow contractors in order 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. The family relocated to the ACT in 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. These included demolition and site consolidation of the Dickson Hotel and the construction of the Turner commercial offices.

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 in order 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, 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; ANU building maintenance and condition audit; 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 colleague from the Canberra region, Steve Wheelhouse. Together, they were able to fill a niche in the construction industry in the ACT and surrounds, providing sound consultancy advice across construction engineering disciplines and specialising particularly in ‘green’ credentials and environmentally-friendly buildings, whilst never losing sight of the needs of their clients.

In July 2008 Barmco Mana Partnership formally came into being, with Brad and Steve as the principal partners. The partnership has 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. Part of the success of the partnership is the emphasis it places on the long-term usefulness of a building or refurbishment, rather than just a narrow, short-term focus on ‘get it done and get out’.

At the time of writing the staff has grown beyond the two original partners to include two part-time engineers, a part-time business manager, a part-time bookkeeper a casual administrative assistant and an engineering cadet. The partnership was one of four nominees in a field of 600 entrants for the 2014 ACT Telstra Small Business Awards in the micro business category. It is active in the wider community beyond the construction industry, participating in various community events. Brad is also a supporter of the Forrest of Engineers at the National Arboretum Canberra, sponsoring a pin oak through Engineers Australia.

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 where IT practices meet Building Services. In March 2015 he was accepted as a Fellow Member of Engineers Australia. In April 2015 he achieved Associate Chartered status with Engineers Australia, having demonstrated his competency in and commitment to that body’s code of ethics.

In February 2015, Brad celebrated 40 years’ involvement in engineering and construction. With an eye on the future, 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. His succession plan aims 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.

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.