2019 is the centenary of Engineers Australia, and as part of the festivities, the organisation will install a sculpture inspired by the cochlear implant at the National Arboretum Canberra.
Work on the sculpture has been going on for at least half a decade – in 2014, the design for the sculpture was decided with a competition, which was won by Queensland firm Bligh Tanner. The design of the sculpture is inspired by the cochlear implant, an Australian-developed hearing device.
The sculpture will be installed at the Freefall Pin Oak Forest at the Arboretum, also fittingly known as the Engineers Forest.
The association between the pin oak tree and engineers is a long-standing one. In 1926, members of the Institution of Engineers Australia travelled from Sydney to Canberra to plant trees, including the pin oak, in an area of Canberra now known as Manuka Circle.
The Pin Oak Forest at the Arboretum itself was sponsored by Engineers Australia in 2009 to commemorate its 90th anniversary. The forest consists of 500 Quercus Plaustris, the scientific name for the Pin Oak “Freefall” cultivar, a conic shaped deciduous tree which is dark green in summer and bronze-red in autumn.
The forest also serves as a way to honour individuals, senior office bearers and other distinguished citizens who have delivered conspicuous service to the Australian people through the engineering profession, and Engineers Australia members can reserve a tree too.
Rolfe Hartley is the chairman of the steering committee behind the sculpture. According to him, the committee is focused on finalising the technical logistics around building and erecting the sculpture, and that fundraising would begin once the National Capital Authority has given approval for the works.
Keely Quinn, division manager for Engineers Australia, says the funds would be raised in the form of donations from members, corporate partners and the community.
The sculpture will be made from corten steel, with an oxidised surface.
"The cochlear implant is an Australian engineering innovation that really transforms people's lives and showcases cutting-edge technology, which summarises what we want to say about Australian engineering," Hartley said.
Australian doctor Graeme Clark started the road to the first Australian cochlear implant in 1967, culminating in a 1978 surgery which allowed a patient to hear speech for the first time.
Since then, development on the cochlear implant, also known as the bionic ear, has continued, becoming smaller, more efficient, and restoring hearing to over 100,000 people around the world.