Vale RONALD JOHN FITCH OBE PhD ME FIEAust CPEng (Ret)
On Monday 20 July 2015, Ronald John Fitch passed away at the age of 105. Ron joined Engineers Australia in 1932 and his 83-year membership is the longest period of membership in Engineers Australia.
Ron was born in Melbourne in June 1910 when his parents had traveled from Fremantle to Melbourne by ship to attend a family wedding. His father was a signalman with the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR), one of a number of family members with railway connections.
Ron attended Subiaco Primary, Perth Boys and Hale Schools before, in 1927, entering the University of Western Australia under a cadetship from the WAGR. Facilities there were rather primitive and it was called “Tin Pan Alley”; a far cry from the current facilities at Crawley campus. Ron graduated in 1932 and spent his final year as President of the Engineers Club.
In 1931 he commenced work as an engineer with the WAGR. His time involved travelling to innumerable places in WA. One of his roles was to supervise civil works undertaken under the unemployment relief scheme during the Depression. He worked on six such projects: three in the Murchison region, two in the Great Southern region and one in the South West. Work was hard as all civil works were undertaken by pick, shovel and manual labour, assisted by Clydesdale horses. The WAGR did not have a bulldozer until after World War II.
All this travel in the remote regions meant his career as a league footballer for Subiaco in the Western Australia Football League was curtailed prematurely.
While moving around remote WA, Ron met Doreen, the love of his life, and they were married in late 1935. This was the start of a partnership lasting over 60 years.
In 1949 he was awarded his Master of Engineering degree from the University of Western Australia for his thesis entitled: “The Basic Relationship Between Roadbed, Rails, Axle Loads, Speed, Gradings and Curvature: Their Influence on the Maintenance and Operation of Railways; Together With Their Application to the Western Australian Government Railways.”
In 1949, Ron left the WAGR and joined the Commonwealth Railways as the Chief Civil Engineer. This involved the family moving from WA to Port Augusta. In his new role, he was responsible for maintaining the Trans Australian, Northern Australian and Alice Springs railways. The Northern Australian and the Alice Springs railways were infamous for their susceptibility to wash-a-ways and so Ron spent many hours in the Outback supervising remedial work and “on the spot” diversion construction. A feature of Ron’s time was his close personal contact with, and respect for, the men and women located in remote Australia who worked so hard in often appalling conditions.
During his time with the Commonwealth Railways, Ron was a member of the three man Royal Commission into the Stirling North to Leigh Creek railway. It was on that commission that he developed an enduring friendship with Jack Fargher, who subsequently became SA Railways Commissioner.
In 1954, Ron moved to Adelaide and joined the South Australian Railways as Assistant to the Railways Commissioner. In 1956 he traveled to the Riverland to assist in the great River Murray floods. The only access to Renmark was via the railway. He organised specialised trains to ensure supplies arrived and, if necessary, so that evacuation could occur.
In 1965 Ron was appointed Railways Commissioner by the Walsh Government succeeding Jack Fargher. It was a turbulent time as Rail Standardisation for a standard across Australia was undertaken and it was during his time as railways Commissioner that the first Indian-Pacific train crossed Australia in 1970.
In 1973, Ron retired to travel and to become “Station-Master” at the non-existent Kingscote railway station. He and Doreen spent happy years on Kangaroo Island where Ron become a member of the Kingscote District Council before returning to Adelaide in 1977.
Not intending to stop intellectual activity, he wrote 2 books between 1986 and 1993. As Doreen’s health began to fail, he dedicated himself to caring for her, and, with her active encouragement, began work on his PhD thesis from home.
The University of New South Wales, under Professor John Black, accepted his candidature and with Dr Derek Scrafton acting as a local supervisor, he was awarded his PhD in 2002 for his thesis entitled: “A Critical Study of the Operational and Financial Performance of the South Australian Railways 1900 to 1970.”
His award, at the age of 92, was recorded by Guinness World Records Ltd as the “…oldest person to be awarded a doctorate (PhD)...”
Completion of this doctorate did not stop Ron. He was the keynote speaker at the University of Western Australia Engineers’ Club, addressed a seminar at the ANU on “Ageing Well: A Time to Reflect”, addressed this chapter of the institution’s Annual Dinner and also spoke at the centenary of the Eyre Peninsula railway in Port Lincoln.
Ron had a distinguished career of more than 80 years. His career ranged from “pick and shovel” engineering to academic research, coupled with a range of administrative and engineering management roles. He covered all aspects of the engineering profession and practiced the belief that life long learning, understanding the importance of the role of all members of team, and respect for everyone, is necessary for the achievement of engineering excellence.
Ron was a Life Fellow of the Institute of Transport and was a Patron of the SA Retired Railwaymen's Club and was inducted into the Engineers Australia South Australian Engineering Hall of Fame in 2008. In thanking Engineers Australia for the Hall of Fame nomination, Ron wrote: “That elevation is without a doubt the outstanding event of my professional life; but, in saying so, I must not fail to recognise the contributions made by my mentors, colleagues and workmates. Indeed, I am deeply indebted to them for their leadership, cooperation and loyalty.”
Our thoughts are with Ron’s family.
Dr Cris Birzer MIEAust
President
Engineers Australia South Australia
[Photo: Dr Ronald Fitch receiving his certificate recognising 80 years of membership with Engineers Australia in 2012.]