E EAST, SIR LEWIS RONALD the other commissioner’s health broke down, (RON) (1899–1994), engineer and water leaving East as the sole member. In October commissioner, was born on 17 June 1899 at he was appointed chairman, a position he Auburn, Melbourne, second of three children held until his retirement on 31 January 1965 of Lewis Findlay East, civil servant and later (believed at the time to be the longest tenure as secretary of the Commonwealth Marine head of a government department or authority Branch, and his wife Annie Eleanor, née in Australia). An outstanding engineer, Burchett, both Victorian born. Ronald was inspiring leader, efficient administrator, educated at Ringwood and Tooronga Road and astute political operator, he dominated State schools before winning a scholarship successive water ministers with his forceful to Scotch College, Hawthorn, which he personality and unmatched knowledge of attended from 1913 to 1916, in his final year Victoria’s water issues. He also served as a River winning a government senior scholarship to Murray commissioner (1936–65), in which the University of Melbourne (BEng, 1922; role he exerted great influence on water policy MEng, 1924). throughout south-east Australia. Among many Interrupting his university studies after one examples, he argued successfully for a large year, East enlisted in the Australian Imperial increase in the capacity of the Hume Reservoir. Force on 17 January 1918 for service in World Possibly the most famous photograph used to War I. He arrived in England in May as a 2nd illustrate Australia’s water problems shows East class air mechanic and began flying training in in 1923 literally standing astride the Murray October. In January and February 1919 he was River at Nyah. By the time of his retirement, attached to No. 4 Squadron, Australian Flying the Murray had been ‘drought-proofed’ so that Corps, at Cologne, Germany. His AIF service such a photo could no longer be taken. ended in Melbourne in June. During East’s first decade as chairman, On completing his engineering degree resources for capital works and even with honours, in April 1922 East was recruited maintenance were limited by the continuing by A. S. Kenyon [q.v.9] to the Victorian effects of the Depression, World War II, and State Rivers and Water Supply Commission the ‘deliberate immobilisme’ (Paul 1981, 378) (SRWSC). Kenyon, who was later described of the Dunstan Country Party governments in by East as ‘the most able and fast-working power in Victoria for almost this entire period. man I ever met’ (Aqua 1965, 163), had East also believed that the work of the SRWSC wide interests beyond engineering and he was hampered by the control of its workforce had a great influence on East and his career. by the Victorian Public Service Board (PSB), Working with Kenyon for thirteen years, East which made it difficult to recruit and retain gained a broad knowledge of the water supply talented staff. Despite these impediments, he problems of rural Victoria. On 23 November led the SRWSC in developing and planning 1927 at Spring Road Methodist Church, a visionary postwar program of water Prahran, he married Scottish-born Constance conservation and utilisation projects, notably Lilias Keil, a schoolteacher and graduate of the enlarged Eildon reservoir, the Robinvale the University of Glasgow (MA, 1920), whom irrigation settlement, and the first diversion of he had met while on leave in Scotland during water across the Great Dividing Range to the World War I. interior (the Glenelg River to the Wimmera). When Kenyon retired in 1935, East Much of the design work was carried out by replaced him as one of three commissioners of European refugee engineers, whom East, with the SRWSC. It was a difficult period, with the Dunstan’s support, employed in defiance of commission facing the financial stringency of the PSB. the Depression, devastating floods in 1934 and East played a central role in the Snowy 1935, and the appointment in 1936 of a royal Mountains scheme from its origins in the early commission into water supply in Victoria. 1940s until his retirement. He was a member In September 1936 the chairman of the (1947–49) of the committee of technical SRWSC died suddenly and a fortnight later experts that devised the preliminary plan for 245 East A. D. B. the scheme, proposing the formation of what Ronald East had a strong ethic of public became the Snowy Mountains Authority service and a belief in the power of and arguing successfully that the Snowy and engineering to contribute to human welfare. Eucumbene rivers should be diverted into His personal philosophy derived from his both the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers, Methodist upbringing and the influence of rather than just the Murrumbidgee. In 1965 Henry George’s Progress and Poverty (1879). the Victorian premier, Sir Henry Bolte In 1945 he set out his views in a speech called [q.v.17], praised East’s technical knowledge ‘The Faith of an Engineer’, in which he decried and stated that ‘without Lewis Ronald East, the fact that the benefits of engineering works maybe they’d have been only half way through went largely to ‘the fortunate owners of land the program that they have now completed’ in the areas which receive the benefit of public (Aqua 1965, 157). expenditure’ (East 1945, 184). He believed In the late 1930s East revived a project that engineers should have a broad education to build a large dam on the Goulburn River, and be aware of the social and economic gaining government approval for it in 1946. impact of their work. To circumvent the PSB, he persuaded Victoria’s Described by members of the engineering Parliamentary Public Works Committee and faculty at the University of Melbourne as then the Commonwealth government that ‘politely forceful and discreetly outspoken’ the project should be put out to international (East 1971, 305), East had strong and tender, with the winning bid coming from usually well-informed views on many issues. the Utah Construction Company. The Eildon From outside the SRWSC he was often seen Dam was the ‘biggest contract ever let by as an authoritarian figure, but among the the State of Victoria and the biggest ever commission’s staff he was highly regarded for entered into in Australia for a single structure’ his nurturing of talent, ability to delegate, and (Age 1950, 1). When completed in 1955, Lake appreciation for work well done. A lifelong Eildon was the largest reservoir in Australia. teetotaller, he would reply when offered an Between 1936 and 1965 East was alcoholic drink, ‘Not for me, I’m a Water responsible for increasing Victoria’s water Commissioner’ (East 1971, 294). storage capacity threefold and more than In 1951 East had been appointed CBE doubling its irrigated areas. Storages and in 1966 he was knighted. He was president initiated and constructed under his direction (1952–53) of the Institution of Engineers, included Lauriston, Cairn Curran, Tullaroop, Australia, vice-president (1959–62) of the Rocklands, Devilbend, and Eppalock. International Commission on Irrigation and Irrigation developments included the Murray Drainage, and a member (1960–62) of the Valley, Robinvale, and Nambrok-Denison council of the Institution of Civil Engineers soldier settlements; Red Cliffs, Merbein, (London). A member (1943–65) of the Mildura, Nyah, and Woorinen subsurface faculty of engineering at the University of drainage systems; and the enlargement of Melbourne, he was awarded an honorary the Goulburn channel systems. Reticulated doctorate of engineering in 1981. That year water supplies were provided to 114 towns the university established the L. R. East medal and the number with sewerage rose from for a final year engineering student. ten to fifty-five. Beyond his official role, Sir Ronald enjoyed a long and productive East took an interest in the present and retirement. With broad interests from model future needs of Victoria, using his political engineering to history, he campaigned for the skills and influence with governments to fluoridation of water supplies and was active help secure the establishment of the Town in the Methodist (later Uniting) Church, and Country Planning Board, the Soil Rotary International, the Returned and Conservation Authority, and the office of the Services League, the Royal Historical Society Valuer-General. He identified and addressed of Victoria, the Henry George League, and problems that were hardly recognised at the the Old People’s Welfare Council. When time—such as salination, pollution, silting, his cousin, the journalist Wilfred Burchett and loss of river flow—but later realised [q.v.17], was denied an Australian passport, he that he had been insufficiently aware of the campaigned on his behalf. He was generous deleterious effects of draining swamps. with his help and advice to family, friends, 246 1991–1995 Eather and strangers. It was often said that no matter Methodist Church, Lakemba, the brown-eyed, what your job, Ron East would tell you how fair-haired, almost 6 feet (180 cm) tall Eather to do it. Until the onset of ill-health at the age had married Adeline Mabel Lewis (d. 1966), of ninety-two, he was a sought-after public a tailoress. speaker, able to speak on anything from gum At the beginning of World War II Eather trees to astronomy. Predeceased by his wife was asked to form and command the 2/1st (d. 1982) and survived by his three daughters, Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. He was he died on 9 March 1994 at West Heidelberg a forceful leader and strict disciplinarian. Early and was cremated. in January 1941 the battalion spearheaded the Australian attack on the Italian fortress Age (Melbourne). ‘Eildon Contract Goes to U.S.