The dam builders Anabel Dean meets a unique group of wartime comrades: the engineers of 1950 alumni update oy Lascelles remembers the unbeaten by any other faculty. Another exceptional graduate, day well. The day he faced the “It was a Godsend to start Pat Christie, started a company RJapanese pilot who was credited university,” continues Lascelles, now concerned with patents for the with making the reconnaissance flight aged 90. “I was so starved of intellect automated shearing of sheep and then over Sydney to survey the harbour in that I enjoyed it. Not using your brain built a highly successful production preparation for attack by three mini for all those years, to suddenly have facility for the making of teabags. Jim submarines. something to do, that was everything.” Robson Scott started a large pre- Lascelles’ meeting with the pilot Almost without exception, the 1950 stressed concrete business and in the came at the completion of an airstrip graduates went on to impressive careers process made all the pavers for the at the Kachu Mountain camp in in vastly diverse areas. They built Opera House. Neville Chidgey had Thailand. It was only weeks away from dams, roads, railways, bridges, tunnels, a distinguished career in the banking the end of the war. Lascelles had been mines, steel works and power stations sector and was, for a time, the chairman a prisoner of war for almost three years, in Australia and elsewhere. of the University’s Warren Centre for having survived the Burma railway and A large number of the men joined Advanced Engineering. the bridge over the river Kwai. the fledgling Snowy Mountains Hydro- A sprightly 83-year-old graduate, “I thought: What the hell do I say to Electric Authority and held roles of Beau McFee, says one of the most him?” Lascelles recalls. “I hadn’t been increasing responsibility for decades. remarkable in the group was Brian used to conversation for a long while so I One impressive graduate, Douglas Kelman, who took Australian Ready asked him ‘How did you find Sydney?’ Price, became the managing director Mixed Concrete to England and Europe. And he said: ‘It was fairyland: flying of the Snowy Mountains Engineering “I bumped into him in 1959 at over at night with all the lights blazing; Corporation formed after the project Heathrow getting off an airplane,” Mascot lit up; the bridge so bright’.” was completed. McFee explains. “I said ‘What are you Lascelles’ experience of war was When the earth-moving company doing here?’ and he said: ‘Oh, I’ve got no fairy tale but it did teach him Thiess Bros became the first Australian 79 Ready Mixed Concrete plants in something about the engineering contractor awarded a major job on the United Kingdom and Europe’. of aerodromes and bridges. A much the Snowy project in 1958 – to build He built RMC (UK) into a huge more friendly familiarity with these the Tooma Dam and Tooma-Tumut public company.” Ten years later he structures was to come within six Tunnel – it was regarded as a turning returned to Australia and became chief months of his return home in 1945 point in the history of the Australian executive officer of CSR Limited. He when, at the age of 28, he became construction industry. negotiated the formation of Nabalco the oldest undergraduate to study for Much of the credit for that contract Alumina Plant (Gove, NT) and was a a Bachelor of Civil Engineering at belonged to one of the graduates: Ron founding director of Macquarie Bank. Sydney University (in that year). Evans. He was the resourceful 29-year- “We weren’t people riding in He was in good company since 49 old civil engineer who had persuaded on white horses doing something of the 79 students who graduated were his employers, Les and Stan Thiess, different,” McFee says. “Infrastructure ex-servicemen. The youthful students to allow him to prepare a bid for the and new industry construction (and who enrolled at university straight project which, at the time, would have most training) was delayed for five out of school cheekily called the ex- seemed well beyond the capacity of years by WW2 so the 1950 graduates servicemen “Dad”, but the mix of men any Australian company. quickly went to jobs with faster than Glenn Stevens produced a resilient esprit de corps that Thiess Bros broke the world record normal promotions.” (opposite) remains today. for hard-rock tunneling in 1960 and The stories outlined here are typical Photo Ted Sealey Every year without fail since went on to more work building dams of the experiences and achievements graduation in 1950, and in spite of ever- and driving tunnels through the main of the 79 graduates of 1950. There are Every year without fail ... the men (above) diminishing numbers, the men meet Kosciuszko range which diverted many more worth recounting, enough meet to celebrate to celebrate their achievements. Their water from the Snowy River to the for a book, and more than enough for their achievements reunion record remains unbroken and headwaters of the Murray. another reunion. SAM SAM Winter 08 27.