George Gordon | |
---|---|
Born | 1829 Arbroath, Scotland |
Died | 25 February 1907 Toorak, Australia |
Nationality | Australian |
Spouse(s) | 1) ? 2) Violette Elizabeth, née Eddington |
Children | 3 sons and 1 daughter |
Engineering career | |
Discipline | Civil engineer |
Projects | Stony Creek Dam, Geelong water supply |
Awards | Telford medal |
George Gordon (1829–1907) was a Scottish born engineer who was prominent in Melbourne in the late nineteenth century.
Gordon was the son of Robert Gordon and Margaret Auton. He was born in 1829 at Arbroath, Forfarshire, Scotland, while the family home was Cargield House near the market town of Dumfries. Gordon was educated at the local Academy, and later studied at Bonn and Wiesbaden in Germany, before attending engineering lectures at University College, London, and simultaneously serving as a pupil to J. G. C. Curtis. Once qualified, he was employed on Parliamentary surveys and other work as assistant to consulting engineer, William Buld.
In 1851 he moved to Holland, where he was appointed Assistant Engineer for the Amsterdam Waterworks under Bland W. Croker, and was appointed Chief Engineer himself in 1855. In 1859 he obtained a position as one of the Resident Engineers on the Madras Irrigation and Canal Company's Works, and was propmoted to Deputy Chief Engineer in 1869. In 1871, when these works were approaching completion, Mr. Gordon was appointed Chief Engineer for Water-Supply in Victoria, Australia. As Chief Engineer he continued the works of the Coliban Water-Supply for Bendigo and other towns of the goldfields district.
In 1871, Gordon obtained the position of Chief Engineer for Water-Supply in Victoria, Australia, where he continued the works of engineer Joseph Brady on the Coliban Water Supply for Bendigo. He was commissioned to report on public waterworks in 1871, but the appointment was subsequently cancelled. In October 1871 the Duffy government began fresh negotiations and Gordon moved to Melbourne, arriving on 5 May 1872 to take up the position as chief engineer of the Board of Lands and Works. One of his major achievements in this period was the construction of Australia's first arch concrete dam in 1873, at Stoney Creek, for the Geelong water supply. He transferred to the Water Supply Department on 2 February 1875, where he was Chief Engineer until the infamous Black Wednesday, (9 January 1878), when dozens of public servants were sacked in a government financial crisis. Despite the matter of his dismissal being raised in the Victorian Parliament, and Gordon having written to the Victorian Governor and the Queen, in an attempt to be reinstated and gain compensation. He did not get his post back.
Gordon went on to run his own engineering firm, and undertook various private ventures including interests in water scheme. In April–May 1878, Gordon went to New Zealand to investigate options for a water supply for the town of Invercargill. In 1880 he was tasked with examining the stock and domestic water supply in the northern plains of Victoria by the Water Conservancy Board with Alexander Black, Surveyor-General of Victoria, producing twelve reports in 1880-81 with two more on irrigation in 1882 and 1884. He advocated use of natural channels and diversion and storage works under a system of local trusts. Despite strong opposition from supporters of large-scale centrally-administered irrigation schemes, the reports led to the creation of the 1881 Victorian Water Conservation Act and further legislation in 1883-84 setting up local trusts and approving many schemes. However, the Water Conservancy Board was subsequently dissolved and Gordon was left without employment. Debate in Parliament about his dismissal brought out conflicting views, both criticising his work on the Stony Creek weir, and praising his abilities.