Ron Fitch
| Ron Fitch | |
|---|---|
| Born |
8 June 1910 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | 20 July 2015 (aged 105) |
| Occupation | railroad executive, engineer |
Ronald John Fitch (8 June 1910 – 20 July 2015) was born into a railway family in Victoria, Australia and after growing up in Perth spent his railway career working for the Western Australian Government Railways, Commonwealth Railways and the South Australian Railways, where he became the Railway Commissioner in 1965.
Fitch began his railway career in 1927 with the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) as a cadet. During this time he worked in the drawing office of the Way & Works branch as well as spending considerable time working in the countryside and at rural depots. The 1930s depression affected the WAGR and a large number of staff lost employment due to the lack of work. However, Fitch was transferred to Kalgoorlie in 1931 and took up the role of Engineering Assistant. Over the next thirteen years he worked around regional Western Australia before returning to Perth in 1944. Fitch spent the next four years as engineer in charge of design work for the Western Australian railway gauge standardisation report. In May 1949, Fitch left the WAGR after 22 years service and relocated with his family to Port Augusta in South Australia to commence work for the Commonwealth Railways (CR).
Fitch formally became the CR Chief Civil Engineer responsible for the Trans-Australian Railway, Central Australia Railway and the North Australia Railway. During 1951 and 1952, Fitch was a member of the Royal Commission into the route of the proposed new standard gauge railway line from Port Augusta to Leigh Creek. It was during this time that the working relationship between Fitch and then CR Commissioner, PJ Hannaberry, began to break down. Fitch tendered his resignation on 8 February 1954 and was then appointed Assistant to the Railways Commissioner the South Australian Railways (SAR).
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