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Biographical entry Davidson, William (1844 - 1920)
ISO
- Born
- 6 December 1844
Moy, County Tyrone, Ireland - Died
- 2 September 1920
Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Civil engineer
Summary
William Davidson worked as a civil engineer in Victoria for over 30 years (1873-1912). Much of his work was on improving Melbourne's water supply and catchment facilities. During a major flood in 1878, most of Melbourne's existing aqueduct system was destroyed. Davidson supervised its three-day around-the-clock restoration. He was rewarded by being appointed superintending engineer and later transferred to the newly formed Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. Davidson's other achievements include the extension of the Yan Yean catchment, construction of the Warrnambool breakwater and Portland harbour, and consultant to the English developers of Melbourne harbour (Station Pier at Port Melbourne). William Davidson was made a Companion of the Imperial Service Order (ISO) in 1911.
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Details
Events
- 1859
- Life event - Arrived in Australia (Victoria)
- 1864
- Education - Completed a surveyor's certificate
- 1873 - 1877
- Career position - Assistant to the Superintending Engineer at Melbourne Water Supply
- 1878 - 1888
- Career position - Superintending Engineer at the Melbourne Water Supply
- 1883 - 1884
- Career position - Yan Yean catchment extension undertaken in Victoria
- 1888 -
- Career position - Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London
- 1889 - 1891
- Career position - Inspector-General of public works and Chief Engineer at Melbourne Water Supply
- 1891 - 1912
- Career position - Chief Engineer at the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works
- 1911
- Award - Companion of the Imperial Service Order
- 1914 - 1919
- Career position - Chair of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Victorian branch
Published resources
Book Sections
- McNicoll, Ronald, 'Davidson, William (1844-1920)', in Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 8, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1981, pp. 230-231. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080253b.htm. Details
Online Resources
- National Library of Australia, 'Davidson, William', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1469831. Details
McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 4 February 2010
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