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Biographical entry Murray, Russell Mervyn (1877 - 1945)
- Born
- 12 July 1877
Elliminyt, Victoria, Australia - Died
- 22 January 1945
Queenstown, Tasmania, Australia - Occupation
- Mining engineer
Summary
Russell Mervyn Murray greatly changed the face of mining in Tasmania. During his forty-plus years in charge of Mount Lyell Mining he oversaw the construction of Australia's biggest underground mining operation - the Mount Lyell Mine - and he initiated a scheme which greatly improved the living conditions of miners and other Gormanston locals. In 1912 a fire swept through North Lyell killing forty-two people, but without Murray's calm and organised rescue plan the death rate may have been much higher. The Royal human Society awarded Russell Murray their Silver Medal for his life-saving efforts.
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Details
Events
- 1900
- Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE) completed at the University of Melbourne
- 1900 - 1906
- Career position - Draftsman and Assistant Surveyor with Mount Lyell Mining & Railway Co. in Gormanston, Tasmania
- 1906
- Career position - Acting Manager of Mount Lyell mines
- 1906 - 1922
- Career position - Oversaw the development of the Mount Lyell mine complex
- 1907 - 1922
- Career position - Engineer-in-charge at Mount Lyell mines
- c. 1912
- Award - Royal Humane Society's silver medal received for implementing rescue operations during the North Lyell fire of 1912
- 1920 - 1945
- Career position - Warden of Gormanston
- 1922 - 1944
- Career position - General Manager of Mount Lyell mines
- 1927
- Career position - President of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
- 1944
- Life event - Retired due to crippling arthritis
Published resources
Book Sections
- Smith, Ann G., 'Murray, Russell Mervyn (1877-1945), Mining Engineer', in Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 10, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1986, pp. 649-650. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100631b.htm. Details
Online Resources
- National Library of Australia, 'Murray, Russell Mervyn', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1465529. Details
McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 23 August 2005
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education