Person
Eaton, John Henry Osborn (1869 - 1948)
ISO
- Born
- 11 April 1869
Goolwa, South Australia, Australia - Died
- 1 September 1948
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Civil engineer
Summary
John Henry Osborn Eaton, ISO MInstCE MIEAust, was appointed Engineer-in-Chief, Engineering and Water Supply Department, South Australia, from when it was formed in 1929, until 1935 when he retired. He was the representative of South Australia on the River Murray Commission for 27 years, from 1918 until 1946, and was a leading champion of Murray River water conservation. He was responsible for the construction of the locks and barrages on the Murray River in South Australia, and played a leading role in other water engineering works in Adelaide and South Australia.
His distinguished career was recognised when he was appointed a Companion of the Imperial Service Order (ISO) in 1934, for his service as Engineer-in-Chief and when he was awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in 1935.
Details
Chronology
- 1879 - 1884
- Education - Whinham College, North Adelaide
- 1884 - 1889
- Career position - Trainee Surveyor, Water Conservation Department, South Australia [under J W Jones]
- 1889 - 1892
- Career position - Surveyor, Engineer-in-Chief's Department, South Australia. [under A B Moncrieff MInstCE]
- 1892 - 1899
- Career position - Assistant Surveyor, Engineer-in-Chief's Department, South Australia [under G Stewart MInstCE, Engineer-in-Chief]
- 1899 - 1912
- Career position - Surveyor, Engineer-in-Chief's Department /Engineering Department, South Australia [He set out the tunnel from the Clarendon Weir to the Happy Valley Reservoir, the railway from Laura to Booleroo, and the Barossa Arch Dam. Under C A Bayer MInstCE.]
- 1903
- Career event - Gave evidence to the Waterworks Commission [SA PP 1903 (23)]
- 1912 - 1918
- Career position - Resident engineer, Hydraulic Engineers Department, South Australia [working on Murray River locks]
- 1918 - 1924
- Career position - Assistant engineer, Engineer-in-Chief's Department, South Australia
- 1918 - 1946
- Career position - Representative of South Australia, on River Murray Commission [succeeding G Stewart]
- 1919
- Career event - Foundation Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1919 - 1928
- Career position - Member of Committee, Adelaide Division, Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1920
- Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1921
- Career event - Gave evidence to the Standing Committee on Railways - Victor Harbor Improvements. [SA PP 1921 (32)]
- 1922 - 1923
- Career position - Chairman, Adelaide Division, Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1923 - 1927
- Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1924
- Career event - Gave evidence to the Royal Commission on South-East Drainage [SA PP 1925 (55)]
- 1924 - 1929
- Career position - Construction engineer, Hydraulic Engineers Department, South Australia [engineer for Murray River works]
- 9 Feb 1926
- Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
- 1929 - 1935
- Career position - Engineer-in-Chief, Engineering and Water Supply Department, South Australia [First Engineer-in-Chief of this new department]
- 1930
- Career event - Gave evidence to the Standing Committee on Public Works - Patawalonga Creek Diversion [SA PP 1930 (62)]
- 1934
- Award - Companion of the Imperial Service Order (ISO) - for service as South Australia Engineer-in-Chief
- 1935
- Career event - Gave evidence to the Select Committee on Mount Bold Reservoir [SA PP 1935 SS (33)]
- 1935
- Life event - Retired [succeeded as Engineer-in-Chief, by H.T.M. Angwin]
- 1936
- Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Cumming, D. A.; Moxham, G. C., They built South Australia : engineers, technicians, manufacturers, contractors and their work (Adelaide: D.A. Cumming and G.C Moxham, 1986), 241 pp. p.55. Details
- Eaton, J. H. O., Notes on the River Murray works (Adelaide: 1920), 24 pp, http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/156904. Details
- Eaton, J. H. O., A short history of the River Murray works (Adelaide: River Murray Commission, 1945), 70 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Eaton, J. H. O., 'The River Murray works', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers Australia, 1 (1920), 193-213, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.632728047219707. Details
- Eaton, J. H. O., 'Mount Bold Storage, Adelaide', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 5 (1933), 47-. Details
- Eaton, J. H. O., 'A century of engineering in South Australia [Part 2]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 9 (10) (1937), 405-406. Details
- Eaton, J. H. O., 'A century of engineering in South Australia [Part 1]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 9 (4) (1937), 127-139. Details
- Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Sixteenth Annual Report [1935]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 8 (1936), 145-149. 'Prizes - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal [1935] to Mr J H O Eaton, ISO MIEAust, Adelaide Division', p.146. Details
Resources
- Institution of Civil Engineers, London, 'Application: 17573, 1926', Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930, ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/3585/. Details
Ken McInnes
Created: 8 August 2023