Person
Horsfall, Robert Allan (1909 - 1974)
MBE ISO
- Born
- 20 July 1909
Somerville, Victoria, Australia - Died
- 16 September 1974
Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Civil engineer
Summary
Robert Horsfall, MBE ISO MCE FIEAust, was Commissioner (1963 - 1974) and Deputy Chairman (1965 - 1974) of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, and Victorian representative on the River Murray Commission (1969 - 1974). He successfully put the case to the River Murray Commission that a dam on the Mitta Mitta River, at Dartmouth, was a better solution for conserving water than an enlarged dam at Chowilla in South Australia.
Details
Chronology
- 1931
- Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE), University of Melbourne
- 1940 - 1945
- Military service - Second World War. Major, 2/4 Australian Field Squadron, RAE [served in New Guinea]
- 19 Jul 1945
- Award - Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) (Military) - For meritorious service, skill and ability in New Guinea
- 1946
- Education - Bachelor of Mining Engineering (BME), University of Melbourne
- 1946
- Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1949
- Award - Warren Memorial Prize 1950, Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1949
- Education - Master of Civil Engineering (MCE), University of Melbourne
- c. 1950
- Career position - Assistant Chief Designing Engineer, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Victoria
- 1951
- Career position - Australian representative, first conference, International Commission on Irrigation, New Delhi, India
- 1951
- Career position - Australian representative, Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE), New Delhi, India
- c. 1956
- Career position - Chief Designing Engineer, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Victoria
- 1961
- Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
- 1963 - 1972
- Career position - Commissioner, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Victoria
- 1965 - 1972
- Career position - Deputy Chairman, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Victoria
- 1966
- Career position - Australian representative, Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE), Canberra
- 1968
- Career position - Australian representative, Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE), Bangkok
- 13 Sep 1968
- Career event - Fellow (FIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia [Former Members were designated Fellows on this date.]
- 1969 - 1972
- Career position - Victorian representative on the River Murray Commission
- 1974
- Career position - Member of the Environment Protection Appeal Board
- 1974
- Buried - Brighton Cemetery, Victoria
- 15 Jun 1974
- Award - Companion of the Imperial Service Order (ISO) - For service as Commissioner with the Victoria Water Supply Authority
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Wright, R., 'Horsfall, Robert Allan (1909-1974), civil engineer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 14: 1940 - 1980 Di-Kel, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1996), pp. 498-499. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/horsfall-robert-allan-10548. Details
Conference Papers
- Horsfall, R. A., 'Some aspects of power generation at irrigation storages', in ANZAAS 28th Congress, Brisbane - Proceedings (ANZAAS, 1951).. Details
Journal Articles
- 'Obituary [Robert Alan Horsfall MBE ISO MCE BMechE FIWE(Lond) FIEAust]', The Chartered Engineer Victoria, 19 (6) (1974), 7. Details
- East, L. R.; Green, K. D.; Horsfall, R. A., 'The development and use of water resources in Victoria (Symposium)', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 30 (1-2) (1958), 35-64. Details
- Horsfall, R. A, 'Planning irrigation projects', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 22 (6) (1950), 129-139. Details
- Horsfall, R. A., 'Water Conservation in Australia (Speech to I.C.I.D. Congress, 1951)', Aqua: Official Journal of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Victoria (1951), 3-. Details
- Horsfall, R. A., 'The Thomson River Project - Cowwarr Weir and River Control Works', Aqua: Official Journal of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Victoria (1957), 185-. Details
- Horsfall, R. A., 'Principles of organisation', Aqua: Official Journal of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Victoria (1958), 32-. Details
- Horsfall, R. A., 'The Lake Corangamite Reclamation Project', Aqua: Official Journal of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Victoria (1958), 187-. Details
Reports
- Institution of Engineers Australia, Thirty-second Annual Report [1951] (1952), 14 pp. 'Prizes - Warren Memorial Prize (1950 Award), to Mr R A Horsfall, MBE MCE BMechE AMIEAust, Melbourne Division, for his paper "Planning Irrigation Projects"', p.2. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21537387. Details
- CA 2002, 2 Echelon, Army Headquarters; CA 46, Department of Defence [III], Central Office, 'NAA: B883, VX59847', B883 Second Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6119055. Details
- CA 2002, 2 Echelon, Army Headquarters; CA 46, Department of Defence [III], Central Office, 'NAA: B884, V64160', B884 Citizen Military Forces Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6251122. Details
- 'Horsfall, Robert Allan (1909-19741231)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1465510. Details
Ailie Smith; Ken McInnes
Created: 6 April 2016, Last modified: 17 December 2025