Welch, Lawrence Napier (1891 - 1965)

Summary

Lawrence Napier Welch, OBE MIEAust, was a Senior Divisional Engineer, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (SRWSC). Most of his lifelime he was involved in the construction and servicing of the Wimmera Mallee domestic and stock water supply system, that had grown to include seven reservoirs, 6,500 miles of channels, and supply of water to nearly 50 towns.

Earlier in his career he supervised the enlargement of the Waranga Basin storage, and in 1939, the construction of the Wimmera channel as part of the Grampians Rocklands reservoir project.

His concerns about sand drift and protecting and retaining water supply yields, led to his lobbying for the conservation of the forests in the Grampians, and soil conservation in general. He represented the Commission on the Soil Conservation Board, North West Mallee Area Committee, and the Mallee Regional Committee.

His significant engineering career and service to the Commission and the Wimmera Mallee was recognised when he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1956.

Details

Associated Major Projects:

* 1915: Waranga Basin enlargement;
* 1939: Wimmera channel;

Chronology

1912 - 1914

Career position - Trainee, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission

1912 - 1914

Education - Engineering studies, Working Men's College

1915 - 1920

Career position - Resident engineer, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission [Fyan's Lake Reservoir, Taylor's Lake Reservoir, Waranga Basin Enlargement Works]

1920 - 1927

Career position - District Engineer, Wimmera Mallee, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission [at Murtoa]

1921

Career event - Granted Certificate as Engineer of Water Supply, Water Act 1890 VIC

1921

Career event - Granted Certificate of Qualification as Municipal Surveyor (CE), Local Government Act 1903 VIC

1927 - 1942

Career position - Assistant Divisional Engineer, Wimmera Mallee Domestic and Stock Water Supply, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission [Head Office Melbourne]

1933 - c. 1937

Career position - Secretary, representative of State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Sand Drift Committee, Walpeup

1938

Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

c. 1941

Career position - Member, representative of the SRWSC, Grampians regional soil conservation committee

1942 - 1943

Career position - Construction manager, Allied Works Council

1943 - 1944

Career position - Assistant Divisional Engineer, Wimmera Mallee Domestic and Stock Water Supply, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission [Head Office Melbourne]

1944 - 1946

Career position - Divisional engineer, Waterworks Trust and Sewerage Authorities, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission [Rutherglen water supply report]

1946 - 1948

Career position - Member, representative of SRWSC, Soil Conservation Board

1946 - 1950

Career position - Divisional Engineer, Wimmera Mallee Domestic and Stock Water Supply, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission

1948 - 1955

Career position - Member, representative of SRWSC, Resettling of North-West Mallee Land Resettlement committee [North-West Mallee Settlement Areas Act 1948]

1950 - c. 1956

Career position - Senior Divisional Engineer, Wimmera Mallee Division, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission [including Red-Cliffs-Merbein, Robinvale and Nyah Irrigation Districts]

1955

Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1956

Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - Engineer of State Rivers and Water Supply Commission

c. 1956

Life event - Retired

Related entries

Published resources

See also

• Soil Conservation Authority, Soil Conservation Authority : first annual report for year ended 30th June 1950 (Melbourne: Government Printer, 1950), 15 pp, https://pov.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_GB/parl_paper/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:27398/one. Details