William Nimmo, CBE MCE DEng MInstCE FASCE HonFIEAust, was an eminent civil engineer and hydraulic engineer, involved in many major projects in Queensland and Tasmania. From 1939 to 1949, he was the Coordinator-General of Public Works, Queensland, and from 1949 until he retired in 1955, was Commissioner, Irrigation and Water Supply, Queensland. In Tasmania between 1913 and 1923 he was involved in the investigation, design and construction of hydro-electric power, dams and bridges. Through his research into the relation of run-off to rainfall and losses from catchment areas in Australia, he became an authority in the field of hydrology.
Nimmo was also chairman of the Australian National Committee on Large Dams, 1948 - 1961 and participated in the International Commission on Large Dams. He took an active part in the affairs of the Institution of Engineers of Australia from its foundation in 1919, becoming Chairman of the Brisbane division 1937, a national councillor from 1938 - 1958 and President in 1949. He was also active within the Institution of Civil Engineers, London, and the American Society of Civil Engineers, contributing to papers and discussions, and was a member of the American Geophysical Union.
His distinguished achievements in engineering were recognised by being awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in 1950; the Kernot Memorial Medal in 1956; an Honorary Membership of the Institution of Engineers Australia in 1960; and by being appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1962 for services to engineering and to Queensland.
Notable papers include:
* 'Side Spillways for regulating Diversion Canals' (American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 92) 1928;
* Chairman's Address 1938;
* Presidential Address 'The World's Water Supply, and Australia's portion of it' 1949;
* 'Storage of Water', ANZAAS conference, 1951.
1905
1906
Career position - Designer, Sewerage Branch, Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works [designing house connections, under W Thwaites]
c. 1906
c. 1906
Career event - Granted Certificate of Qualification as Municipal Surveyor (CE), Local Government Act 1903 VIC
1906
1906
Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE), University of Melbourne
1906
1906
Education - Completed half the courses for Electrical and Science degrees, University of Melbourne
1906
1906
Career position - Draftsman, Melbourne City Council [surveying, municipal works, under A C Mountain]
1906
1907
Career position - Draftsman, Way and Works Branch, Victorian Railways [drawings and quantities for structural works, under C E Norman]
1907
1908
Career position - Assistant engineer, Construction Branch, Victorian Railways [computation of earthworks, quantities for new structures, under M E Kernot]
1908
1908
Career event - Student Member (StudInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London [recommended by Prof W C Kernot, T W Fowler]
c. 1908
c. 1908
Career event - Granted Certificate as Engineer of Water Supply, Water Act 1890 VIC
1908
1910
Career position - Assistant engineer, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission [making surveys, preparation and criticisms of designs, supervising construction of reservoirs on Macedon and Broken Rivers, under J S Dethridge, E Mead]
c. 1910
c. 1910
Career event - Granted Certificate of Qualification as Engineer (CE), Local Government Act 1906 NSW. [Certificate No.342]
1910
1912
Career position - Leveller, Water Supply Department, Queensland [Survey of West Queensland artesian areas to determine hydraulic gradients]
1912
1913
Career position - Engineering surveyor, Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission, New South Wales [Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area under L A B Wade]
23 Apr 1912
23 Apr 1912
Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1913
1913
Career event - Visited Canada and USA to inspect engineering works
1913
1913
Career event - Associate Member (AssocMAmSocCE), American Society of Civil Engineers
1913
1918
Career position - Design draughtsman, Public Works Department, Hobart [under W. T. Fowler, designed and supervised construction of the first arch dam, and the first reinforced concrete bridge in Tasmania]
1918
1919
Career position - Assistant engineer, Hydro-electric Department, Tasmania [under Chief engineer, Sir John Butters. investigations to determine yield of catchment areas, capacity of canals and storages, preliminary design for the Great Lake Dam and power scheme]
1919
1919
Career event - Foundation Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1919
1920
Career position - Resident engineer, Hydro-electric Department, Tasmania [River Ouse diversion, headworks, Reinforced concrete flume]
1920
1921
Career position - Resident engineer, Hydro-electric Department, Tasmania [under A. H. Bastow, responsible for location, construction and control of the construction settlement]
1921
1923
Career position - Principal assistant, hydraulic design, Hydro-electric Department, Tasmania [under G. C. Halkyard]
1924
1924
Education - Master of Civil Engineering (MCE), University of Melbourne
1924
1927
Career position - Civil engineer, Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board, Brisbane, Queensland [in charge of construction of 350 miles of reticulated sewers, including the main under the Brisbane River (1924-1926)]
1927
1933
Career position - Designing engineer, Queensland Main Roads Commission [under J R Kemp]
1930
1930
Career event - Member (MAmSocCE), American Society of Civil Engineers
1931
1931
Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
1933
1934
Career position - Engineer member, Special Committee of the Bureau of Industry [investigating Brisbane's water-supply and flood-mitigation requirements]
1934
1939
Career position - Designing engineer, later Chief engineer, Stanley River Works Board [to design and build the large concrete gravity Somerset Dam, on the upper reaches of the Brisbane River.]
1937
Career position - Foundation member, Australian National Committee on Large Dams
1937
1937
Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1937
1937
Career position - Chairman, Brisbane division, Institution of Engineers Australia
1938
1958
Career position - National councillor, Institution of Engineers Australia
1939
1949
Career position - Coordinator-General of Public Works, Queensland [responsible during this period for the design and construction of Cairncross Dock 1942 - 1944] Brisbane Graving Dock at Colmslie
1944
1948
Career position - Investigated the hydrology of the Channel Country in the south-west of Queensland; the possibility of scour at the site of the new Burdekin River road and rail bridge; the feasibility study of the Burdekin irrigation, hydro-electric and flood-mitigation scheme; and the construction of the Tully Falls hydro-electric project
1948
1948
Career position - President, Institution of Engineers Australia
1948
1961
Career position - Chairman, Australian National Committee on Large Dams
1949
1955
Career position - Commissioner, Irrigation and Water Supply Commission, Queensland [completion of Somerset Dam; construction of the Tinaroo Falls Dam; and works associated with the Mareeba-Dimbulah irrigation scheme]
1950
1950
Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia
1955
Career position - Chairman, Dumaresq-Barwon Border Rivers Commission
1955
Career position - Engineer-Consultant, to Queensland government
1955
1955
Life event - Retired
1956
1956
Award - Kernot Memorial Medal, for distinguished engineering achievement in Australia. Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne
1960
1960
Award - Honorary Member (HonMIEAust), Institution of Engineers, Australia
1961
1961
Career event - led the Australian delegation, Congress of the International Commission on Large Dams, Rome
1962
1962
Award - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) - for engineering in Queensland
1964
1964
Education - Doctor of Engineering (DEng), University of Queensland [First such doctorate awarded by the University. Contains 56 published papers, reports and discussions from 1916-1962]
1968
1968
Award - Honorary Fellow (HonFIEAust), Institution of Engineers, Australia [Former Hon.Members were designated Hon.Fellows on this date.]