P006422 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2019-06-06 human Ken McInnes updated 2026-05-21 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P006422b.htm person Kelso Alexander Edward MM AACR2 6 June 1894 12 January 1943 Place of Birth Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Place of Death Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Civil engineer Alexander Kelso, MM MCE AssocMInstCE MIEAust, was Engineer of Water Supply for the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) from 1935-1943. He supervised the construction of the O'Shanassy weir, the Silvan dam and designed the Upper Yarra dam. In the siting and foundation design for the Silvan dam, he pioneered geo-technical engineering. When it was designed, the Upper Yarra dam was one of the largest earth filled dams in the world.

During the Second World War he was the chief engineer to the engineering section of the US army in Australia; was technical adviser to the Minister of the Army; and was a member of the Business Advisory Panel.

During the First World War he served in France under Sir John Monash, was wounded and gassed and was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry in the field. He received a commission in 1918.

As engineer for the Country Roads Board, in 1922, he was involved with the construction of the bridge over the Barwon River at Geelong.

In 1934 he presented a paper to the Institution of Civil Engineers "The Construction of Silvan Dam, Melbourne Water Supply". He was also Chairman of Melbourne Division and a Member of Council of the Institution of Engineers, Australia; and a member of the Faculty of Engineering and of the Standing Committee of Convocation of the University of Melbourne.

1909 1912 Education - Scotch College, Melbourne 1916 1918 Military service - First World War. Lieutenant, 10th Field Company of Engineers, AIF, France, under Major W.J.B. McCormack 1918 1918 Award - Military Medal for gallantry in the field 1919 1919 Career event - Foundation Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia c. 1919 c. 1919 Award - The "Argus" Civil engineering Scholarship, University of Melbourne 1919 c. 1920 Career position - Hydraulic engineer, Hydro-Electric Power Department, Tasmania 1920 1920 Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE), University of Melbourne 1920 1920 Award - Stawell Scholarship for Research in Engineering, University of Melbourne 1920 c. 1921 Career position - Assistant engineer, Ouse Diversion Works, Hydro-electric Power department, Tasmania 14 Dec 1920 14 Dec 1920 Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London 1921 1921 Education - Master of Civil Engineering (MCE), University of Melbourne 1921 1922 Career position - Resident engineer, Hume Reservoir Works 1922 c. 1924 Career position - Engineer for bridges, Country Roads Board, Victoria c. 1924 1927 Career position - Resident engineer, O'Shannassy dam, MMBW, Victoria 1927 1930 Career position - Resident engineer, Silvan dam, MMBW, Victoria 1930 1931 Career position - Senior Construction engineer, Sewerage, MMBW 1931 1934 Career position - Assistant engineer of Sewerage, MMBW, Victoria 1934 1936 Career position - Assistant engineer of Water Supply, MMBW, Victoria 1936 1943 Career position - Engineer of Water Supply, MMBW, Victoria. 1937 Career position - Foundation member, Australian National Committee on Large Dams 1938 1938 Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1939 1940 Career position - Chairman, Melbourne Division, Institution of Engineers, Australia 1939 1942 Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia Calcutt, Francis Macnamara (1870 - 1950)

Francis Calcutt MInstCE endorsed Alexander Kelso nomination for AssocMInstCE, 1920

 Australian National Committee on Large Dams Incorporated (ANCOLD) (1937 - )

Foundation member 1937 -

 Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, State of Victoria (1891 - 1990s)

Engineer of Water Supply 1935-1943.

 Payne, Henry (1871 - 1945)

Henry Payne MInstCE endorsed Alexander Kelso's nomination for AssocMInstCE, 1920.

 Kernot, Wilfred Noyce (1868 - 1945)

Wilfred Kernot endorsed Alexander Kelso's nomination for AssocMInstCE, 1920.

 Monash, John (1865 - 1931)

John Monash MInstCE endorsed Alexander Kelso's nomination for AssocMInstCE, 1920

 Waitt, Frank William Foster (1895 - 1989)

Alexander Kelso AssocMInstCE, endorsed Frank Waitt's nomination for AssocMInstCE 1926. Kelso also graduated BCE with Frank Waitt in 1920.

 Kelso, Anne (1954 - )

Grandfather

 Victoria Division, Institution of Engineers, Australia (1919 - )

Chairman, Melbourne Division 1939

 Institution of Engineers, Australia (1919 - )

Councillor 1939 - 1942; Chairman, Melbourne Division 1939 - 1940

 Country Roads Board, State of Victoria (1913 - 1983)

Engineer for bridges 1922 - 1924

 'Kelso, Alexander Edward', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Kelso, Alexander Edward Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: The future of the engineering profession (Discussions and Communications) Chapman, W. D. (Jeffrey, C. S.; Kelso, A. E.) The future of the engineering profession (Discussions and Communications) 1935 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 7 4 124-126 Journal Article: The construction of the Canning Dam, Western Australia (Discussions and communications) Dumas, Russell John; Munt, Victor Cranston (Kelso, A. E.; Kernot, C. H.) The construction of the Canning Dam, Western Australia (Discussions and communications) 1936 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 8 10 371-372 Journal Article: High earthen dams, with particular relationship to Silvan Dam for Melbourne Water Supply (Discussion) Ritchie, Edgar Gower; Robertson, W. A.; East, L. R.; Sanders, C. L.; Kelso, A. E. High earthen dams, with particular relationship to Silvan Dam for Melbourne Water Supply (Discussion) 1931 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 3 4 133-135 Resource: Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Journal Article: Sewage pumping at Sunshine, Victoria Kelso, A. E. Sewage pumping at Sunshine, Victoria 1935 Commonwealth Engineer 22 8 249-252 Resource: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Journal Article: Increasing Melbourne's water supply Kelso, A. E. Increasing Melbourne's water supply 1936 Commonwealth Engineer 24 1 5-11 Resource: Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Journal of the Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Resource: Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930 Institution of Civil Engineers, London Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930 ancestry.com Resource: B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 CA 2001 Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch Resource Section: From the Significant to the Indispensible: The Working Lives of Seventeen Figures in the History of the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works Rasmussen, Carolyn From the Significant to the Indispensible: The Working Lives of Seventeen Figures in the History of the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works Australian National University 2019 Australian dictionary of biography