P006548 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2019-08-22 human Ken McInnes updated 2025-12-09 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P006548b.htm person Watson Frank George AACR2 2 September 1927 11 October 2013 Place of Birth Boulder, Western Australia, Australia Place of Death Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Engineer Project Manager Frank Watson, BA, FIEAust, FAIM, MIET, M-SAE-A was the General Manager and Director of Engineering of the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority (MURLA) from 1971 to 1983. He was responsible for supervising and coordinating the planning, financing and construction of the Loop and successfully handing the completed works over to the Victorian Railways to operate.

Born on the goldfields in Western Austrlia, Frank commenced his Diploma of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at the Western Australian School of Mines, Kalgoorlie in 1945, completed the three years of course work in two years, but did not complete the fourth year project because he was recruited as a Lecturer in the School to cope with the influx of post-war students. In 1954 he completed an Advanced Diploma in Mechanical Engineering through the British Institute of Engineering Technology by correspondence.

Prior to the MURLA project, Frank Watson was the Engineer in Charge of Central Plant Workshops, Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW), 1965 to 1971, during tunnellng for Melbourne's South Eastern Trunk Sewer Project. The MMBW had purchased a large Robbins Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for the project but it did not cope with the unexpected soft rock structures that were encountered. Frank and a former Hydro-Electric Commission colleague, David Burnet Sugden, fixed this problem by inventing a new head for this machine. Their patent (US: 3,600,899) was registered and licensed back to the US manufacturer James S Robbins of Seattle. The "Melbourne Head", as it was known, was subsequently used on Robbins TBM's worldwide.

In 1987, Frank received the Tunnelling Achievement Award by the Australian Underground Construction and Tunnelling Association (AUCTA) for his services to the tunnelling industry.

1945 1946 Education - Studied Diploma of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Western Australian School of Mines (Unfinished as thesis deferred) 1947 1947 Career position - Lecturer in Mathematics and Physics, Western Australian School of Mines. 1948 1950 Career position - Trainee, Government Aircraft Factory, Fishermens Bend, Victoria. 1951 1955 Career position - Engineer, (at Liawenee, Butlers Gorge, Tarraleah, Trevallyn), Hydro-Electric Commission, Tasmania. 1954 1954 Education - Advanced Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, British Institute of Engineering Technology 1956 1965 Career position - Engineer, Head Office, Hydro-Electric Commission 1962 1962 Education - Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy (BA), University of Tasmania 1965 1971 Career position - Engineer-in-Charge, Central Plant Workshops, Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, Victoria. 1970 1970 Patent - 'Improved Shield Tunnelling Method and Apparatus' [13004/1970. With David Burnett Sugden] 1971 1983 Career position - General Manager and Director of Engineering, Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority, Victoria. c. 1974 c. 1974 Career event - Fellow (FIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia. c. 1974 c. 1974 Career event - Fellow (FAIM), Australian Institute of Management. c. 1976 c. 1976 Career event - Member (MIET), Institution of Engineering & Technology (UK) 1983 1984 Career position - Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, Victoria. 1984 1987 Career position - Executive Manager, Scientific, Mechanical and Electrical Services, Melbourne Water. c. 1987 c. 1987 Award - Life Member, Australian Tunnelling Society. 1987 1987 Career position - Consultant, Connell Wagner, Consulting Engineers. 1987 1987 Award - Tunnelling Achievement Award, Australian Underground Construction and Tunnelling Association (AUCTA). "In recognition of his services to the tunnelling industry" Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, State of Victoria (1891 - 1990s)

Engineer in charge Central Plant Workshops 1965-1971; Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer 1983-1984

 'Watson, Frank George', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Watson, Frank George Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource: Australian Patent search database IP Australia, Commonwealth of Australia Australian Patent search database Commonwealth of Australia 2015 Journal Article: Frank Watson Optimistic Engineer Handfield, John Frank Watson Optimistic Engineer 1978 The Chartered Engineer Victoria 3,6 Journal Article: Obituary - Frank Watson 1927-2013 Anon Obituary - Frank Watson 1927-2013 2013 Engineers Australia 85 12 63 Journal Article: Frank G. Watson, engineer 2nd September 1927 to 11th October 2013 Watson, Donald and Spurling, Tom Frank G. Watson, engineer 2nd September 1927 to 11th October 2013 2014 ATS and ITA news 2014 March 118 Newspaper Article: A gifted engineer who ensured Melburnians were in the Loop Watson, Donald, and Spurling, Tom A gifted engineer who ensured Melburnians were in the Loop 2013 The Age 41