P007265 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2023-08-31 human Ken McInnes updated 2026-04-01 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P007265b.htm person Lawson Robert OBE AACR2 29 February 1880 5 August 1949 Place of Birth Liverpool, Lancashire, England Place of Death Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Electrical engineer Robert Lawson, OBE MIEAust, was Chief Engineer, Postmaster-General's Department, Commonwealth of Australia, from 1936 until 1945. For more than twenty years before that, he held senior engineering positions within the Department in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. He presented from Sydney at the first joint meeting of the Melbourne Division and Sydney Division, Institution of Engineers, Australia on the 26th March 1929 that was linked by telephone, and broadcast by radio in both Melbourne and Sydney. From 1940 for the duration of the War, Lawson was appointed to the Air Board as Fifth Member in the capacity of Director-General of Production and Supply, and to the Aircraft Production Commission. From 1942 to 1944 he was Staff Business Manager, Royal Australian Air Force, and in 1944 was appointed Technical Assistant to the Chief of Air Staff. He also took a prominent part in the activities of the Standards Association of Australia, as a member of the Council, as Chairman of the Committee on X-Ray-Equipment, and as Chairman of the Victorian Committee on Quality Control. He was also active within the Institution of Engineers Australia, as a foundation member in 1919, as Chairman of the Melbourne Division 1922, as Chairman of the Sydney Division 1930, and was a member of its Council for many years. His distinguished service to engineering was recognised when he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Civil Division) in 1939, and when he was awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in 1948. 1890s 1890s Education - The Institute, Liverpool c. 1896 c. 1896 Education - Polytechnic, London 1900s 1900s Education - London University 1904 1914 Career position - Engineering Department, British Post Office, Manchester and London, England 1908 1908 Publication - Paper 'Wireless Telephony', Institute of Post Office Electrical Engineers, England 1910 1910 Publication - Paper 'Automatic Telephony', Institute of Post Office Electrical Engineers, England 1914 1914 Life event - Migrated to Victoria, to take up a position with the Postmaster-General's Department 1914 1916 Career position - Engineer, Chief Electrical Engineer's Office, G.P.O., Melbourne, Postmaster-General's Department 1916 1918 Career position - State Engineer (later Chief Electrical Engineer), South Australia, Postmaster-General's Department 1916 1918 Career event - Member, South Australian Institute of Engineers 1918 1924 Career position - State Engineer, Victoria, Postmaster-General's Department 1919 1919 Career event - Foundation Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1920 1920 Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1921 1922 Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia 1922 1922 Career position - Chairman, Melbourne Division, Institution of Engineers Australia 1924 1933 Career position - State Engineer (later Superintending Engineer), New South Wales, Postmaster-General's Department 1925 1925 Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia 1927 1933 Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia 26 Mar 1929 26 Mar 1929 Career event - Presented at the first major telephone meeting organised in Australia 1930s 1930s Career position - Chairman, Committee on X-Ray-Equipment, Standards Association of Australia 1930 1930 Career position - Chairman, Sydney Division, Institution of Engineers Australia 1930s 1930s Career position - Member of Council, Standards Association of Australia 1933 1936 Career position - Deputy-Director of Posts and Telegraphs, Victoria, Postmaster-General's Department 1936 1945 Career position - Chief Engineer, Postmaster-General's Department [After retirement of John Murray Crawford] 8 Jun 1939 8 Jun 1939 Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - Chief Engineer of the PMG Department 1940s 1940s Career position - Chairman, Victorian Committee on Quality Control, Standards Association of Australia 1940 1945 Career position - Member representing the Air Board, Aircraft Production Commission 1940 1945 Career position - Fifth Member of the Air Board, Director-General of Production and Supply 1942 1944 Career position - Staff Business Manager, Royal Australian Air Force 1944 1945 Career position - Technical Assistant to the Chief of Air Staff 1945 1945 Life event - Retired 1946 1949 Career position - Board of Business Administration, Department of Treasury, Commonwealth of Australia 1948 1948 Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia 1949 1949 Buried - Cremated, Springvale Crematorium Standards Association of Australia (1929 - 1988)

Member of Council; Chairman of the Committee on X-Ray-Equipment; Chairman of the Victorian Committee on Quality Control;

 Postmaster-General's Department, Commonwealth of Australia (1901 - 1975)

Chief Engineer 1936 - 1945; Deputy-Director of Posts and Telegraphs, Victoria 1933 - 1936; State Engineer (later Superintending Engineer), New South Wales 1924 - 1933; State Engineer, Victoria 1918 - 1924; State Engineer (later Chief Electrical Engineer), South Australia 1916 - 1918; Engineer, Chief Electrical Engineer's Office, Melbourne 1914 - 1916.

 Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal, Institution of Engineers, Australia (1922 - )

Awarded the Medal 1948.

 Institution of Engineers, Australia (1919 - )

Councillor 1921 - 1922, 1925, 1927 - 1933; Chairman, Sydney Division 1930; Chairman, Melbourne Division 1922

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

Chairman, Melbourne Division 1922

 'Lawson, Robert', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Lawson, Robert Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal: 1948 Award [Robert Lawson, OBE MIEAust] Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal: 1948 Award [Robert Lawson, OBE MIEAust] 1948 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 20 12 194 Journal Article: Twenty-ninth Annual Report [1948] Institution of Engineers Australia Twenty-ninth Annual Report [1948] 1949 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 21 1-2 10-23 Journal Article: Erection of a wireless station, and some notes on commercial working Lawson, R. Erection of a wireless station, and some notes on commercial working 1917 South Australian Institute of Engineers: Biennial proceedings 1916 - 1917 167-183 Journal Article: Automatic Telephone Exchange, Collingwood, Victoria Lawson, R. Automatic Telephone Exchange, Collingwood, Victoria 1922 Commonwealth Engineer 9 8 258-261 Journal Article: Sydney-Newcastle-Maitland telephone and telegraph cable Lawson, Robert Sydney-Newcastle-Maitland telephone and telegraph cable 1939 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 11 9 301-312 Journal Article: A modern broadcasting station - Chairman's Address [Sydney Division] Lawson, R. A modern broadcasting station - Chairman's Address [Sydney Division] 1931 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 3 5 176-182 Journal Article: Recent developments in Post Office Engineering. An historical meeting Crawford, J. M.; Lawson, R. Recent developments in Post Office Engineering. An historical meeting 1929 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 1 9 344-347 Journal Article: Obituary [Robert Lawson OBE MIEAust] Obituary [Robert Lawson OBE MIEAust] 1949 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 21 7-8 139 Book Section: Chapter 12: Telecommunications Langevad, Bob Chapter 12: Telecommunications Crows Nest, New South Wales Engineers Australia 1989 Sydney: from settlement to city: an engineering history of Sydney Don Fraser 241-256 Edited Book: Who's who in Australia 1944 Alexander, John A. Who's who in Australia 1944 12th Melbourne, Victoria The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd 1944