P007290 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2023-10-25 human Ken McInnes updated 2025-08-27 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P007290b.htm person Welch Lawrence Napier OBE AACR2 1891 5 April 1965 Place of Birth Bendigo, Victoria, Australia Place of Death late of Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia Civil engineer Soil conservationist 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 appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1956.

Associated Major Projects:

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

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 1921 Career event - Granted Certificate of Qualification as Municipal Surveyor (CE), Local Government Act 1903 VIC 1921 1921 Career event - Granted Certificate as Engineer of Water Supply, Water Act 1890 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 1938 Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia c. 1941 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 1955 Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1956 1956 Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - Engineer of State Rivers and Water Supply Commission c. 1956 c. 1956 Life event - Retired Soil Conservation Board, State of Victoria (1940 - 1949)

Representative of State Rivers and Water Supply Commission on the Board, 1946 - 1948

 State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (SRWSC), State of Victoria (1905 - 1984)

Senior Divisional Engineer, 1950 - 1956; Divisional Engineer, 1944 - 1950; Assistant Divisional Engineer, 1927 - 1942; District engineer, 1920 - 1927; Resident engineer 1915 - 1920.

 East, Lewis Ronald (1899 - 1994)

Ronald East MIEAust endorsed Lawrence Welch's nomination for MIEAust 1955

 'Welch, Lawrence Napier', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Welch, Lawrence Napier Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Parliamentary paper: Soil Conservation Authority : first annual report for year ended 30th June 1950 Soil Conservation Authority Soil Conservation Authority : first annual report for year ended 30th June 1950 Melbourne Government Printer 1950