P007453 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2024-07-31 human Ken McInnes updated 2026-05-13 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P007453b.htm person Holt James Arthur Kt HonFIEAust AACR2 30 April 1899 1 May 1982 Place of Birth Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia Place of Death Queensland, Australia Civil engineer Public servant Sir James Holt, BE HonFIEAust, was the Co-ordinator-General, Public Works Department, Queensland from 1954 until he retired in 1968. As Co-ordinator-General, he was also the Chairman of the Stanley River Works Board, the Burdekin River Authority, the Bureau of Investigation and the State Traffic Commission. Some of the major projects completed during this period included the University of Queensland, completion of the Somerset Dam, and the Tully Falls hydro-electric scheme. Earlier in his career he was associated with the design and supervision of the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge 1922-1932, the supervision of the construction of the Story Bridge, Brisbane 1934-1940, the preliminary design of St.Lucia Bridge, Brisbane and the Fitzroy River Bridge, Rockhampton 1940-1941. During the Second World war, from 1941 to 1944, he was in charge of all Bureau of Industry, Queensland activities, under the direction of the Allied Works Council, including hangars for the US Army Air Force, ordinance stores and workshops for the Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, stores for the RAAF, as well as highways and aerodromes in northern Australia. His distinguished engineering service and career was acknowledged when he was awarded the R. W. Chapman Medal in 1939; the Warren Memorial Medal in 1940; the R. W. Chapman Medal again in 1953; was appointed Knight Bachelor in 1960; was awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in 1961; an Honorary Doctor of Engineering, University of Queensland in 1965; and an Honorary Fellow, Institution of Engineers Australia in 1971.

Associated Major Projects:
* Story Bridge, Brisbane;
* Fitzroy Bridge, Rockhampton;
* Burdekin River Bridge;
* Somerset Dam, Tully Falls Hydro-Electric Project;
* Barron River Hydro-Electric Extension;
* Victoria Bridge, Brisbane;
* Riverside Expressway, Brisbane;
* Gardens Point Bridge, Brisbane;
* Kangaroo Point Shipbuilding Dock.

1919 1919 Career event - Foundation Student Member (StudIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1921 1921 Education - Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering), (BE(Civil) Hons), University of Sydney [Graduation Prize for Thesis] 1921 1922 Career position - Engineer, General building contractors, Sydney 1922 1932 Career position - Engineer, Public Works Department, New South Wales [Associated with design and supervision of construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge] 1926 1926 Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1932 1933 Career position - Officer-in-Charge, Narooma office, Department of Main Roads, New South Wales 1934 1940 Career position - Supervising Engineer, Bridge Board, Bureau of Industry, Queensland [responsible for the design and supervision of construction of the Story Bridge, Brisbane] 1939 1939 Award - R. W. Chapman Medal, Institution of Engineers Australia [for paper "Story Bridge, Brisbane"] 1939 1948 Career position - Member, Brisbane Division Committee, Institution of Engineers Australia 1940 1940 Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1940 1940 Award - Warren Memorial Prize, Institution of Engineers Australia [for paper "Story Bridge, Brisbane"] 1940 1941 Career position - Supervising Engineer, Bridge Board, Bureau of Industry, Queensland [responsible for preliminary designs of the St.Lucia Bridge, Brisbane, and the Fitzroy Bridge, Rockhampton, and other structural projects] 1941 1943 Career position - Engineer-in-charge, War-time activities, Bureau of Industry 1943 1943 Career position - Chairman, Brisbane Division Committee, Institution of Engineers Australia 1943 1944 Career position - Engineer-in-Charge, Allied Works Council [All projects in the Cairns area, expenditure on which totalled £1,750,000] 1944 1949 Career position - Chief Engineer, Bridge Branch, Co-ordinator-General's Department, Queensland 1947 1947 Career position - Chairman, Brisbane Division, Institution of Engineers Australia 1948 1954 Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia 1948 1955 Career position - Member of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Queensland 1949 1954 Career position - Chief Engineer, Co-ordinator-General's Department, Queensland c. 1950 1960s Career position - Chairman, Queensland State Committee, Standards Association of Australia c. 1950 1960s Career position - Queensland Government representative, Standards Association of Australia 1953 1953 Award - R. W. Chapman Medal, Institution of Engineers Australia [for paper "Fitzroy River Bridge, Queensland"] 1954 c. 1961 Career position - Co-ordinator-General of Public Works, Queensland. [As Co-ordinator-General was also Chairman of the Stanley River Works Board, the Burdekin River Authority, the Bureau of Investigation and the State Traffic Commission] 1955 Career position - Member of the Senate, University of Queensland 11 Jun 1960 11 Jun 1960 Award - Knight Bachelor (Kt) - For service as Coordinator-General with the Queensland Public Works 1961 1961 Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia 1965 1965 Award - Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa, University of Queensland 1968 1968 Life event - Retired 13 Sep 1968 13 Sep 1968 Career event - Fellow (FIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia [Former Members were designated Fellows on this date.] 1971 1971 Award - Honorary Fellow (HonFIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1 Aug 1977 1 Aug 1977 Award - Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal Allied Works Council (1942 - 1945)

Engineer-in-Charge, All projects in the Cairns area 1943 - 1944

 W. H. Warren Medal, Institution of Engineers, Australia (1926 - )

Awarded the Warren Memorial Prize 1940, for the paper "Story Bridge, Brisbane", Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, vol.11, 1939, pp.1-13, pp.53-65, and pp.97-105.

 R. W. Chapman Medal, Institution of Engineers, Australia (1935 - )

Awarded the Medal 1939 and 1953.
Awarded the Medal 1939, for the paper "Story Bridge, Brisbane", Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, vol.11, 1939, pp.1-13, pp.53-65, and pp.97-105.
Awarded the Medal 1953, for the paper "Fitzroy River Bridge, Queensland", Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, vol.25, no.4-5, Apr-May 1953, pp.63 -71.

 Standards Association of Australia (1929 - 1988)

Queensland Government representative c1950 - c1960; Chairman, Queensland State Committee c1950 - c1960

 The University of Queensland (1910 - )

Member of the Senate 1955 -; Member of the Faculty of Engineering 1948 - 1955.

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

Awarded the Medal 1961

 Queensland Public Works Department (II), Colony and State of Queensland (1890 - 1989)

Co-ordinator-General 1954 - c1961

 Institution of Engineers, Australia (1919 - )

Councillor 1948 - 1954; Chairman, Brisbane Division Committee 1943, 1947

 'Holt, James Arthur', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Holt, James Arthur Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: 438 ft. span welded truss for Hawkesbury River Road Bridge (Discussions and Communications) Karmalsky, V. (Holt, J. A.; Packer, V.) 438 ft. span welded truss for Hawkesbury River Road Bridge (Discussions and Communications) 1945 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 17 10-12 225-227 Journal Article: Story Bridge, Brisbane (Discussions and communications) Holt, J. A. (Garland, D. J.; Burgess, J. H.) Story Bridge, Brisbane (Discussions and communications) 1939 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 11 11 380-381 Edited Book: Anything is possible: 100 Australian engineering leaders Engineers Australia Anything is possible: 100 Australian engineering leaders Barton, A.C.T. Institution of Engineers, Australia 2019 Resource Section: Engineering Heritage : Biographies Engineering Heritage : Biographies Engineering Heritage Australia 2024 Engineering Heritage Australia : wiki website Journal Article: Roderick becomes Hon FIEAust Roderick becomes Hon FIEAust 1979 Engineers Australia 51 15 4 Journal Article: Twenty-third Annual Report [1942] Institution of Engineers Australia Twenty-third Annual Report [1942] 1943 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia MacLean, E. S. 15 2 35-51 Journal Article: Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal: 1961 Award [Sir James Holt, BE MIEAust] Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal: 1961 Award [Sir James Holt, BE MIEAust] Institution of Engineers, Australia 1962 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 34 1-2 N4 Journal Article: Twenty-third Annual Report [1942] Institution of Engineers Australia Twenty-third Annual Report [1942] 1943 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia MacLean, E. S. 15 2 35-51 Report: Thirty-fifth Annual Report [1954] Institution of Engineers Australia Thirty-fifth Annual Report [1954] 1955 Journal Article: Story Bridge, Brisbane - Part 3 Holt, J. A. Story Bridge, Brisbane - Part 3 1939 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 11 3 97-105 Journal Article: Story Bridge, Brisbane - Part 2 Holt, J. A. Story Bridge, Brisbane - Part 2 1939 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 11 2 53-65 Journal Article: Fitzroy River Bridge, Queensland Holt, J. A. Fitzroy River Bridge, Queensland 1953 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 25 4-5 63-71 Journal Article: Story Bridge, Brisbane - Part 1 Holt, J. A. Story Bridge, Brisbane - Part 1 1939 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 11 1 1-13 Resource: Honorary awards recipients University of Queensland Honorary awards recipients University of Queensland 2023 Edited Book: Eminent Queensland Engineers - Volume 2 Cossins, Geoffrey Eminent Queensland Engineers - Volume 2 Brisbane, Queensland The Institution of Engineers, Australia, Queensland Division 1999 Journal Article: Sir James Holt elected an Honorary Fellow Sir James Holt elected an Honorary Fellow 1971 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 43 4-5 22