P007859 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2025-09-17 human Ken McInnes updated 2026-04-29 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P007859b.htm person Hill Thomas OBE AACR2 6 June 1867 12 May 1944 Place of Birth Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England Place of Death Victoria, Australia Civil engineer Thomas Hill OBE MIEAust MVIE CE LS was the Commonwealth Director-General of Works, when he retired in 1932. He joined the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs, and its Public Works Branch, when it was formed in 1901 in Victoria, and rose to be its Chief engineer and Director-General. In this role he had the responsibility for the design and construction of the initial development works in the Federal Capital, including roads and water supply and the Cotter Dam. Later he was also the Commonwealth representative and Deputy Chairman on the River Murray Commission from 1917 when it was formed until he retired, providing a stabilising influence on its developments. He was actively involved with the surveying and engineering profession, serving as President of the Victorian Institute of Engineers; President of the Victorian Institute of Surveyors; Chairman of the Canberra Division and member of Council of the Institution of Engineers Australia. His distinguished service was recognised in 1927 when he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for service as Director-General of Works. 1886 1886 Life event - Migrated to Victoria c. 1887 c. 1888 Career position - Cadet surveyor, with Thomas Fender, district surveyor at Geelong c. 1888 c. 1889 Career position - Surveyor, with City Surveyor, Collingwood c. 1889 c. 1896 Career position - Surveys in the Croajingalong district c. 1890 Career position - Engineering work, Department of Water Supply, Victoria [Laanecoorie Weir and Dam] 1894 1894 Career event - Licensed to practise as a Surveyor (LS) under the Transfer of Land Act 1890 VIC c. 1895 c. 1895 Career event - Granted Certificate as Engineer of Water Supply, under Irrigation Act 1886 VIC c. 1895 c. 1895 Career event - Granted Certificate of Qualification as Engineer and Surveyor (CE), Local Government Act 1890 VIC 1896 Career position - Assistant engineer, Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works [Sewerage of Melbourne] 1896 1896 Career event - Member, Victorian Institute of Surveyors 1897 1897 Life event - Married Annie Mabel Thompson, [daughter of R. O. Thompson MInstCE, Chief Engineer, Metropolitan Gas Company] 1902 1902 Career position - Engineer, Public Works Department, Victoria 1902 Jun 1932 Career event - Engineer, rising through Chief engineer, to Director General, Commonwealth Department of Works 1917 1934 Career position - Deputy Commissioner for the Commonwealth, River Murray Commission 1919 1920 Career event - President, Victorian Institute of Surveyors 1925 1926 Career position - President, Victorian Institute of Engineers 1926 1926 Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia (Admitted from Institution of Municipal Engineers of Victoria, following amalgamation) 1926 1926 Career position - Representative of the Commonwealth Government, nominated by CSIR, on the Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association 9 May 1927 9 May 1927 Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - For service as Director-General of Works 1930 Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia 1930 Career position - Chairman, Canberra Division, Institution of Engineers Australia 1930 1930 Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia 1932 1932 Life event - Retired 1944 1944 Buried - Cremated, Springvale Botanical Cemetery Department of Home Affairs [I], Central Office, Commonwealth of Australia (1901 - 1916)

Engineer c1901 - 1916, Public Works Branch

 Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association (1922 - 1929)

Representative of the Commonwealth 1926 -

 Victorian Institute of Engineers (1883 - 1949)

President 1925-1926

 River Murray Commission, Commonwealth of Australia (1917 - 1988)

Deputy Commissioner, for the Commonwealth 1917 - c1934

 'Hill, Thomas', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Hill, Thomas Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: Seventh Annual General Meeting [March 1927] and Seventh Annual Report [1926] Institution of Engineers Australia Seventh Annual General Meeting [March 1927] and Seventh Annual Report [1926] 1927 Transactions of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 7 xvi-xli Edited Book: Who's Who in Australia 1935 Knox, Errol G. Who's Who in Australia 1935 Melbourne Herald and Weekly Times Ltd 1935 Report: Report on investigations in U.S.A. and Canada Hill, Thomas Report on investigations in U.S.A. and Canada 1928 Journal Article: Conservation Works on the Murray River Dethridge, J. S., and Hill, T. Conservation Works on the Murray River 1924 Commonwealth Engineer Journal Article: Recent works in connection with the Murray river conservation (Abstract of Lecture, Discussion & Paper) Dethridge, John Stuart; and Hill, Thomas Recent works in connection with the Murray river conservation (Abstract of Lecture, Discussion & Paper) 1924 Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers 1923-1924 198-204, 205-212 Journal Article: Presidential Address 1926 Hill, Thomas Presidential Address 1926 1927 Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers 1925-1926 87-91 Journal Article: 28 Floods on the Mississippi river (Abstract of Lecture) Hill, Thomas 28 Floods on the Mississippi river (Abstract of Lecture) 1928 Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers 1927-1928 159-162 Journal Article: Obituary - Thomas Hill OBE MIE(Aust) MVIE LS Obituary - Thomas Hill OBE MIE(Aust) MVIE LS 1944 Australian Surveyor 94-5 Journal Article: Chairman, Canberra Division, I.E.Aust. Thomas Hill Director-General of Works (Commonwealth) Chairman, Canberra Division, I.E.Aust. Thomas Hill Director-General of Works (Commonwealth) 1930 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 2 7 iv Journal Article: Mr Thomas Hill MIEAust, retirement from the office of Director-General of Works (Commonwealth) Mr Thomas Hill MIEAust, retirement from the office of Director-General of Works (Commonwealth) 1931 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 3 10 370 Journal Article: River Murray Commission River Murray Commission 1935 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 7 6 224 Journal Article: The River Murray Waters Scheme Dare, Henry Harvey The River Murray Waters Scheme 1934 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 6 6 185-198 Journal Article: Concrete tests - Demonstration of the effect of the water-cement ratio on the strength of concrete Concrete tests - Demonstration of the effect of the water-cement ratio on the strength of concrete 1930 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 2 11 440-1 Journal Article: A century of engineering in South Australia (Discussions and communications) Eaton, J. H. O. (Hill, T.; Chapman, R. W.) A century of engineering in South Australia (Discussions and communications) 1937 Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia 9 10 405-406