Person
O'Brien, Claude Harding (1879 - 1960)
- Born
- 14 December 1879
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - Died
- 4 November 1960
East Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - Occupation
- Sugar technologist
Summary
Claude O'Brien was a chemist whose career was in the sugar industry in Queensland. To determine the amount of fibre in the cane that was being crushed, he designed and patented the cane fibrator, a machine that became standard laboratory equipment in Queensland's sugar mills. With J. H. Reed, he devised a system of payment to growers such that they were not disadvantaged by having to harvest when the sugar content of the cane was low: This scheme was adopted throughout Queensland. In 1915 O'Malley was appointed to the Central Cane Prices Board, which was established to hear appeals relating to the prices set for cane. At the request of the South African Planter's Association, O'Malley spent six months from August 1922 in South Africa to advise the local industry. His recommendations on pricing, the types to cane to grow, and the need for a sugar experiment station were all accepted. O'Malley represented the Australian Sugar Producers' Association at three congresses of the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. He was a founding member and served of the executives of both the Queensland Branch of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and the Queensland Society of Sugar Cane Technologists.
Details
Chronology
- 1901 - 1903
- Career position - Junior Assistant Chemist, Queensland Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations
- 1903 - 1905
- Career position - Chief Chemist, Fiji Sugar Company Ltd
- 1905 - 1908
- Career position - Supervising Chemist, Queensland Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations, Bundaberg
- 1908 - 1909
- Career position - Chief Sugar Chemist, Mossman Central Sugar Mill Co. Ltd
- 1909 - 1915
- Career position - Sugar Chemist, Mulgrave Central Mill Co. Ltd
- 1915 - 1925
- Career position - Chemist, Central Cane Prices Board, Brisbane
- 1917
- Career position - Founding Member, Queensland Branch, Royal Australian Chemical Institute
- 1922 - 1923
- Career position - Advisor to the South African Planter's Association
- 1925 - 1930
- Career position - Chief Sugar Chemist, Mossman Central Sugar Mill Co. Ltd
- 1929
- Career position - Founding Member, Queensland Society of Sugar Cane Technologists
- 1930 - 1944
- Career position - Technical Advisor, Australian Sugar Producers' Board
- 1931 - 1937
- Career position - Executive Member, Queensland Society of Sugar Cane Technologists
- 1933 - 1935
- Career position - Member of Committee, Queensland Branch, Royal Australian Chemical Institute
- 1935 - 1950
- Career position - Editor, Australian Sugar Journal
- 1941 - 1950
- Career position - Executive Member, Queensland Society of Sugar Cane Technologists
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Griggs, Peter D., 'O'Brien, Claude Harding (1879-1960), Sugar-Technologist' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, John Ritchie, ed., vol. 15 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2000), pp. 507-508. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150588b.htm. Details
Resources
- 'O'Brien, Claude Harding (18791214-19601104)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1463890. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 31 July 2018, Last modified: 7 August 2018