Person

Murray, Russell Mervyn (1877 - 1945)

Born: 12 July 1877
Elliminyt, Victoria, Australia
Died: 22 January 1945
Queenstown, Tasmania, Australia
Occupation: Mining engineer

Summary

Russell Murray greatly changed the face of mining in Tasmania. During his forty-plus years in charge of Mount Lyell Mining he oversaw the construction of Australia's biggest underground mining operation - the Mount Lyell Mine - and he initiated a scheme which greatly improved the living conditions of miners and other Gormanston locals. In 1912 a fire swept through North Lyell killing forty-two people, but without Murray's calm and organised rescue plan the death rate may have been much higher. The Royal human Society awarded Russell Murray their Silver Medal for his life-saving efforts.

Details

Chronology

1900: Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE), University of Melbourne
1900 - 1906: Career position - Draftsman and Assistant Surveyor with Mount Lyell Mining & Railway Co. in Gormanston, Tasmania
1906: Career position - Acting Manager of Mount Lyell mines
1906 - 1922: Career position - Oversaw the development of the Mount Lyell mine complex
1907 - 1922: Career position - Engineer-in-charge at Mount Lyell mines
c. 1912: Award - Royal Humane Society's silver medal - for implementing rescue operations during the North Lyell fire of 1912
1920 - 1945: Career position - Warden of Gormanston
1922 - 1944: Career position - General Manager of Mount Lyell mines
1927: Career position - President, Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
1944: Life event - Retired due to crippling arthritis

Related Awards

The Institute Medal, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (1935 - )
Awarded the Medal 1943. "In recognition of his outstanding services in the development of the mining and metallurgical practices at Mount Lyell, Tasmania."

Published resources

Book Sections

Smith, Ann G., 'Murray, Russell Mervyn (1877-1945), mining engineer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 10: 1891 - 1939 Lat-Ner, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1986), pp. 649-650. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100631b.htm. Details

Resources

Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21537710. Details
'Murray, Russell Mervyn (1877-1945)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1465529. Details

McCarthy, G.J.

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 26 February 2018

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