Nicol, Thomas Bruce (1896 - 1987)

Summary

Thomas Nicol CBE BE FIEAust, was Engineer-in-Chief of the New South Wales Metropolitan Water Sewerage & Drainage Board from 1949 until 1961. He spent his entire working career with the Water Board, commencing in 1921, and earned a reputation as an authority on the design and construction of large dams.

Nicol was a member of the Australian National Committee on Large Dams and representated Australia on the International Commission on Large Dams. In 1961, he was appointed as a consultant on the Expert Advisory Panel on Environmental Sanitation, World Health Organisation, Geneva.

He lectured part time in Water Supply and Sewerage at Sydney University from 1928 to 1949; was a Member of the Sydney District Technical Education Council; and was Commissioner of the New Zealand Commission of Enquiry into the Sewerage of Auckland 1949.

His distinguished career was recognised when he was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1960; was awarded the Institution of Engineers Australia Warren Memorial Prize in 1964, and the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in 1965 in recognition of a lifetime of service.

Details

Chronology

1915 - 1919

Military service - First World War. Served with the Royal Australian Engineers in Egypt, France and Belgium, was wounded and was mentioned in despatches.

1919

Award - Mentioned in Despatches (MID), 16 March 1919 - for conspicuous service rendered by No.2415 Corporal T.B. Nicol, Australian Imperial Forces

1919

Career event - Foundation Junior Member (JrIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1921

Award - University Medal, University of Sydney

1921

Education - Bachelor of Engineering (BE (Civil) with Hons), University of Sydney [Completion disrupted by Military service]

1921 - 1925

Career position - Engineering Draughtsman, Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board (MWSDB)

1925 - 1929

Career position - Chief Draughtsman, MWS&DB

1927

Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1928 - 1949

Career position - Lecturer, Water Supply and Sewerage, University of Sydney

1929 - 1932

Career position - Designing Engineer, MWS&DB

1932 - 1934

Career position - Chief Investigating Engineer, MWS&DB

1934 - 1937

Career position - Assistant Chief Engineer, Water Supply, MWS&DB

1936

Life event - Married Charlotte (Lottie) Isabella Leslie Gammie, Crows Nest, NSW

1937 - 1949

Career position - Deputy Engineer-in-Chief, MWS&DB [Drought relief works and wartime defences]

1941

Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1941

Career event - Overseas investigations, in the USA, for MWS&DB [Studying water treatment from less pristine catchments]

1944 - 1949

Career position - Appointed member of Building Advisory Committee, Sydney City Council. Nominee of MWS&DB

1949

Career position - Commissioner, New Zealand Commission of Enquiry, Sewerage of Auckland

c. 1949 - 1951

Career position - Chairman, committee to revise Engineering Drawing Practice, Institution of Engineers Australia

1949 - 1961

Career position - Engineer-in-Chief, MWS&DB

c. 1955 - 1958

Career position - Chairman, committee that prepared the first edition of Australian Rainfall and Run-off, Institution of Engineers Australia

1957

Career event - Overseas investigations in USA, Europe and Britain, for MWS&DB [Related to finalising floodgates on Warragamba Dam]

1960

Career event - Representative of Australia, at the meeting of International Commission on Large Dams, Tokyo

1960

Award - Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) - Chief Engineer, NSW Metropolitan Water Board

1961 -

Career position - Consulting engineer

1961

Career position - Member of WHO international team of experts, requested by West Pakistan, to report on community water supplies

1961

Career event - Representative of Australia, at the meeting of International Commission on Large Dams, Rome

1961

Life event - Retired

1961 - c. 1965

Career position - Appointed member, Advisory Panel on Environmental Sanitation, World Health Organisation

1964

Career event - Representative of Australia, at the meeting of International Commission on Large Dams, Edinburgh

1964

Award - Warren Memorial Prize, Institution of Engineers Australia

1965

Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia

1968

Career event - Fellow (FIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia [Former Members were designated Fellows on this date.]

Related entries

Published resources

Book Sections

• Breen, Jon, 'Nicol, Thomas Bruce (1896-1987), civil engineer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 18: 1981 - 1990 L-Z, Melanie Nolan, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2012), https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/nicol-thomas-bruce-15385. Details

Journal Articles

• 'Institution News and Notes - Prizes [1964: Warren Memorial Prize; R. W. Chapman Medal; Electrical Engineering Prize; Mechanical Engineering Prize. 1965: Edward Noyes Prize]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 37 (1965), N101-102. 'Warren Memorial Prize (1964) - to Mr T B Nicol, CBE BE MIEAust, for paper "Warragamba Dam", Journal of the Institution of Engineers Australia, Oct-Nov 1964'. Details
• 'Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal: 1965 Award [Thomas Bruce Nicol]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 37 (1965), N127. Details
• Anon, 'IEAust Fellow dies. [Thomas Bruce Nicol]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 59 (24 July 1987) (1987), 9. Details
• Nicol, T. B., 'Warragamba Dam', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 36 (Oct-Nov) (1964), 239-262. Details

Reports

• Institution of Engineers Australia, Forty-sixth Annual Report [1965] (1966), 14 pp. 'Prizes - Warren Memorial Prize (1964 Award), to Mr T B Nicol, CBE BE MIEAust, for his paper entitled "Warragamba Dam"', p.2. Details
• Institution of Engineers Australia, Forty-sixth Annual Report [1965] (1966), 14 pp. 'Prizes - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal (1965 Award), to Mr T B Nicol, CBE BE MIEAust', p.2. Details