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

Mr. Nicol is a graduate of Sydney University having graduated B.E., with 1st Class Honours and the University Medal - his studies having been interrupted by his services with the A.I.F. He served with the R.A.E. in Egypt, France and Belgium, was wounded and was mentioned in despatches. After joining the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board, Sydney, in 1921 he was promoted to Designing Engineer, Chief Investigating Engineer and Deputy Engineer in Chief, before being appointed Engineer in Chief in 1949, and occupied this important post till his retirement from the Board in 1961.
Mr. Nicol represented Australia at meetings of the International Commission on Large Dams at Tokyo (1960), at Rome (1961), and at Edinburgh (1964). He also carried out overseas investigations on behalf of the Sydney Water Board in 1941 and in 1957.
He was appointed by the World Health Organisation a member of the Advisory Panel on Environmental Sanitation and as such was a member of an international team of experts requested by the West Pakistan Government in 1961 to report on community water supplies. In 1949 he was a member of a Commission of Enquiry appointed by New Zealand to report on the sewerage of Auckland.
He was Chairman of the committee which completed in 1951 the revision of The Institution's publication 'Engineering Drawing Practice'. He was also Chairman of the committee which prepared 'Australian Rainfall and Run-off'.
Source: Brief biography of T. B. Nicol, when his paper was awarded the Warren Memorial Prize 1964.

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

Career event - Associate Member (AssocMAmSocCE), American Society of Civil Engineers

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 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

13 Sep 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

• 'Warren Memorial Medal - 1964 Award', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 37 (10-11) (1965), N101. 'Warren Memorial Prize (1964) - to Mr T B Nicol, CBE BE MIEAust, for the 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 (12) (1965), N127. Details
• Anon, 'IEAust Fellow dies. [Thomas Bruce Nicol]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 59 (1987), 9. Details
• Nicol, T. B., 'Warragamba Dam', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 36 (10-11) (1964), 239-262. Details
• Nicol, T. B. (Simon, L. L.; Alexander, G. N.), 'Warragamba Dam (Discussions and communications)', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 38 (3) (1966), 49-52. Details
• Nicol, T. B. (Speedie, M. G.; Michels, V.; Waitt, F. W. F.; Sweet, H. G.; Taylor, F. G.; Fulton, A. A.; Thomas, H. H.; Hunter, J. K.; Walters, R. C. S.; Leonard, M. W.; Sparkes, S. R.; Blackmore, W. E.; Loewy, E. W.; Biswas, Asit K.), 'Warragamba Dam (Discussions and communications)', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 37 (3) (1965), 71-82. 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 the paper "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