Person

Kernot, Charles Home (1885 - 1958)

Born
6 August 1885
Melbouirne, Victoria, Australia
Died
29 December 1958
St Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Civil engineer

Summary

Charles Kernot, MIEAust MASCE CE, was a notable civil engineer at the State Electricity Commission, Victoria from 1921 to 1950, rising to the position of Chief Engineer. He was associated with the construction and commissioning of the Yallourn Power Station 1921 - 1927; the Sugarloaf - Rubicon hydro-electric power station 1927 - 1929; the rehabilitation of Yallourn Open Cut after the Latrobe River flood of 1934; and the Kiewa Hydro-electric scheme from 1938 - 1947. Earlier, working for the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, he had responsibility for the design and construction of the Sugarloaf Reservoir, on the Goulburn River, and preliminary works in Victoria for the Hume Dam on the Murray River.

His distinguished engineer career was recognised when he was awarded the Kernot Memorial Medal in 1951, presented in 1954.

He was son of distinguished civil engineer Maurice Edwin Kernot, and nephew of Professors William Charles Kernot and Wilfred Noyce Kernot.

Details

Chronology

c. 1903 - c. 1908
Career position - Articled to the engineering firm of J. M. and H. E. Coane
1909
Career position - Resident engineer, Pacific Phosphate Company, Nauru
c. 1910 - c. 1911
Career event - Studied in Great Britain, Europe and U.S.A.
c. 1911
Career event - Licensed Surveyor, Victoria
c. 1911
Career event - Granted Certificate of Qualification as Municipal Surveyor (CE), Local Government Act 1903 VIC
c. 1911
Career event - Granted Certificate as Engineer of Water Supply, Water Act 1890 VIC
1912 - 1920
Career position - Executive engineer, Sugarloaf Reservoir works, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission [Responsible for the design and construction of the Sugarloaf Reservoir, Goulburn River - the £1 million headworks of the main irrigation scheme of Victoria.]
1919 - 1920
Career position - Executive engineer, Victorian section, Hume Dam on Murray River [Carried out preliminary works - railway connections, construction plant and surveys]
1920 - 1927
Career position - Construction engineer, Acting General Superintendent, Yallourn Power Station, State Electricity Commission of Victoria
1921
Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1927
Career event - Member (MAmSocCE), American Society of Civil Engineers
1927 - 1929
Career position - Supervising Engineer, construction of the Sugarloaf - Rubicon hydro-electric power station, State Electricity Commission of Victoria
1929 - 1939
Career position - Construction engineer, State Electricity Commission of Victoria [Oversight of construction of Yallourn B]
1934
Career position - Chief Supervising Engineer, Rehabilitation of Yallourn Open Cut, after the Latrobe River flooding, State Electricity Commission of Victoria
1937
Career event - Overseas tour to California [to study the Boulder Dam hydro-electric undertaking, and other large U.S. hydro-electric and water supply projects]
1937
Career position - Chairman, Melbourne Division, Institution of Engineers Australia
1938 - 1947
Career position - Chief Construction Engineer, State Electricity Commission of Victoria [Kiewa Hydro-electric scheme]
1942 - 1948
Career position - Acting Chief Engineer, State Electricity Commission of Victoria [vice Ernest Bate overseas]
1947 - 1949
Career position - Deputy Chief Engineer, State Electricity Commission of Victoria
1950
Career position - Chief Engineer, State Electricity Commission of Victoria [Jan 1950-Dec 1950]
1951 -
Career position - Consultant to the State Electricity Commission of Victoria
1951
Award - Kernot Memorial Medal, for distinguished engineering achievement in Australia. Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne [presented in 1954]
1951
Life event - Retired

Superior

  • Bate, Ernest (1883 - 1974)

    Charles Kernot was Deputy Chief Engineer, SECV, to Ernest Bate 1947 - 1949; and acted as Chief Engineer 1942 - 1948 when he was overseas.

Related Corporate Bodies

Related People

Published resources

Conference Papers

  • Ferguson, Jim, 'The Kernot engineers', in Engineering Heritage Victoria, Speakers Programme (2003).. Details

Edited Books

  • Alexander, Joseph A. ed., Who's who in Australia 1950 (Melbourne: Colorgravure Publications, 1950). Details

Journal Articles

  • Kernot, C. H., 'Irrigation schemes in Victoria', Commonwealth Engineer, 8 (1) (1920), 9-14. Details

Newspaper Articles

Ken McInnes

EOAS ID: biogs/P007399b.htm

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