Balsille, George Davy (1884 - 1976)

Summary

George Balsille MIEAust CBE was the Director of the Public Works Department, Tasmania from 1929 to 1954.

In 1929, just after he took on the role, massive floods washed away or significantly damaged over150 bridges in Northern Tasmania. This led to development and adoption of innovative steel and concrete structural techniques including composite bridge decking, welded steel bridges, and the construction of the unique floating bridge across the Dewent River at Hobart.

He also took a leading role in the engineering profession, through his involvement as a Chairman and Vice-chairman, Tasmania Division of the Institution of Engineers Australia, and in 1937, in the formation of the Australian Committee on Large Dams.

His distinguished contribution to engineering was recognised when he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1939.

Details

Chronology

c. 1903

Education - Mechanical and Civil engineering, Canterbury University College, Christchurch, New Zealand

c. 1903 - c. 1906

Career position - Engineer, Railway workshops, Hillside, Dunedin, New Zealand Government Railways

c. 1906 - c. 1909

Career position - Assistant waterworks engineer, Christchurch City Council, New Zealand

1909 - 1911

Career position - Contractors engineer, hydraulics, Akaroa hydro-electric scheme, New Zealand

c. 1911 - c. 1913

Career position - Assistant locating engineer, Survey and Construction Branch, Federated Malay States railways

1913 - c. 1914

Career position - Engineer, Pratas Island, China, for the Phosphates Exploitation Syndicate Ktd., Singapore

c. 1914 - c. 1915

Career position - Consulting engineer, Singapore

1915

Career event - Granted Certificate of Competency as Municipal Surveyor (CE), Local Government Act 1903 VIC

1915 - 1916

Career position - Engineering Instructor, Warrnambool Technical School, Victoria

c. 1915 - c. 1917

Career position - Contractors engineer, Melbourne Suburban Railway Electrification, for the British Insulated and Helsby Cables Ltd

1916 -

Career position - Shire engineer, Johnstone Shire, Queensland

c. 1916 - c. 1917

Career position - Surveyor, British Insulated and Helsby Cables Ltd

1917 - 1918

Military service - First World War. T/Corporal, Field Company Engineers, A.I.F.

1919

Career position - Special course in design and draughtsmanship, City and Guild College, London [under Professor Dixon, of the Civil Engineering Department]

c. 1919

Career position - Draughtsman, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission, New South Wales

c. 1919

Career event - Granted Certificate as Engineer of Water Supply, under Irrigation Act 1886 VIC

c. 1920 - c. 1921

Career position - Municipal engineer, Devonport, Tasmania

1921

Career event - Granted Certificate of Qualification as Engineer (CE), Local Government Act 1919 NSW. [Certificate No.414]

1922

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

1923 - 1924

Career position - Assistant City engineer, Launceston City Council, Tasmania

1924 - 1929

Career position - City engineer, Launceston City Council, Tasmania

1929 - 1954

Career position - Director, Tasmanian Public Works Department

1932

Career position - Chairman, Tasmania Division, Institution of Engineers Australia

1935

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

1937

Career position - Foundation member, Australian National Committee on Large Dams

1939

Award - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) - Director of Public Works in Tasmania

1948 - 1952

Career position - Chairman, Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board, Tasmania

1949 - c. 1953

Career position - State Co-ordinator of Works, Tasmania

1953 -

Career position - Director, Industrial Sales and Service (Tas.) Ltd, Launceston, Tasmania

Related entries

Published resources

Edited Books

• Lewis, Miles ed., Two hundred years of concrete in Australia (North Sydney: Concrete Institute of Australia, 1988), 137 pp. See pp.46-47. Details

Journal Articles

• Balsille, G. D., 'Water treatment plant, Launceston', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers Australia, 7 (1926), 95-115, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.865534075844131. Details
• Balsille, G. D., 'A graphical method for sewage pumping problems - III', Commonwealth Engineer, 14 (2) (1926), 59-62. Details
• Balsille, G. D., 'Concrete bridge slab decks', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 5 (1933), 60-. Details
• Balsille, G. D., 'Notes on Tasmanian highway bridges', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 6 (1934), 1-. Details
• Balsille, G. D., 'Large land slip near Ulverstone, Tasmania, arrested by deep drainage', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 8 (1936), 365-. Details

Resources

• CA 2001 Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office, 'NAA: B2455, Balsille G D', B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=3047745. Details