Furphy, Henry Gustavus (1897 - 1991)

Summary

Harry Furphy, BA BCE FIEAust FInstCE, was a leading civil and public health engineer specialising in water supply and sewerage systems from 1923 until he retired in 1971.

Early in his career, he was appointed to the newly created Division of Public Health Engineering, Commonwealth Department of Health in 1923, under its Director, Gordon Gutteridge. In this role he reporting on the water supply problems and sewerage possibilities for many towns and provincial centres across Australia. When Gutteridge resigned, he was appointed Director until the position was abolished in 1930.

He travelled overseas for two and a half years, to increase his professional knowledge of water supply, purification, and sewerage engineering. In Germany, he worked under Dr. Imhoff on the staff of the Ruhrverband, Essen, on sewage treatment design, and for shorter periods under Dr. Pruss of the Emschergenossenschaft, Essen; and Dr. von Hanffstengel, of the Nuremberg City Council Sewerage Department. In addition he took a short course of study at the Prussian Institute for Water, Soil, and Air Hygiene, Berlin. In England he spent fifteen months designing the large treatment works for Dagenham, Essex, under the Council's engineer T. P. Francis, before returning via the United States and Canada.

In 1933, with Ronald M Scott, they formed the consulting civil engineering practice Scott & Furphy in Melbourne, and it became one of the leading firms designing and supervising the construction of water supply and treatment plants throughout Australia.

Active within the engineering profession, he served as Chairman of the Melbourne Division of the Institution of Engineers Australia, as a Member of Council 1953 - 1958, and as its national President in 1959-60.

Details

Associated major projects:
* 1929 Deloraine Water Supply;

Chronology

c. 1915 - 1916

Career position - School teacher, Education Department, Victoria

1916 - 1918

Military service - First Word War. Corporal, 5th Battalion AIF [Wounded in France]

1919

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

1923

Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Melbourne

1924

Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE), University of Melbourne

1925 - 1926

Career position - Assistant Engineer, Division of Public Health Engineering, Commonwealth Department of Health

1926

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

1926 - 1928

Career position - Engineer, Division of Public Health Engineering, Commonwealth Department of Health

1928 - 1930

Career position - Director, Division of Public Health Engineering, Commonwealth Department of Health

1930 - 1932

Life event - Overseas study tour to increase his professional knowledge of water supply, purification, and sewerage engineering [In Essen, Nuremberg, and Berlin]

1931 - 1932

Career position - Sewerage Design Engineer, Dagenham, Essex [Under Thomas Phillip Francis, resposible for designing the the seven million gallons per day sewage treatment plant]

1933 - 1971

Career position - Partner, Scott and Furphy, Consulting civil engineers

1939

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

1941 - 1945

Military service - Second World War. Captain (T/Major), Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (Vic)

1949

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

1953 - 1957

Career position - Member of Council, Institution of Engineers Australia

1957 - 1958

Career position - Vice-President, Institution of Engineers Australia

1959

Career position - President, Institution of Engineers Australia

c. 1960

Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London

c. 1960

Career event - Fellow (FAmSocCE), American Society of Civil Engineers

1968

Career position - President, Victorian Branch, Australian Water and Wastewater Association

13 Sep 1968

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

c. 1970

Career event - Fellow (FInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London

1971 -

Career position - Consultant to Scott and Furphy Consulting Group

1971

Life event - Retired

Related entries

Published resources

Edited Books

• Legge, J. S. ed., Who's who in Australia 1968 (Melbourne, Victoria: The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, 1968), 955 pp. "Furphy, Henry Gustavus". p.328. Details

Gazette Articles

• 'Appointments - Department of Health', Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (1925), 1542, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232531108. Details
• 'Appointments - Department of Health', Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (1927), 425, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232518822. Details
• 'Promotions - Department of Health', Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (1928), 3488, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232533676. Details
• 'Promotions - Department of Health', Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (1928), 3225, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232533233. Details

Journal Articles

• 'The president of the Institution for 1959 [Mr H. G. Furphy]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 31 (3) (1959), N13. Details
• Furphy, H. G., 'The chemical treatment of water supplies', Quarterly Bulletin, Institution of Engineers, Australia, 3 (1926), 222-. Details
• Furphy, H. G., 'Some aspects of trickling filter design', Commonwealth Engineer, 21 (3) (1933), 71-73. Details
• Furphy, H. G., 'Presidential address: The coming drought', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 32 (1960), 69-73. Details

Resources

• CA 2001 Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office, 'NAA: B2455, Furphy H G', 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=4036306. Details
• CA 2002, 2 Echelon, Army Headquarters; CA 46, Department of Defence [III], Central Office, 'NAA: B884, V144034', B884 Citizen Military Forces Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6265949. Details

See also

• Draper, W.J. ed., Who's who in Australia 1983 (Melbourne, Victoria: Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, 1983), 960 pp. Page 323. Details