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Pioneers of Victorian Irrigation

Home /=20 Education=20 and Training / Pio= neers=20 of Victorian Irrigation

Hugh=20 McColl .. Stuart=20 Murray .. Elisha=20 Clement DeGaris .. Ettore=20 Checchi .. Alfred=20 Deakin .. William=20 Cattanach .. John=20 Stewart Dethridge .. Sir=20 Ronald East

Hugh McColl, MLA (1819-1885) =
McColl was=20 born in Scotland and migrated to Australia in 1853. He was an = early=20 advocate of town water supply, especially in the Bendigo area, and = of=20 irrigation for northern Victoria. As a politician he aroused = considerable=20 public interest in irrigation development and influenced = decision-makers=20 such as Alfred=20 Deakin.

McColl's grand ideas for irrigation development contributed to = the=20 construction of Goulburn=20 Weir and Waranga=20 Basin and the Waranga=20 Western Channel.

Stuart Murray (1837-1919) =
Murray, who=20 also emigrated from Scotland (in 1855), is regarded by many as the = pioneer=20 engineer of Victorian irrigation who turned the dreams of his=20 contemporaries into reality. As engineer of the United Echuca and = Waranga=20 Waterworks Trust he played a key role in pressing for the = construction of=20 the Goulburn=20 Weir.

In 1884 he became Engineer in Chief of the Water Supply = Department and=20 helped design Goulburn=20 Weir and Laanecoorie=20 Reservoir and played a significant part in drafting water = legislation.=20 He was the first Chairman of the Victorian State Rivers and Water = Supply=20 Commission (SR&WSC).

Elisha Clement DeGaris (1851-1948) =
DeGaris was born on the island of Guernsey and his family = migrated to=20 Australia when he was only three years old. Following his = ordination as a=20 Minister in the Methodist Church in 1881 he moved to Durham Ox, on = the=20 Serpentine Creek not far from Boort and was soon at the forefront = of those=20 interested in water conservation. The run of good seasons which = had=20 accelerated the development of the Northern Plains had ended and = the=20 position of farmers without a scheme of water conservation was, in = many=20 cases, desperate.

For many years Hugh McColl had been preaching the gospel of = large-=20 scale irrigation projects, and DeGaris became an ardent disciple. = He wrote=20 numerous newspaper articles, with the most important channel of = publicity=20 being 'The Australian Irrigationist', later to be merged into 'The = Weekly=20 Times'.

In 1886 DeGaris became Chairman of the Tragowel Plains = Irrigation=20 Trust, the first established under the Irrigation Act.

In 1891 he left the Ministry and settled in Mildura where he = became a=20 prominent business man, auctioneer and real estate agent, general=20 storekeeper, shire councillor, packing house proprietor and = leading light=20 in the foundation of the Australian Dried Fruits Association. He = lived to=20 see the Big Eildon project submitted to Parliament and know that = the=20 development of the Goulburn Valley was assured and to see the = increasing=20 prosperity of Mildura and the dried fruits industry.

Ettore Checchi (1853-1946) =
Born in Pisa,=20 Italy, Checchi obtained his engineering degree at Florence and = with poor=20 prospects for employment in Italy decided to emigrate. He arrived = in=20 Melbourne in 1877.

Amazingly two other Italians, Carlo Catani and Pietro Baracchi, = who=20 also made notable achievements in the Victorian Public Service, = were on=20 the same ship. Catani became Chief Engineer of the Public Works = Department=20 and was involved in the draining of Kooweerup Swamp, development = of=20 Melbourne's St Kilda foreshore and beautification of Mount Buffalo = National Park (Catani Gardens, St Kilda and Lake Catani in Mount = Buffalo=20 NP were named in his honour.). Baracchi was the Victorian = Government=20 Astronomer for a number of years.

Considered a great mathamatician and a sound designing = engineer, Mr=20 Checchi's most notable work was done during 39 years of service=20 (1888-1927), firstly with the Victorian Water Supply Department = and then=20 with the SR&WSC.

In his first few years, as an assistant engineer, Mr Checchi = did=20 hydrographic work, under the direction of Stuart Murray, which = attracted=20 world-wide attention and laid the foundation of a scientific water = conservation policy in Victoria.

His greatest contribution was to supply most of the technical = data in=20 regard to water resources required in connection with harnessing = the=20 waters of the River Murray. It was not until 1914 that an Agreement=20 was reached, based on recommendations of an Interstate Conference = of=20 Engineers in 1913. This Agreement led to the establishment of the = River=20 Murray Commission.

During his last 16 years with the SR&WSC he was associated = with=20 many of the major water conservation projects including Hume=20 Dam and the first Eildon=20 Reservoir.

Alfred Deakin (1856-1919) =
Deakin's=20 achievements were marked in irrigation, although he is probably = better=20 known as serving three terms as Australia's Prime Minister. A = lawyer and=20 journalist turned politician, Alfred Deakin was born in the = Melbourne=20 suburb of Fitzroy. He played an important role in the development = of=20 irrigation in Victoria and in Australian water legislation during = his time=20 as Victorian Minister for Water Supply, a post he first occupied = in 1883=20 at the age of 27.

Deakin toured overseas and presented to the Royal Commission on = Water=20 Supply, excellent reports on irrigation in India, Egypt, Italy and = America. His practical approach to the problems of engineering,=20 agriculture and economics, combined with his enthusiasm, led to = the=20 establishment, in 1886, of Irrigation Trusts to develop local = works and=20 storages. In the same year, the Waterworks Encouragement Act was = passed=20 under Deakin's sponsorship.

In the few short years that he could devote to the irrigation = cause,=20 Deakin gave it all his energy and talent. Under his control, = irrigation=20 development in Victoria (and Australia) received its first = substantial=20 impetus.

Dr Elwood Mead
Dr Mead, a = distinguished=20 American engineer, was Chief of the Irrigation Investigations = Bureau in=20 the US Department of Agriculture when, on the recommendation of = the=20 Victorian Minister of Water Supply, the Victorian Government = offered him=20 the Chairmanship of the SR&WSC. He accepted and served as = Chairman=20 from 1907-15 when he resigned to return to the USA.

It was on Mead's recommendation that charges for water rights, = based on=20 payment per unit volume, were introduced to cover the costs of = operation=20 and management of the irrigation and domestic and stock water = supply=20 system. The charges had to be paid regardless of whether or not = the water=20 was used. The compulsory charge was bitterly opposed by the = majority of=20 landholders. Dr Mead appreciated the reasons for the hostility, = but told=20 delegates at a Farmers' Congress at Bendigo in 1909 "the = inclination of=20 the individual runs counter to the welfare of the State."

Mead was also an advocate of 'closer settlement' and intense = culture=20 methods of irrigation. After years of his urgings, and the = recommendations=20 of a Royal Commission appointed on Closer Settlement in Victoria,=20 legislation was passed in 1918, transferring permanently to the = SR&WSC=20 the responsibility for land purchase and settlement in irrigation = areas.=20 Finally the unified control of land and water that Dr Mead = advocated=20 became effective and remained in force for all soldier and = civilian=20 settlement following WWI.

The February 1951 issue of 'Aqua', the SR&WSC magazine = concluded=20 that Elwood Mead, "...by a combination of his training, experience = and=20 optimism, .... was able to guide Victoria in particular, and = Australia in=20 general, in the evolution of the principles upon which all later=20 irrigation development has been soundly based."

William Cattanach CMG = (1863-1932)
Born=20 in North Melbourne and educated firstly at a private school there = and then=20 at Scotch College, Cattanach spent six years with the Bank of = Victoria=20 before several appointments as Town Clerk at Flemington, = Kensington and=20 Essendon. His sound administration skills attracted the attention = of then=20 Premier, Sir Thomas Bent, who offered him a position as = Commissioner of=20 the SR&WSC upon its formation in 1906. He served as Chairman = of the=20 Commission from 1915 until his death in 1932.

His period of Chairmanship was one of great development of = water supply=20 in general. Substantial additions to storage capacity totalled = nearly one=20 million acre feet and included enlargement of Lake=20 Eildon and Waranga=20 Basin. The area irrigated annually had risen more than = 50%.

The period of Mr Cattanach's Chairmanship was also dominated by = the=20 administration of Closer Settlement under irrigation. In the = Commission's=20 1915/16 Annual Report it was noted that due to subdivision some = 1,500=20 families had been settled where 120 had previously lived. The = Closer=20 Settlement Act 1918 provided for the SR&WSC to administer = settlement=20 of discharged soldiers from WWI in areas irrigated, or likely to = be=20 irrigated. Such areas in the Goulburn and Murray Valleys included=20 Shepparton, Tongala, Stanhope, Swan Hill and Nyah.

Another notable feature of Mr Cattanach's administration was = the=20 leading role he played in the establishment of the great = co-operative=20 canneries of the Goulburn Valley - pioneering the field of orderly = marketing before establishment of today's marketing boards. = Ironically his=20 death followed what seemed to be a fairly small injury while on an = inspection of one of the Goulburn Valley canneries.

John Stewart Dethridge = (1865-1926)
An=20 innovation of major importance in water management was the = development of=20 the Dethridge=20 meter outlet. This wheel has become a familiar sight in = Victoria's=20 irrigation districts.

3D"Dethridge The Dethridge meter was adopted by the = SR&WSC=20 because it was simple, reasonably accurate and could be = constructed as=20 cheaply as any other suitable device. It was installed on all = channels=20 constructed after 1912 and today there are over 22,000 in use = throughout=20 the Goulburn-Murray Water region.

Born in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, JS Dethridge began = his=20 working life as a building worker, but following completion of his = Water=20 Supply examinations he went on to become Executive Engineer of = Goulburn=20 River Works in 1903 and Assistant Chief Engineer of the SR&WSC = in=20 1907. In 1911 he became a SR&WSC Commissioner - a post he held = for 15=20 years.

He was responsible for construction of the Waranga=20 Basin embankment, design and construction of the original Eildon=20 Reservoir, and unique design of Mildura=20 Weir and the original Torrumbarry=20 Weir.

He was Victoria's representative on the River Murray Commission = from=20 its inception on 1 February 1917 until his death in 1926.

Sir Ronald East (1900-1994)
Lewis = Ronald=20 East was the Chairman of the SR&WSC from 1936-65, following = two years=20 as a Commissioner. During his record term of office, the capacity = of water=20 storages was increased threefold and the area of land irrigated in = Victoria more than doubled. He received a knighthood on his = retirement=20 from the SR&WSC.

Mr East was associated with, and to a considerable extent = responsible=20 for, many amendments to and extensions of the Water Acts.

Just as his first appointment to be a commissioner was entirely = unexpected, so was the sudden death of the Commission's Chairman, = and the=20 breakdown in health of the second Commissioner. Mr East was = appointed=20 Chairman for a term of six months, then re-appointed again and = again no=20 fewer than nine times, by four governments, for longer terms up to = the=20 maximum of five years permitted by the Water Act, until he had = been in=20 office for 28 years. He retired on 31 January 1965.

In an article for the 'The Chartered Engineer' in June 1965 Mr = East=20 wrote :
"Engineering is the art of organising and directing = men and=20 controlling the forces and materials of Nature for the benefit of=20 mankind."

Mr East was always workshop-minded, and he became skilled in = the use of=20 metal and wood-working tools and machines. The badge of the = Melbourne=20 University Engineering Students club was made to a prize-winning = design=20 submitted by LR East in a competition amongst students in 1920. = However,=20 his main interest was model engineering. Over many years, when he = could=20 get the time, he made model locomotives, steam engines and boilers = for=20 boys who were prepared to make the hulls for small steamboats.

References:
Pioneers of Victorian Irrigation, = SR&WSC, 1976
Aqua, February 1951, SR&WSC; Issue = 9,=20 Autumn 1994, RWC
A South Australian Colonist of 1836 and his = decendants, Sir Ronald East

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