Structural Engineering Company of Western Australia
The origin of the Structural Engineering Company of Western Australia was the increasing demand for structural steel in office and industrial buildings. Elder Smith and Company Ltd had operated a Steel Division in Fremantle that had supplied major projects such as the Forrest Place General Post Office that had required fabrication of 3,000 tons of structural steel.
The Structural Engineering Company of Western Australia had commenced operating on January 1, 1929 as a joint venture between Elders and BHP. Key staff came from the Steel Division in Elders including the General Manager, Joseph Hamilton and Structural Engineer, Leslie Herlihy.
An 8 acre block was purchased at Welshpool and a state of the art fabrication shop was built.
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The company was involved in many major projects including the Commonwealth Bank building in Forrest Place involving the largest girders fabricated in the State to that date (1930). The two 72 foot girders weighed 12 tons each.
Steel was also provided for the East Perth Power Station, Big Bell Mine, the Kalgoorlie Brewery, a ten story Clinic Ward Building at Royal Perth Hospital and the Colonial Mutual Building.
The company built an 80 ton floating crane for the Fremantle Port on a 2,000 ton pontoon. A similar floating crane was built for Sydney and shipped across in sections.
In 1936 the company provided steel for the new airbase at Bullsbrook for the RAAF.
During World War II the company provided the Commonwealth Government with portable Bellman aircraft hangars for use in WA and SA as well as the two Catalina Flying Boat Hangars at Pelican Point. The company supplied curved steel for many oil and petrol storage tanks during the war.
Two 424 ton displacement, 120 foot steel ships were ordered from the company for the Australian Navy. One was completed and launched in 1947 (MWL 251 or HMAS Gunga Din). Another ship was partially completed and sold to private enterprise. Two 80 ton barges were also built during the war and used in Fremantle Harbour.
Manufacturing included Bren Gun barrels and heavy gun mount turntables as well as the heavy long range gun emplacements installed at Rottnest and Leighton.
Post war work by the company up until 1963 included 70,000 tons of structural steel for the South Fremantle Power Station. Other projects included:
- expansion of the East Perth Power Station
- fertiliser plants and storage at Picton, Albany and Collie
- woolsheds at South Fremantle with a unique roof able to be raised
- woolsheds in Albany
- T&G Building
- Perth Concert Hall
- Customs House Perth
- Ord River Diversion Dam Gates
- Dumas House in West Perth
From its formation in 1929 up to 1963, Structural Engineering only had two Managing Directors:
