Theophilus Carey
CAREY, Theophilus Mattingly (Theo), MICE MIEE (1885-1963)
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Theophilus Mattingly Carey was born in Magill, an outer suburb of Adelaide, South Australia on June 2, 1885. He was the son of journalist and printer Theophilus Skilton Carey and his wife Jane Simmons Carey, nee Mattingly. His father moved around with both his profession and his role in the Methodist Church so that young Theophilus was educated in South Australia, NSW, Victoria and Western Australia.
In early 1900 Carey joined WA State Observatory Department as a mechanical apprentice including learning the skills of an instrument maker. On April 5, 1904 his apprenticeship was transferred to the WA Government Railways as an apprentice fitter. He worked in its power station, drawing office and testing section including testing Australian hardwoods. He then became a draughtsman in the Public Works Department working on sewerage design in Perth.
Moving to the private sector, Carey became an engineer with the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company in WA in 1910. By 1915 he was the Electrical Engineer for the Golden Horseshoe mine at Boulder.
On April 22, 1911, Carey married Natalie Olive Sara at Redruth, South Australia. They had four children, all born in Western Australia. Their only son, Theophilus John Carey, was an engineer.
In 1915, Theo Carey was appointed as Electrical Engineer in the City of Perth Electricity and Gas Department and continued in this role until 1925. Part of his work included supervising the conversion of the system from direct to alternating current. In 1918 his accumulated technical study and experience was recognised through being admitted to the Convocation of the University of WA.
Carey joined the Hume Pipe Company in Adelaide in 1925 as State Manager and then Chief Engineer for the Zinc Corporation at Broken Hill in 1929. In 1945 he became Chief Engineer for the Australian Newsprint Mills at Boyer in Tasmania. He left Tasmania in 1947 to establish T M Carey and Associates Consulting Engineers in Melbourne, from which he retired in 1959. Theo Carey died at Hastings, Victoria on January 13, 1963, his wife having died the year before.
Theo Carey was very active in the Institution of Engineers, Australia and its local predecessor the WA Institution of Engineers. He was on the committee of the WA Institution of Engineers in 1919-20. He represented Western Australia at the first meeting of the National Council on October 20, 1919.
Carey was a foundation Associate Member in 1919 of the Institution of Engineers and was made a full Member in 1921. He was the WA Division President in 1925. He was also Vice President of the SA Division in 1927 and an active member of the Tasmanian Division. His published papers include:
- “Economics of Power Transmission” TIEA 1920;
- “Domestic Heating Appliances” TIEA 1922;
- “The development of the electricity supply in Perth and the change over from DC to AC supply” TIEA 1925; and
- “Electric Winders in Metalliferous Mines” JIEA 1947.
References:
D A Cumming, Notes on T M Carey and F W Lawson;
West Australian, 19.4.1918, p. 8.;
A H Corbett, The History of the Institution of Engineers Australia, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1973;
News (Adelaide), 26.3.1927, p. 4.
Construction and Local Government Journal, October 27, 1919, p5.
Chris Fitzhardinge, May 2024
