Gordon Colebatch
COLEBATCH, Gordon, OBE AO (1910-1996)
Born in South Australia in 1910, Gordon Colebatch was educated at St Peters College, University of Adelaide (BE, 1932) and at the Adelaide School of Mines (Diploma in Industrial Chemistry).
After graduation he spent 4 years with the Engineering & Water Supply Department of SA on the design of Mt Bold Dam and the River Murray Barrages, followed by the construction supervision of two sewerage treatment works.
1934 he attended an IEAust conference in Hobart where he heard a talk about hydro-electric power in Australia. In 1936 he joined the Hydro-Electric Commission in Hobart where he gained experience in canal and pipeline design and model testing for the Tarraleah Power Development.
Gordon Colebatch joined the AIF in June 1940 and served with the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) in the Middle East, Papua New Guinea and in Bougainville. In 1944 he was Lieutenant Colonel in command of the RAE in the 3rd Australian Division in Bougainville where extensive road and bridge works and mine removal were carried out. For his distinguished services in the Bougainville Campaign he was awarded the OBE.
He returned to the HEC in 1946. In 1951 he was appointed Chief Civil Engineer and held that position for 23 years. In that period 19 power stations were commissioned and the civil works included 28 large dams and over 40 smaller dams, as well as the associated tunnels, pipelines and villages.
In the post-war period there was a severe power shortage and the development of more power schemes was urgent. His initial task in 1946 was to determine which developments should be tackled first and the outcome was a series of dams and power stations down the Derwent River. Generally two or three schemes were proceeding concurrently at different stages of completion. The Commission built villages with houses for married staff, a staff house for single staff and camps for single men. All construction work was carried out with its own work force. As work progressed, resources were moved from one scheme on to the next.
Gordon Colebatch had his hands full. He reported to Sir Allan Knight as Commissioner who was running a vertically integrated authority responsible for power development, generation, transmission, distribution and sales to industry and domestic customers. While Sir Allan visited construction sites periodically, he relied upon the Chief Civil Engineer and the Chief Electrical Engineer to deliver projects to meet the demand on time and budget.
Gordon Colebatch energetically encouraged and fostered innovation and programming techniques which led to economy in construction. He and his engineers and sub-professional staff rapidly gained knowledge of dam building in other states and in other western countries, and established a world-wide reputation for their expertise in the design and construction of dams in particular and also tunnels, pipelines and underground power stations.
While innovations were proposed by his capable staff, he had to satisfy himself and the Commissioner that the designs were sound and would reduce costs. Examples follow:
- Catagunya concrete gravity dam could be anchored to its foundation with steel cables and reduce the concrete required by 20% (only the second in the world);
- The Poatina penstock 2.6 km long under a very high head of 800 m could be safely operated without a surge tower;
- The purchase of the first tunnel boring machine in Australia; could it cut through two kilometres of hard sandstone in the Poatina tailrace tunnel?
- Poatina underground power station cavern roof could be supported with rockbolts, avoiding the cost of massive concrete arches used in the Snowy Mountains;
- A 110m high concrete faced rockfill dam could be built with minimum leakage despite poor outcomes in other countries. In fact he banned the concept for high dams until more studies were done.
- The 140 m high Gordon Dam could be safely designed, the highest arch dam in Australia.
None of these decisions were lightly taken; all were successfully completed.
Another aspect of his career was his ability to get his talented staff and skilled workforce to work harmoniously together for great outcomes. When mistakes were made, his attitude was to concentrate on fixing the problem and not on fixing the blame. This made Civil Branch a great place to work.
Gordon Colebatch was active with other professional engineering associations. In 1931 he joined the Institution of Engineers Australia (IEAust) as a student member and maintained a keen interest in the Institution and its activities. He was Chairman of the Tasmania Division in 1951, Councilor in 1954, National President in 1961 and was awarded Honorary Fellowship in 1991. As a flow-on from the Professional Engineers Cases in 1964, he initiated an IEAust sub-committee for the review of sub-professional (para-professional) education and training in engineering. He supported the occupational title ‘engineering associate’, a descriptor adopted some years later.
He joined the Institution of Civil Engineers, London in 1961 and remained a member for over 20 years.
From 1960 when the Australian National Committee on Large Dams was reconstituted, Gordon Colebatch represented the HEC on ANCOLD from 1960 until he retired in 1974. He followed Sir William Hudson as Chairman of ANCOLD from 1967 to 1969 with the Secretariat moving from the Snowy Mountains Authority to the HEC. In 1966 he was elected a Vice-President of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) for 3 years and was the Australian correspondent on the ICOLD sub-committee on Concrete. He presented a paper on Catagunya prestressed concrete gravity dam at the 1961 ICOLD Congress.
In retirement in 1976, the Institution invited Gordon to become a Foundation Member of the Institute of Arbitrators, Australia, then being established. After study and attending prescribed courses he conducted series of arbitration cases in Tasmania from 1980 to 1989, mainly between Councils or Government Departments and building contractors.
He also conducted mentoring sessions with engineering students at the University of Tasmania. From his own student days, he can remember the value he gained from contacts with experienced engineers.
In 1982 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to engineering. Gordon Colebatch died in 1996.
References:
Oral History Interview, Engineering Heritage Tasmania, 1993.
Lloyd, BE. Engineering in Australia: a professional ethos, IEAust, 1994.
The ANCOLD Story 1937-1995, Australian National Committee on Large Dams, 1998.
