Alan Charles Hamlyn Frost
Alan Charles Hamlyn Frost
(8 July 1914 - 2 December 2002)
Alan Charles Hamlyn Frost was born in London on 8 July 1914. He married Edith in 1928, and they had three sons David, Andrew and Timothy.
From 1932 to 1935, he studied at the University of London and graduated with an Hon.BSc (Engineering) and was awarded ‘Best Student’ Medal. He joined consulting engineers Merz and McLellan 1936 and worked on the Central Electricity Board (CEB) 132kV substations, and regional control centres.
When World War II broke out in 1939, he worked on CEB supplies to new munitions factories, and set up 12 coastal radar stations around England and Wales. In 1943 he was called up to the Royal Engineers and commissioned. He led a newly formed Electrical & Mechanical platoon, and was sent to India to provide power and water supplies to military installations and to the new Mauripur Airfield near Karachi. He was demobilised 1946 and returned to work with Merz and McLennan.
He was then transferred by Merz and McLellan to their head office in Newcastle-on-Tyne, to take charge of electrical and mechanical work on Scottish Hydro projects.
In 1950 he applied for a job with the Snowy Mountains Authority (SMA) in Australia. He was interviewed in Newcastle-on-Tyne by Associate Commissioner Tony Merigan and accepted a position with the Authority. He travelled by sea, with his family including a new baby, arriving in Sydney in May 1951, and became Engineer-in-Charge of Electrical Engineering. He was based in Sydney for 6 years and worked on the construction diesel power stations, and the first hydro project, at Guthega. The Guthega turbines and generators were supplied by the English Electric Co. of the UK and were replicas of those at Loch Sloy in Scotland. The diesel plant was recovered from German submarines.
The Norwegian engineer Trygvie Olsen had been the main expert on the 1947 Committee of Inquiry, and his ideas were behind the whole Snowy Scheme. The Inquiry had little data on Snowy maps, geology or water flows, except for downstream flows on the Tumut and Snowy rivers. Olsen became the SMA Chief Investigation Engineer and soon set up teams to update the data. He retired in the late 1950s, returned to Norway, and died soon after.
The reaction of Cooma residents to the start of the Scheme was mixed. Initially there was resentment of ‘intruders’, but as Cooma's population quadrupled from 1949 to 1957 social life became more mixed, and SMA helped greatly in improving municipal services. Alan’s wife Edith joined the Hospital Ladies Auxiliary and became its President for several years. Snowy people took part in the Municipal Council, as Alan did as alderman for nine years, and in organising the ‘Festivals of the Snows’ from 1957 to 1963. The week-long Festivals were timed to include the official anniversary of the start of the Scheme (17 October 1949) and raised large sums for town improvements. Alan and his family had just moved to Cooma when the first Festival took place. Alan had ideas for its improvement and joined in. The town's Centennial Park was refurbished, and a new swimming pool was built, strongly financed by Snowy contractors. Within the SMA there was a great community spirit, and very few tensions. It was a wonderful organisation to work for, and there was a great sense of achievement.
Guthega dam was ready for commissioning September 1954, but drought delayed the reservoir filling. When the dam was ready, Alan supervised pipeline filling, assisted by five observers for possible leaks. The testing was disrupted by telephone troubles, but these were fixed. Filling of the pipeline was satisfactory and took 25-30 minutes. They then tested the closing capacity of the pipeline control valve by using relief valves on the turbines. This was satisfactory, but relief valve discharges undermined and destroyed a storage shed. The Electricity Commission of NSW asked SMA to use Guthega to simulate a new steel rolling mill, as a system test. This was successfully performed, with the aid of whistle signals, by Keith Montague, to overcome station noise. In April 1955 the dam was official opened by Prime Minister Menzies.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who was in Melbourne for the Olympic Games, visited the Snowy Scheme in 1956 and saw a diesel station, and was told it was now used for construction standby supply. The Duke requested a trial run-up and was delighted when it took less than expected time.
In 1957 Alan visited the ASEA factory in Sweden to witness overspeed test on first generator for Tumut 1 Power Station. There was consternation when the test ended in failure, but the fault was found to be in the driving motor, not the generator. Mechanical Engineer Norman Bray and Alan then visited Japan, Europe and the USA to discuss high-head turbines for use at Murray 1 Power Station. It was decided to specify reaction turbines, rather than the more usual Pelton turbines. There was an incident at Tumut 1 Power Station when a drainage pit flooded, due to a worker hanging his coat on the high-level alarm switch.
An economic study was undertaken into transmission voltage for Snowy connections to NSW and Victoria and 330kV was chosen. In 1959 output from Tumut 1 was connected at this voltage to both States.
In 1960 the Association of Professional Engineers Australia (APEA) mounted a High Court case for increased salary levels for engineers of different grades. Alan was a key witness in the Melbourne hearings. The result was an APEA victory. During tests on Tumut 2 Power Station machines in 1961 an earthquake created alarm but no damage was found. An agreement to further increase Snowy power resulted in the decision to provide Tumut 3 Power Station with pumped-storage facilities. In 1965, with three colleagues, Alan did a world tour to discuss the alternatives of reversible turbines versus separate pumps. The latter option was chosen.
In April 1966 the Queen Mother and Prince Charles visited the Snowy Scheme, in particular Murray 1 Power Station. In 1967 Alan was promoted to Chief Engineer Electrical and Mechanical. The last unit of Murray 2 Power Station met with assembly problems which delayed completion, but these were overcome, and the unit was commissioned in 1967.
During the commissioning of Blowering Power Station in 1969, an overspeed test on the single machine, which had not been so tested in the maker's factory, suffered a severe accident but was successfully repaired. Also in 1969, the Jindabyne Pumping Station was completed and so added the Lower Snowy catchment to the Murray stations. The pumping plant was in two stages, the first to handle the 15metre range of Jindabyne Reservoir, and the second for the main lift of 190 metres.
During the Snowy construction, much work was completed in record time by American contractors. While the weather had been favourable much credit must be paid to their efficiency and organisations, the completion of Eucumbene Dam was two years ahead of schedule. Contacts with SMA Commissioner Sir William Hudson were frequent and pleasant. He was a marvellous man, very understanding of employee’s needs. He was essentially a civil engineer, who tended to regard electrical and mechanical work as ‘after thoughts’. After one of his unannounced visits to Tumut 1, just after staff had run out many control cables, he rang Alan and said: ’wires hanging down everywhere, hundreds of 'em. Are they all going to work?’. Sir William was clear thinking, and ‘kept his eye on the ball’.
Alan’s involvement with the Institution of Engineers Australia had commenced in 1956 and expanded with his joining the Monaro Group of Sydney Division, when his family had moved to Cooma. In 1962 Alan was the Chairman of the Organising Committee for the IEAust Annual Conference held in Cooma, a role repeated in 1977. He was elected to the Sydney Division Committee in 1969 and remained a committee member for 16 years. He served as its chairman in 1978-79 and made more than 20 trips to Sydney. During this time the objectives of IEAust were discussed.
By 1970 virtually all civil engineering work on the Snowy Scheme had been completed, leaving only Electrical and Mechanical work for Tumut 3. The potential future role of SMA in overseas work was discussed. Various projects had been undertaken in association with government departments during the 1960s. It was therefore decided to set up the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) for outside work, and to transfer many SMA staff there. Most of the overseas work derived from the Department of Foreign Affairs and was predominantly in power station and road construction.
The design and construction of Electricity Commission of NSW's pumped-storage Shoalhaven Project took many engineering and mechanical personnel over to SMEC, but as Tumut 3 was still to be completed, Alan stayed with SMA, and remained as Chief Engineer, Electrical and Mechanical, for both organisations for another four years.
An incident occurred at Tumut 3 during tests on evacuating water from a turbine during pump startup. Adjustment of the duration of compressed air injection led to water spouts in the tailbay, one of which occurred close to the power station, and drenched visiting VIPs! In 1978 Alan was awarded the MBE for ‘Services in the Snowy Mountains area’. At the presentation by Governor Sir Roden Cutler, Alan remarked that ‘it was a big week for him’ being also his 40th wedding anniversary!
Looking back on the Scheme, Alan thought it was a great experience. The personnel were of diverse origins, but worked together well. There were no feelings that some things should have been done better.
The international conference on large electrical systems had the French name Conseil International des Grands Réseaux Electriques (CIGRE). Alan had been for some years SMA's representative on Australia's subcommittee for High Voltage Substations. In 1973 he became chairman of the subcommittee, and began a six-year term on the international committee. The Committee met in Switzerland in 1973, and in Moscow in 1975. Following the latter, the committee visited the huge Bratsk hydro power station. An incident at Bratsk related to an over-zealous Intourist officer, and to observations that clearances below the overhead lines were less than our standards. A group photograph was arranged near the observation area guardrail, and contrived so that the Intourist lady touched the highly-energised rail. Later, in 1989, Alan was created an Honorary Fellow of IEAust.
After retirement in July 1978 Alan set up a consulting engineering service, and did many overseas jobs, especially in Asia. An early overseas job was to survey the Caribbean island of St Vincent for hydro-electric potential. After presenting a favourable report, he was informed that as Australia had not contributed to the finances, the project could not proceed further.
An assignment in Australia was to assess the solar-power project under construction at White Cliffs, near Broken Hill. Fortunately, Alan didn’t have the task of commentating on the report. One of his former colleagues, David New, worked for 5 years on the White Cliffs project and he and Alan discussed the issues a couple of times, in particular the design of the steam engine. New reported that the project was a real success, in particular in terms of reliability. The success of this project apparently upset the electric supply authorities who determined to shut it down, and this was achieved by putting in a high voltage transmission line to White Cliffs making the plant redundant, and it was soon disbanded.
For further detail of this project see the Engineers Australia Heritage Marker at:
https://heritage.engineersaustralia.org.au/wiki/Place:White_Cliffs_Solar_Power_Station
Alan had two assignments as an expert witness to legal claims. The first, in 1984, was heard in London on behalf of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, for negligence in bushfire prevention, the claim was dropped. The other, in 1985 was against a contractor to a hydro-electric project in Fiji, for damages arising from late completion. On his evidence the claim was withdrawn because other parties were found to be responsible. In 1985 he was appointed by Rotary to set up a Probus Club for retired men, which was successful, and he remained a member. Ten years later, he performed a similar role for a Ladies Probus Club, which numerically outgrew the men’s club.
Alan passed away in 2002, aged 88.
This biography is based on two one-hour tapes recorded on Tuesday 2 March 1999 by Matthew Higgins as part of the Engineers’ Australia Oral History Project.
To access the oral history interview with Alan Frost please use this link to the Oral History page:
or this direct link to the recording:
