William Gillies
GILLIES, William James BE FlEAust (1912-2007)
Born in New Zealand at Dunedin, but educated at Sydney Technical High School and at Sydney University, Gillies joined Sydney County Council, Australian Gas Light and Coke Company, and then became Chief Engineer of the National Oil Pty. Ltd.
Following appointments as Power Production Engineer at Glen Davis and then as Power Production Engineer (Metropolitan) for the WA State Electricity Commission in 1951, Gillies became Assistant Manager and Chief Engineer under J.S. Dukes (RN) in 1956, and the General Manager of this commission in 1969. After seeing the construction and commissioning of Bunbury Power Station with the first of its four 30MW units commissioned in 1957, Wellington Dam Hydro‐electric Station with its 2MW unit commissioned in 1964, and Muja Power Station with its four 60MW units commissioned between 1965 to 1968; and the construction and commissioning of the 66kV lines from Perth to Kalgoorlie and from Bunbury to Albany, Narrogin and Katanning, and the 132 kV line from Bunbury to Cannington, He retired in 1975.
He retired in 1975 was elected an associate member of the Institution of Engineers Australia in 1946 and a then member in 1956, and was Chairman oi the Western Australian Division of the Institution of Engineers Australia in 1966.
W J Gillies died February 13, 2007 at Jolimont.
References:
‘Power for progress in the South‐West' 22 August 1957, p6c.
‘Electricity and Gas in western Australia’ The State Electricity Commission of WA, 1962.
WWA 1977 pp430 1.
