Bill Goodman
William James Pigott (Bill) Goodman was born Collaroy, Sydney, in 1926. He attended the University of Sydney and graduated BE in civil engineering and BSc, majoring in geology. As work experience during his undergraduate years, he worked with the Sydney Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board on rebuilding the failed Nepean Dam spillway and site investigations for the future Warragamba Dam.
After graduation he spent seven years with the Research Branch. This included work on the Warragamba spillway model and the McCanns Island quarry – the source of the aggregate and sand for the dam wall. Work was also undertaken on the North Head Sewerage plant, He was then moved to the Design Branch where he also remained for seven years. Here work included the major sewerage aqueduct across Salt Pan Creek in Sydney’s south.
Goodman then moved to the Sewerage Maintenance Branch where he spent the rest of his career and beyond. He became the ‘go-to’ man for knowledge of Sydney’s major sewers as he had traversed them all. He was instrumental in the introduction of trenchless solutions to deteriorated sewers through several evolving technologies of re-lining in situ.
For an appreciation of this aspect of his career please use this link:
https://www.trenchless-australasia.com/2017/06/20/vale-william-bill-goodman/
He formally retired in 1986 but continued to provide his expertise to Sydney Water. His last sewer inspection was in 2005, at which time he was 79 years old.
Apart from his formal employment as an engineer Goodman was also involved in surf lifesaving, notably at Collaroy, and in the sport of basketball, initially as a player but later as a referee and administrator. For this service he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on Australia Day 1995.
Bill Goodman died on 15 April 2017. He had married and was survived by four children.
To access an oral history interview with Bill Goodman please use this link:'
https://heritage.engineersaustralia.org.au/wiki/Oral_Histories_Sydney
