Norman Henry
HENRY, Norman Joseph, FIEAust (19001978)
.jpg)
Norman Joseph (Norm) Henry was born in Subiaco on November 16, 1900, the only child of civil servant, John Tatham Henry and his wife Nellie Henry (nee Fielding). He grew up in the family home “Tatong” in Burt Street, North Perth and his secondary education was at Perth Modern School. His father, John, had commenced work at the Public Works in March 1900 as a draughtsman and was later employed as an engineering assistant. His grandfather, Dr Joseph Henry BA MB LRCSI, was a highly respected surgeon in Benalla, Victoria.
Norm initially commenced a plumbing apprenticeship in 1919 but transitioned to an engineering cadetship with the Public Works Department. He undertook further study such as Applied Mathematics at the University of Western Australia in 1921 and a short course on Highway Engineering at the university in 1925. As a cadet, he worked in Denmark on the rail extension of the Nornalup Denmark Torbay Elleker line. On December 1, 1926 he completed his cadetship and was appointed Assistant Engineer in the Public Works.
Norm Henry went to Geraldton as Assistant Engineer Harbour Works in 1928 and immediately immersed himself into the community participating in a wide range of sport including cricket, tennis and golf.
On January 4, 1933 he was promoted to Resident Engineer, Bunbury Harbour Works. Also, in 1933 he married Marjorie Christie, the daughter of prominent Perth printer, William Christie. Norm had met Marjorie whilst she was holidaying in Geraldton. They went on to have four daughters and a long and happily married life.
Henry enlisted in the Army on September 29, 1940 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. One of his early tasks was setting up teams to deal with unexploded ordinance and designing shrapnel proof structures. In August 1940 he had attended training on bomb disposal and bomb resistant structures in New South Wales. He was posted to Darwin but was recalled to Fremantle in 1943 to supervise the installation of a submarine defence net and boom in Cockburn Sound. Around this time, he was also involved in the construction of the South Fremantle Power Station.
From 1947 to 1952 Norm was Principal Assistant Harbours and Rivers. When F W E Tydeman moved to the Fremantle Harbour Trust, Norm was the Engineer Harbours and Rivers from March 1, 1952 until he retired in November 1965. Following retirement, he worked as a consulting engineer designing many slipways, jetties and boat launching ramps in the Swan River and around the West Australian coastline.
Norm Henry had a long involvement with IEAust , being a Student Member in 1924, Junior Member in 1928, Associate Member in 1930 and Member in 1951. He later became a Fellow of IEAust. He was a committee member on the WA Division in 1949 and was elected as a Vice Chairman in 1952 and Chairman in 1954. He also gave a presentation to IEAust on Bunbury Harbour in 1937.
Throughout his life Norm Henry was a great sportsman; he played tennis, football, cricket, golf and lawn bowls. He was captain of the Nedlands Golf Club for two terms. He was also a lifetime member of the Nedlands Masonic Lodge. At home he was an avid gardener and poultry keeper with a large vegetable garden. Norm died on September 9, 1978 whilst playing bowls at the Dalkeith Bowling Club. He was survived by his wife and three younger daughters, Beth, Helen and Val.
Norman Henry left a massive body of engineering work across many disciplines involving some of the largest engineering projects in Western Australia. Complex works such as the extensive dredging required for the Narrows Bridge and freeways, Fremantle North Quay reconstruction, expansion and development of the northern ports for the resources sector expansion are part of his body of work. Locations he was involved with include Darwin, Wyndham, Derby, Broome, Port Hedland, Useless Loop, Geraldton, Rottnest, Fremantle, Cockburn Sound, Bunbury, Albany and Esperance.
References
Unpublished family papers
N J Henry, Calculation and Design Book
Anti-Submarine Net for Cockburn Sound, accessed November 15, 2019
West Australian May 22, 1941, p14
