Jack Knight
Jack Knight
(1935 - 2017)
John Kendall (Jack) Knight was born at Ashfield, Sydney, in 1935. His father was a railway roster clerk. Jack attended schools in Ashfield and then Homebush Boys High School.
He studied engineering at the University of NSW under a cadetship with the water Conservation and irrigation Commission (WC&IC) graduating Bachelor of Engineering in 1959 and Master of Engineering Science in 1972. His first employment was with the WC&IC at Keepit Dam supervising the placement of concrete. This was his only construction experience. He then moved on to the Newcastle Water supply and was greatly influence by the design engineers of that project as well as the resident engineer at Keepit.
At this time he married and emigrated to Canada, obtaining employment with Shawinigan Engineering, under former Tasmanian Hydro engineer Ken Gray. He then worked for the CD Howe Company and projects included the Great Lakes Grain Storage and three railway bridges between Quebec and Labrador.
After a few years in Canada Knight relocated to London, travelled around Europe in a campervan and eventually returned to Australia where he obtained work with Rankine and Hill, consulting engineers, having been interviewed for the role by Bruce Sinclair. At Rankine and Hill Knight worked on flood plain analysis of the Hawkesbury River below Penrith, the Gilgandra Treatment Works design and bridges across the future Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.
In 1964 Jack Knight and Bruce Sinclair set up their own consulting engineering firm – Sinclair & Knight. Among their projects were water supply schemes and the Anthony Squires trouser factory at St Marys, Sydney.
In 1973 a third partner, John Winton, joined the business which was renamed Sinclair Knight and Partners. Work undertaken included sewerage of country towns, Lower Blue Mountains Sewerage, water and sewerage work for local Councils and a water filtration plant at an old railway dam – the first water filtration plant in Australia.
Sinclair Knight and Partners grew rapidly, soon employing more than 200 people. In 1978 the partnership was incorporated as Sinclair Knight Pty Ltd, Australia. Knight was responsible for the management of the head office in Sydney and as Managing Director and Chief Executive the performance of branch offices in Sydney, Brisbane. Perth, Canberra and Melbourne a well as the International Group.
In 1988 further mergers occurred leading to the creation of Ewbank Preece Sinclair Knight, Australia, with Knight as Chairman. In 1996 the firm merged with Merz Australia, with Knight becoming Co-Chairman. At this time the staff numbered more than 1300 with offices across Australia and South-east Asia.
The amount of work undertaken was immense but it included the Sydney Olympic Stadium, Prospect water treatment plant, port Hedland capacity upgrade, North Parkes mine, Mount Whaleback mine, Munt Newman Power Station, Guam Power Station and the Mekong River Bridge in Thailand. The firm was operating in Countries.
Further mergers followed, in 1999 with Kingston Morrison, New Zealand, and the with consultancies in Malaysia, Britain, Singapore and Chile.
In 2013 the whole business was acquired by Jacobs and the Sinclair Knight Merz brand name retired. Just when Jack Knight retired from active involvement with the business is unknown. He died on 24 February 2017.
To access an oral history interview with Jack Knight please use this link:'
