Peter Lowe

LOWE, Peter Blythe, BE FIEAust 1927-2018

Peter Lowe was born in Perth on 27 January 1927 to Jack Lowe and Emily Lowe (nee Trigwell). Jack Lowe owned a general store and a farm in Harvey, where Peter attended early schooling. Between 1940 and 1946 Peter attended Hale School in Perth as a boarder and then studied engineering at the University of Western Australia between 1947 and 1951.

In December 1949 Peter became SEC's first cadet and spent his year of practical experience at Collie Power Station. Following graduation Peter remained with the SEC and its successors for all of his career with appointment to the following positions:

1955 Engineer in Charge Collie Power Station
1956 Efficiency Engineer, South Fremantle Power Station
1957 Superintendent Bunbury Power Station
1967 Superintendent Kwinana Power Station
1967 Gas Engineer
1972 Manager Gas
1975 Manager Marketing and Gas
1979 Manager Design and Construction
1981 Chief Manager Power Projects
1985 Chief Manager Projects
1987 Assistant Commissioner Generation

Lowe joined The Institution of Engineers Australia as a Student Member in 1949. He became a Graduate Member in 1954, a Full Member in 1956, and a Fellow in 1978. In 1975 and 1976 Peter was president of the Australian Gas Association and involved in a number of international conferences.

Peter retired in March 1988. In July of that year Peter completed an Oral History Interview with Dr Richard Hartley. A transcript is available and is titled "A Career in the Electricity and Gas Industry in Western Australia 1947 to 1988". Copies of the audio and and transcript are held by the State Library of Western Australia, Call Number OH3174. A summary of the Interview prepared by the SLWA is as follows:

"Peter first discusses his early life and education, focusing on his electrical engineering degree and cadetship. He began working full time in 1952 for the SEC at Collie, then South Fremantle in 1956 as the Efficiency Engineer. He describes much of the technical problems encountered and overcome while working there. The power infrastructure in Western Australia was gradually expanding to meet growing needs, which stretched the limited budgets available. In his work later on at Kwinana he was Gas Engineer and relates his experiences at senior level securing gas for the needs of SECWA Gas. He became Manager, Marketing and Gas when the State Energy Commission came into being in 1975, and discusses his work, the projects he saw through (such as re commissioning Muja with gas firing) marketing gas overseas, through to his retirement in 1988, by which time he had been appointed Assistant Commissioner, Generation. From July 1986 to March 1988, he was responsible for all electrical power generation in W.A."

Following retirement, Peter was a member of the Engineering Heritage Panel, Western Australia.

In October 2018 Peter's granddaughter Tegan Lowe advised EHWA that Peter had died on 17 August 2018 and was buried with his parents, aunt, uncle and grandparents in the old Harvey Cemetery.