Malcolm McRae
McRAE, George Malcolm Prescott, FIEAust (1895-1991)
George Malcolm Prescott McRae (Malcolm) was born in Darling Point, Sydney, New South Wales, in October, 1895 (there are two different birthdates in G M P McRae’s records. His military records and his Baptism record have him born on October 28. Cumming and other sources report his birth date as October 25). The only son of architect George McRae and his wife Katie Emily Louisa McRae née Prescott, he was educated at Brooksby Preparatory School and the North Shore Church of England Grammar School (Shore). He enjoyed his time at Shore, being an accomplished athlete, participating in rugby, rowing and shooting. He completed his Leaving Certificate in 1914 before enrolling in Mechanical Engineering at Sydney University in 1915.
Malcolm’s father, George, was a prominent architect, having designed the Queen Victoria Building around the time of Malcolm’s birth. George later became the NSW State Architect.
Malcolm enlisted in the AIF on September 14, 1915, whilst still studying. Following training he was sent overseas on September 4, 1916. Malcolm was diagnosed with Meningitis in Egypt in 1916 and was placed in quarantine before convalescing in England and recovering from the highly infectious and life threatening disease. In 1917 he was posted to France, where he fought at Messines, Polygon Wood and on the Somme. He was promoted to Second lieutenant in October 1918. After Armistice he returned to Australia and resumed his engineering degree, in 1919, for two years, and he also worked in the Richmond Tramways Workshop. Leaving university, Malcolm completed his mechanical engineering qualifications at Sydney Technical College.
McRae joined W J Spencer and Company as Sales Manager in Sydney in 1921 and by 1925 was Manager of the Sydney Office. When the company was floated as a public company in 1925, he was appointed as a Director in both NSW and Victoria.
On October 19, 1927 Malcolm married Maisie McKenzie Barbour at St Stephen’s Church Sydney and they had three children.
In 1931, when W J Spencer and Company was wound up, Malcolm became Works Manager of Crystal Chemical Works in Sydney. He later became a part owner but this works was also wound up in 1938. He then briefly worked for Advanx Tyre and Rubber Company in Sydney supervising the extension of a factory.
In 1939, Malcolm moved to Perth as Manager of the Engineering Department (Chief Engineer) of William Adams and Company. With the outbreak of World War II he re enlisted with the Royal Australian Engineers and was promoted to Captain on March 8, 1941. He was involved with constructing a camp at Guildford Airport (now Perth Airport), and constructing tunnels and underground defence facilities on Rottnest Island. On August 2, 1943 he was promoted to Major and moved to Melbourne to support Brigadier Geoffrey Drake Brockman in establishing and maintaining infrastructure at camps throughout Australia. Malcolm participated in the reconstruction of the bombed Darwin Meatworks and the expansion of the Toowoomba Meatworks.
Malcolm returned to William Adams and Company in 1944 as Chief Engineer and was heavily involved in the expansion of mining, manufacturing, power generation, railways and water supply in Western Australia. He negotiated a contract to supply 48 X Class Diesels to the Western Australian Government in 1950. He estimated that by 1955 he had designed and supervised the layout, installation and commissioning of diesel electric and lighting plants with an aggregate power of 20,000 BHP. He also estimated that he was involved with 5,000 BHP of diesel and electric pumps for Goldfields and Country Towns Water Supplies at Cunderdin, Kellerberrin, Norseman and Narrogin. He was also involved with the installation of a 2,000 kW Francis turbine and alternator at Wellington Dam between 1954 and 1956.
Although he retired from William Adams and Company in 1961, Malcolm continued to represent Harland Engineering in Western Australia until 1971. Other projects in which he was involved included the BP Refinery at Kwinana, Wundowie Charcoal Iron and Steel Plant, the Muja, South Fremantle and East Perth Power Stations, and the Kwinana Nickel Refinery.
Malcolm became an Associate Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia in 1926, a Member in 1957, and was created a Fellow in 1968. He was Honorary Secretary of the Sydney Division from 1936 to 1939 and in 1938 was the organiser of the Institution of Engineers National Conference held in Sydney. He was Chairman of the Perth Division in 1958 and was on the organising committees of National Conferences held in 1965 and 1979.
Malcolm died on March 26, 1991 aged 95. His wife had predeceased him, in 1971.
References:
D A Cumming, unpublished biography of G M P McRae, August 1992;
Daily Commercial News and Shipping List (Sydney), 21.1.1925, p5;
http://www.historyofsydney.com.au/randwick-tram-workshop/ accessed 2.02.2021;
Sydney Morning Herald 28.3.1938, p10;
Battye Library Private Archives, G M P McRae Papers, MN 1753 Acc. 5318A.
