Noel Selman
Noel Selman (1915 - )
Noel Selman was born in 1915. His primary education was at Chatswood Superior Public School, and for secondary education he attended Sydney Technical High School at Paddington). Travel to school entailed a tram from Willoughby to McMahon's Point, ferry to Circular Quay then a tram to Paddington. During this travel he watched the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and walked over it with his school the week before it opened.
He was not keen on studying but gained his Leaving Certificate in 1931. He returned to school, did well in swimming and athletics, but did not study. One documented demonstration of his swimming prowess at this time is an attempt, albeit unsuccessful, to swim across Botany Bay from Kurnell to Brighton-le-Sands.
Selman left school in August 1932 for a fitting and turning apprenticeship with the Australian Gaslight Company at Mortlake, commencing 17 October. This as a four-year apprenticeship with first year wage of one pound five shillings and six pence. Living at Brighton-le-Sands meant leaving home at 5 am for tram to Rockdale, train to Central, train to Burwood then tram to be at Mortlake at 7.30 am. This journey was shortened when his father bought him second hand motorcycle.
From his apprenticeship he learnt to respect good tradesmen and he enrolled in a mechanical engineering diploma at Sydney Technical College after 3 months probationary apprenticeship. On completion of apprenticeship, Selman joined John Heine & Sons Pty Ltd, canning machinery manufacturers, as a junior draftsman. After 12 months there, he joined Wunderlich as a draftsman.
He had gained his diploma and for two years studied subjects in Electrical Engineering and Local Government (Civil) Engineering Diplomas. He undertook a masters degree in the Science of Engineering at the University of Michigan in 1939 under Professor Timoshenko as post graduate study. He was then invited by Wunderlich to return and become Chief Engineer t the age of 26. His initial project was to design and construct a new asbestos cement products plant at Rosehill.
He grew disillusioned with company politics and power plays, so decided to leave Wunderlich to join Colonial Sugar Refining. Around this time he married Audrey Grant. Once he joined CSR he was sent to Harwood Mill on the Clarence River, where he spent five years as a sugar mill investigating engineer during much of the crushing seasons at mills in NSW, Queensland and Fiji.
He devoted much time to learning how the process worked and the interdependencies between one part of a mill and the others. He made numerous improvements in mill efficiency such as boiler station efficiency, multiple evaporator efficiency, pneumatic conveying of bagasse and sugar mill steam balance.
He became Inspecting Engineer in 1946, aged 32, and Inspecting Engineer (Electrical) for Australian Mills. In 1955 he was sent to the Staff Administration College at Henley-on-Thames for three months. On return he became Inspecting Engineer for the Fiji Mills.
In 1958 he accompanied the Chief General Manager of Australian Mills to the Caribbean to survey cane growing and harvesting, developments in mechanical harvesting and loading, transport and general administration, by the former, and detailed survey of engineering matters by Selman. His report addressed four specific matters - high rate crushing, extraction efficiency, production and use of steam and automatic operation. The report was regarded by the GM as a blueprint for the next ten years for CSR mills.
In 1959 Selman was appointed Chief Mill Engineer, responsible for engineering operating budgets, in both slack and operating seasons, proposals for major reconstruction and expansion of mills and engineering staff changes and promotions.
He was also appointed joint Manager with Chief Mill Chemist of newly formed Mill Development Section. He Identified that profits were increasing in Queensland and declining in NSW and Fiji. Withdrawal from some areas had political implications. Over time CSR withdrew from Queensland and Fiji with minimum disruption to industry and itself.
Growing world demand for sugar focused attention on the problems of expanding production, given that the politics of raw sugar production in Australia meant it was not profitable to construct a new mill. This led to Seman visiting, in 1961, to overseas equipment manufacturers to investigate alternatives. The report addressed: Diffusion; Victoria Mill Drive Requirements; Alternative prime movers; Gearing; Centralised Control; Costs. The outcome was that one of the multi-stage turbine driven mill drive units recommended was installed in the Victoria "B" tandem for the 1963 crushing season - just in time for a big industry wide expansion program. The total cost of 1963 to 1966 expansion in mill capacity was A$44 million.
To better control expenditure, Selman introduced "commitment accounting". He also undertook an "engineering audit" comparing planned outcomes with actuals. He introduced commitment accounting and engineering auditing into the Mt Newman iron ore project and it became standard practice in CSR.
Townsville Bulk Sugar Terminal was gutted by fire in May 1963 - the fire burnt for five days. Selman arranged the installation of a water pipeline to fight fire and then to bring terminal back into operation, including re-processing of 20,000 tons of wet sticky raw sugar containing pieces of steel, nuts and bolts, concrete etc. The terminal was sufficiently rehabilitated to begin receiving sugar within four weeks of the fire - soon after the start of the crushing season. Reconstruction was kept ahead of the sugar pile as it built up. Selman was subsequently involved in a committee to determine the cause of the fire and precautions required to prevent similar occurrences in future.
A new task was the upgrading and expansion of the cane transport system, including upgrading of tracks, rails, sleepers and hundreds of bridges, replacement of steam locos with diesel, and the introduction of radio control.
An investigation of a potential sugar industry on Ord River was done for the Western Australian Government. Cane growing and sugar potential were high, but the economics were uncompetitive due to high cost of labour in a remote area.
Macadamia Nut Processing was undertaken at a CSR plant outside Brisbane.
In 1964 Selman evaluated a CSR potential joint venture mine development with American Metal Climax Inc. (AMAX) in the Mt Newman Mining Iron Ore project. This showed it to be unprofitable.
For the Mt Newman Deepdale Iron Ore Project Selman was involved in determining the feasibility of the project and was appointed Deputy General Manager to Bert Rogers during the two-year construction period, extended to include commissioning. It was one of the largest privately sponsored, industrial projects ever undertaken in the world at the time. Mt Whaleback, the main ore body contained 1000 million tons of high-grade haematite ore, averaging better than 64% iron, with low in impurities.
Selman produced a paper on the project in about 1972. The project involved mine development, a 265-mile standard gauge railway, a port and a township. An agreement with the Western Australian Government was signed on 10 April 1967 and the first shipload of ore sailed from Port Hedland on 1April 1969.
At the time of Selman's paper, up to 12 trains travelled the return journey from the mine to Port Hedland each day. Each train comprised 135 cars and three locomotives totalling almost one mile in length, transporting 12,000 tons of ore. The trains were loaded five cars at a time.
The paper provided many construction statistics and then went on to deal with important aspects of: Project Specification; Design Consultants; Contact Negotiations; Railroad Construction Problems; Dredging Problems; Navigation Aids; Project Commissioning; Railroad Operations; Port Development; and General.
Selman returned to CSR at the end 1969 as General Manager Pacminex - CSR's minerals and exploration company. A paper by Selman provides Pacminex's: first five-year record; Project Evaluation guidelines; Criteria for Quick Assessment; Criteria for Simple Assessment; Criteria for Intensive Evaluation; and Conclusions. It goes on to describe: The Muchea Alumina Project; Mount Gunson Copper Project; BBC Coal Project; the Gollin Coal Loader; Pacminex Administration.
In 1972 Selman was appointed one of eight Senior Executive Officers (SEOs) to work closely with top management in running CSR. Each year the General Manager, Gordon Jackson, had the top management team, including SEOs, spend a week debating the strengths and weaknesses of the Company and planning future strategies.
Selman retired from CSR in February 1977. Gordon Jackson commented:
"The investment decisions made on his advice proved to be soundly based. Noel's name, attached to an estimate of a major project, is in good standing, not only in CSR, but with BHP, with major American mining companies and with major banks."
On retirement, Selman consulted to CSR four days per week. Work consulting included analysis of CSR’s fiscal targets. He undertook profit growth analysis, which showed that for Australia's 40 largest companies, profit growth results were predominantly from capital growth, not improved profitability. Banks and finance companies were the best performers and minerals companies were the worst. His conclusion was that fiscal targets were far too optimistic and that CSR should not be in the minerals industry.
Selman participated in the case by BHP to have the cost of the dredged channel at Port Hedland as a claim for income tax deduction. For the Wittenoom asbestos dust problems he prepared an 18 volume report on action taken to minimize dust problem and the development of knowledge of asbestos induced diseases.
He was asked to review number of feasibility study reports and identified common shortcomings as, a failure to include realistic contingencies, a failure to make adequate provision for inflation, and failure to include cost of insurance. He reviewed a report by Mt Newman covering dredging alternatives which might be undertaken to cope with ore carriers up to 250 000 tons. He found the report to be superficial and inadequate.
In 1982, he decided to not undertake such consulting in future due to its demanding nature, particularly with respect to time. Early in 1978 he substituted for Bryan Kelman on the Higher Education Board investigating the formula funding of NSW Colleges of Advanced Education. He was appointed as a part-time member of Board in 1981, replacing Bryan Kelman. He was also appointed to the Finance Committee, and retired from Board in 1985 at the stipulated retiring age of 70, but continued on the Recurrent Funding Committee until the board was disbanded in 1987.
On reflection he enjoyed his work as Chief Mill Engineer. Least satisfaction was from the minerals work. Mt Newman was the most challenging task.
Michigan University was a turning point in his career diverting his interest from machine design to engineering management.
Persons who had a significant impact on his life included:
• Mr Oxnam, Assistant Engineer AGL.
• Prof. Gordy, Michigan University.
• Bill Livie, Chief Mill Engineer for whom he worked for 15 years.
• Bert Rogers, "The most competent engineer with whom I ever worked."
• Charles Davis, Chief Chemist/Chief Mill Chemist.
• Jim Dixon, Deputy General Manager of CSR.
• Peter Correy, Member Higher Education Board.
• Audrey, his wife.
Aspects of his career that he cherished most were that he was never associated with shoddy engineering. All projects were soundly engineered and effectively did what they were supposed to, and without seriously exceeding approved estimates.
Noel Selman considered that significant contributions made by him included his:
• development of young engineers and apprentices.
• facilitation of design engineers visiting the site and getting a "feel" for the job they were engaged on
• ability to present complex technical matters to non-engineers and management.
• Introduction of commitment accounting, engineering auditing, disciplined estimating, the rational application of contingency sums and the sanctity of the project budget.
To access an oral history interview with Noel Selman please use this link:
https://heritage.engineersaustralia.org.au/wiki/Oral_Histories_Sydney
