Joseph Brady (18 August 1828 – 8 July 1908) was an Irish born, civil engineer active in
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
,
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India
* Victoria (state), a state of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital
* Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
, Australia, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, undertaking works on railways, water supplies and ports. Among his more important works were the Coliban Water Supply for Bendigo, and Melbourne Port improvements.
Early career
Joseph Brady was born on 18 August 1828 near
Enniskillen
Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...
,
County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...
, Ireland. He worked on the English
Tithe Commutation
Tithe commutation was a 19th-century reform of land tenure in Great Britain and Ireland, which implemented an exchange of the payment of a tithe to the clergy of the established church, which were traditionally paid in kind, to a system based in a ...
Survey in 1842-44 working with his father where he gained skills in field surveying and draftsmanship. He then became an assistant engineer to Charles B. Vignoles on railway surveys in Lincolnshire and Kent as well as working on the Skipton, Sedbergh and Lancaster railway.
Migration to Australia
Bradley migrated in 1850 aboard the ''Argyle'' to
Sydney, Australia
Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...
where he became a draftsman with the newly formed
Sydney Railway Company
The Main Suburban railway line is the technical name for the trunk railway line between Redfern railway station and Parramatta railway station in Sydney, Australia, but now generally refers to the section between Redfern and where the Old Main ...
, and then advanced to the position of assistant engineer on 24 July 1851, undertaking surveys and supervising construction for the company's Sydney and Parramatta Railway. He also took charge of surveys and construction of the Sydney - Mittagong line which served the newly opened iron ore mines. He acted as chief engineer, but shortly after a new chief was appointed in 1857, he resigned and returned to Victoria.
Bendigo
In Victoria, Brady became engineer with Edward N. Emmett's Bendigo Water Works Company, for whom he designed and constructed the original town reservoir and reticulation services between 1858 and 1863. After a break on railway projects he won the Victorian government prize of £500 for the best scheme to supply water to the Bendigo and Mount Alexander goldfields. By 23 December 1858 he had completed surveys and drafted plans for eight reservoirs and a system of connecting aqueducts. Brady returned to the Bendigo waterworks in 1871 to construct an additional reservoir, settling ponds and extend reticulation. In 1873 country water supplies were taken over by the Victorian government Water Supply Department under chief engineer,
George Gordon (engineer)
George Gordon (1829 – 25 February 1907) was a Scottish born engineer who was prominent in Melbourne in the late nineteenth century.
Railway work followed for contractors Cornish & Bruce including the section of the Bendigo Railway between Woodend and Castlemaine, which had the heaviest earthworks on the line. In 1869-71 he moved to the first section of the north-eastern railway line from Melbourne to Seymour for O'Grady, Legatt & Noonan. This work included a large plate girder bridge over the Goulburn River.
Queensland
In between these posts, Brady traveled to Queensland to provide advice and designs for the navigational improvements on the
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
and
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
in 1864 involving much submarine blasting. He took on a position as Engineer of Harbours and Rivers to the Brisbane Board of Water Works, on 21 January 1865, as well as working for the Enoggera Water Works, designing and constructing a reservoir, gravitational works and reticulation systems for the City of Brisbane in around 1865–1867. He produced reports on the Bremer River railway bridge, and on 3 August 1867 accepted a role to manage construction on the Western railway line from Brisbane to Dalby which continued to about 1869. His salary of £600 and monthly bonus of £25 were substantial for the time.
Melbourne Harbor Trust
When the
Melbourne Harbor Trust
The Melbourne Harbor Trust was established in 1877 to improve and operate port facilities for the growing city of Melbourne. It was superseded by the Port of Melbourne Authority in 1978 and later by the Port of Melbourne Corporation.
Creation
I ...
was formed in 1877, Brady was one of the first applicants for the position of Chief Engineer. His previous success with railway and water projects appears to have impressed the commissioners, and so he won the position. While the Trust engaged
Sir John Coode
Sir John Coode (11 November 1816 – 2 March 1892) was an English civil engineer, known for harbour works.
Life
He was born at Bodmin in 1816. He was educated at Bodmin Grammar School and after leaving school entered his father's office. His n ...
to provide advice and designs on the harbour improvements, Bradey was able to convince the commissioners to accept his modification resulting in considerable efficiencies and cost savings. these involved using Australian hardwood timber piled wharves instead of Coode's masonry, and excavating a single large basin for what became Victoria Dock rather than several small docks. As a result, Melbourne gained one of the largest single excavated dock basins in the World, which put the Harbor Trust in good stead for the next 80 years.
Brady was in charge of works amounting to around £3,500,000, only about half of which was part of Coode's plans. He resigned in 1891 and was awarded a honorarium of £1500 for his service. He then continued as a private consultant and arbitrator on engineering disputes until his retirement in 1894.
Professional roles
Brady was elected associate member of the
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...
, London, on 7 December 1875 and full member on 3 December 1878. Two of his papers: 'The Geelong and Sandhurst Water Supplies' (1878–79) and 'Early railway construction in New South Wales' (1904–05) were published in the institution's Proceedings. he was a member of the
Philosophical Institute of Victoria
The Philosophical Institute of Victoria was a scientific institute which functioned in Victoria, Australia during 19th century. It was founded in 1854 through the amalgamation of the Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science and the Philos ...
in 1858–9, and its successor the
Royal Society of Victoria
The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) is the oldest scientific society in Victoria, Australia.
Foundation
In 1854 two organisations formed with similar aims and membership, these being the Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science (found ...
from 1860.
Personal life
Brady married Adelaide Sarah Keck, (the daughter of Henry Keck, the governor of Darlinghurst gaol), at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, on 14 February 1854. they had seven surviving children. The eldest son, Lyndon Francis, moved to Western Australia where he was a pioneer of the timber business as manager with the Millar Karri and Jarrah Co. Georgina was the only daughter to marry, her husband, Edward Wardell, was master of the
Melbourne Mint
The Melbourne Mint, located on the corner of William and La Trobe Streets in Melbourne, Australia, was first established as a branch of the British Royal Mint, opening in 12 June 1872. The main building houses the administration offices, a ...
. Brady died on 8 July 1908 at his home, 'Allowah', in Staniland Grove,
Elsternwick
Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne city centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government areas of Victoria ...
.
Brady was also an artist, with a number of watercolours attributed to him including a fine rendering of the first
Princes Bridge
Princes Bridge, originally Prince's Bridge,, ''...he wished that it might be distinguished by the name of "Prince's Bridge," in honour of the Prince of Wales, whom he hoped would yet be the Sovereign of their colonies...'' is a bridge in centra ...
in Melbourne.
Legacy
The
Powerhouse Museum
The Powerhouse Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), is a collection of 4 museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales. Powerhouse is a contemporary museum of applied arts and sciences, explori ...
in Sydney hold a shirt said to have belonged to Brady.
In 1868, the mayor and citizens of Dalby presented Brady with a testimonial and an inscribed silver claret jug (now in the possession of a grandson in Adelaide).
The Joseph Brady Memorial Public Lecture is held in his honour, organised by
Engineers Australia
Engineers Australia (EA), known formally as the Institution of Engineers, Australia, is an Australian professional body and Non-profit organization, not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineerin ...
.
Joseph Brady Park at 240 Riverside Avene, Barellan Point in
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
, Queensland, is named after him. Brady built a training wall at this site where the Bremer River flowed into the Brisbane River to control the silt built-up in the navigation channels. There is a plaque commemorating Brady in the park.