Sir Emanuel (Manuel) Richard Hornibrook

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(7 August 1893 – 30 May 1970) was an Australian builder and

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

. He founded the firm M R Hornibrook Pty Ltd that after merger with Baulderstone became one of the largest Australian civil engineering firms. Known as "MR", Hornibrook was knighted in 1960. He was highly respected and a builder of bridges across

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 ...

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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 ...

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and Papua New Guinea as well as other major projects including Stages 2 (the Sails) and 3 of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

Early life

Emanuel Richard Hornibrook was born on 7 August 1893 in Enoggera,

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 ...

, the second of seven children of John Hornibrook and his wife Catherine (née Sullivan). He was educated at

Nambour Nambour is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 12,145 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital ...

, Obi Obi,

Bowen Bridge The Bowen Bridge is a segmental cantilever road bridge crossing the River Derwent in Tasmania, Australia. The bridge serves as a vital transportation link in the state capital of Hobart, facilitating the movement of vehicles, pedestrians, and ...

and

South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 14,292 people. Geography South Brisbane is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the nor ...

state schools.

Building (and engineering) career

At the age of 13 Hornibrook commenced apprenticeship with builder HW Fooks. In 1912, at the age of 19, Horninbrook with his brother Reginald established their own business, which started with building drainage channels and sewerage systems. Soon the bridge building became Hornibrook's speciality. The business quickly moved into civil engineering contracting, excavating Queensland's first open-cut coal mine at Blair Athol in 1923. The

William Jolly Bridge The William Jolly Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge over the Brisbane River between North Quay, Brisbane, North Quay in the Brisbane central business district and Grey Street in South Brisbane, within City of Brisbane, Queensland, Austra ...

built from 1930 to 1932 became his all-time favourite project because of the aesthetic appeal of the bridge and the pioneering use of the sand island method of pier construction. In 1914 Hornibrook joined the Queensland Master Builders' Association and was its president in 1922 and 1923; he was president (1926) and a life member (1959) of the Master Builders Federation of Australia; he was also a foundation fellow (1951), councillor and National President (1952–56) of the Australian Institute of Builders (now Building), and a driving force in the construction of its headquarters at

Milsons Point Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney. Milsons Point is also the geo ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. For his contribution to the science and the practice of building, he was awarded the A.I.B.'s first medal of merit (the AIB Medal, 1955). President (1953–59) of the Queensland Civil Engineering Contractors' Association, he was an honorary member (1968) of the Australian Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors and an honorary fellow (1969) of the Chartered Institute of Building (Britain)—the first Australian to be so honoured. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1957 and knighted (as a Knight Bachelor) in 1960. Sir Manuel Hornibrook was the Chief Engineer during construction of the

Hornibrook Bridge The Hornibrook Bridge is a heritage-listed, mostly-demolished road bridge that carried the Hornibrook Highway over Hays Inlet at Bramble Bay from Brighton, a suburb of the City of Brisbane, to Clontarf in the City of Moreton Bay. The brid ...

which was named after him. He was also responsible for building

Story Bridge The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River built to carry vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the long ...

and

. One of Hornibrook's most challenging projects was building the immensely complex roof shells of the

, turning architect Jorn Utzon's dream into reality.

Later life

Hornibrook died at the Holy Spirit Hospital on

Wickham Terrace Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists. Geography Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street, Brisbane, ...

on 30 May 1970. Hornibrook was posthumously inducted into the

Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame recognises a set of the leaders in business and social development in Queensland, Australia. Inclusion in the hall of fame can be of individual people (living or dead), groups of people, and organisat ...

in 2016.

Family

Hornibrook married with Methodist forms Daphne Winifred Brunckhorst (9 March 1893-30 July 1978) on 27 November 1915 at her parents' home in Enoggera. His eldest son was Reginald Leo Hornibrook (1917-1926). His second son Clement Manuel Hornibrook (5 April 1919-1 February 1990) married Pamala Jean Moses (31 December 1925-7 January 2009) of the

Hordern family The Hordern family is an Australian retailing dynasty. Outline The Hordern family first came to prominence in Sydney as merchants and retailers with the establishment of Anthony Hordern & Sons, and then gained notability in rural pursuits, s ...

on 12 March 1948 and had 5 children, including Robin Lyn Hornibrook (1949-16 August 2013). His daughter was Betty Winifred Hornibrook MacDiarmid (6 May 1927-17 December 2015).

References

Australian Dictionary of Biography

Publications

* ''Queensland 150 Years of Achievement'', 2009,

Kay Saunders Kay Elizabeth Bass Saunders (born 1947) is an Australian historian and Emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland. Earlyl life and education Saunders was born in Brisbane, Queensland in 1947. She graduated with a BA (1970) and PhD (1 ...

External links

Sir Manuel Richard Hornibrook at Australian Dictionary of Biography

BaulderstoneSir Manuel Hornibrook digital story and oral history: Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame 2016

State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

2015 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellow: Julie HornibrookHornibrook: building bridges connects Brisbane
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Archives reveal more history of Hornibrook innovation in the building of Sydney Opera House.
2021, Julie Hornibrook, John Oxley Library Blog, State Library of Queensland.
Manuel Hornibrook Business and Family Photographs 1929-1975
State Library of Queensland
Hornibrook Group Collection 1950-1980
State Library of Queensland
Hornibrook: Building Bridges Connects Brisbane: Legacy of Sir Manuel Hornibrook website archive
State Library of Queensland {{DEFAULTSORT:Hornibrook, Manuel Richard 1893 births 1970 deaths Australian civil engineers Bridge engineers Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire