AGY-1987 | Circular Quay Engineering Committee (1938 - 1939) / Circular Quay Supervisory Committee (1939 - 1964)

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The meeting of the NSW Cabinet on 11 October, 1938 considered the public works necessary at Circular Quay which included: * construction of ferry wharves * excavations for the overhead railway * resumption of Goldsbrough Mort's building * reconstruction of the Maritime Services Board Building The Cabinet determined that although relevant parts of the construction would be carried out by the Railway Department, The Department of Public Works and Local Government, the Maritime Services Board and the Council of the City of Sydney, the scheme should be supervised by a Committee consisting of: Colonel A.C. Fewtrell, Chief Engineer, Railway Department Mr G. Stuckey, Civil Engineer, Department of Works and Local Government Mr A.J. Debenham, Engineer in Chief, Maritime Services Board Mr A.H. Garnsey, City Engineer. The Committee reported both to the Minister for Transport and the Minister for Works and Local Government who were responsible for the construction works. (1) The establishment of the Committee was advised in the NSW Government Gazette of 4 November 1938. (2) There is no evidence in the cabinet minute, the gazette notice or annual reports of the various departments to whom the committee members reported within their respective departments, but it could be assumed that this was at executive level. The Under Secretary for Public Works attended the first meeting and distributed the letters of appointment (dated 4 November, 1938) to the members. The Committee members appointed their own chairman. Throughout the history of the Committee the Chairman was usually the Chief Civil Engineer of the Department of Railways. Regarding reporting the Committee resolved as follows: a) each member should report personally to his own department, b) each member should provide a report (to the Committee?) each month regarding the progress of relevant works of his own department. c) only the Chairman would make press releases d) occasional statements would be submitted to the Minister. (3) Once the initial projects were complete the Committee continued its role overseeing the planning and construction of subsequent redevelopments of the Circular Quay Railway Station, its street precincts, promenade, overhead roadway and transport facilities. The Committee ceased some time after 7 August, 1964 (4) FOOTNOTES (1) Cabinet Documents, 1938 (CGS 12982) [9/3030] (2) NSW Government Gazette 4 November, 1938 p. 4262 (3) NRS 15606/1/1 contains the Minutes of the Inaugural Meeting of the Circular Quay Engineering Committee 4 November 1938. (4) The date of the last extant minutes.