Joshua Thomas Noble (Noble) Anderson (J T N Anderson) (1865–1949) was an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

practising in Melbourne, Australia, and New Zealand during the difficult times in the Depressions of the 1890s and 1930s, but still practised innovative engineering in these periods.

Early career and migration to Australia

Anderson, known commonly by his middle name Noble, was born in Ireland in 1865, and graduated in engineering and arts. Following short engineering engagements in Ireland, he came to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in 1889, undertaking his first engineering in Victoria in connection with the

Laanecoorie Weir Laanecoorie Weir or Laanecoorie Reservoir, is a water storage for irrigation and domestic purposes on the Loddon River, near the towns of Laanecoorie, Victoria and Eddington, Victoria. It was constructed by contractor Andrew O'Keefe (engineer ...

. He then took up a lectureship in mechanical engineering at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, where he met

John Monash General Sir John Monash, (; 27 June 1865 – 8 October 1931) was an Australian civil engineer and military commander of the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the war and then, shortly after its outbreak, became co ...

Monash & Anderson

In 1894 Monash and Anderson set up a consulting partnership, which lasted from 1894 to 1902, designing and contracting engineering works. After a meeting with Frank Gummow of Sydney in 1897, Anderson negotiated an agreement for the firm to become the Victorian agents for reinforced concrete using the

Monier Monier is a French name that may refer to the following notable people: * Damien Monier (born 1982), French professional road bicycle racer * Étienne Monier (1889–1913), French anarchist * Evelyn Monier-Williams (1920–2015), English barrister ...

patents and won several contracts for bridges using the technology and he and Monash concentrated on building concrete bridges.

Move to New Zealand

Anderson moved to New Zealand in 1902 after the company failed financially. Anderson was appointed as engineer with the Dunedin (New Zealand) Drainage Board in 1902 and continued to 1906. He then returned to Victoria to take up a post as shire engineer and engineering consultant for several local councils in different parts of Victoria. In the 1920s he acted as engineering consultant to

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and ...

, on the design of the Cotter Dam and water supply system for the new capital at Canberra. Later he was consulting engineer to the city of Richmond. He joined the Victorian Institute of Engineers in 1890, and was president 1900–2 and in 1919. He joined the IEAust as a corporate member in 1926.

Personal life

He married Ellen Mary White-Spunner and they had six children, including Alice Elizabeth Foley Anderson (1897–1926), businesswoman and owner of the first all-women garage workshop in Australia,. and Frances Alexandra (Frankie) Derham (1894–1987), artist and art educator. He died in 1949.Encyclopedia of Australian Science
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Joshua Thomas Noble 1865 births 1949 deaths Irish civil engineers Australian civil engineers New Zealand engineers Engineers from Melbourne Academic staff of the University of Melbourne Irish emigrants to colonial Australia