Sir Russell John Dumas

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

, CMG (17 January 1887 – 10 August 1975) was a

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and engineer who led several large works projects in Western Australia.

Early life

Dumas was born in

Mount Barker, South Australia Mount Barker is a city in South Australia. Located approximately 33 kilometres (21 miles) from the Adelaide city centre, it is home to 16,629 residents. It is the seat of the District Council of Mount Barker, the largest town in the Adelaide Hi ...

second of five children of Charles M. R. Dumas (1851–1935), who founded the Mount Barker Courier newspaper. Dumas attended

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

and completed a

Bachelor of Engineering A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an academic undergraduate degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at an accredited college or university. In the UK, a Bache ...

at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

Career

Dumas started work as a draughtsman in the Engineer-in-Chief's Department in 1910, then became a drainage-works designer at Naracoorte. Dumas enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1916, and served on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

in France from 1917 to 1918. He became lieutenant and was wounded twice; his service ended on 16 November 1919. Dumas returned to his job at Naracoorte, and was promoted to resident engineer in 1923. In 1925, Dumas and his family moved to Western Australia where he joined the Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Department. There he directed the construction of the

Churchman Brook Dam Churchman Brook Dam is an earthfill embankment dam approximately south east of Perth, Western Australia in the City of Armadale. The reservoir is a water source for Perth. It has a capacity of for a catchment area of . Construction of the ...

, Drakesbrook/ Waroona and Wellington

dams A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

; the raising of

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

; and the extension of the

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

areas in

Collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...

and

. In 1932, he was chair of the Institution of Engineers'

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

division. In 1934, Dumas became chief engineer at the Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Department and led the design and construction of the

Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...

, Samson Brook and Stirling dams. At 45 metres tall, Stirling Dam was Australia's highest earthen dam. Dumas became the head of engineering at the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

in 1941. He proposed a water supply scheme for the Wheatbelt region that involved raising

Mundaring Weir Mundaring Weir is a dam (and historically the adjoining locality) located from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The dam and reservoir form the boundary between the suburbs of Reservoir and Sawyers Valley. The dam impounds the Hele ...

and

Wellington Dam Wellington Dam Hydro Power Station is a hydroelectric power station near Collie, Western Australia, Collie, Western Australia. It has one water turbine with a generating capacity of of electricity. The Wellington Dam Hydro Power Station was one ...

. Dumas negotiated with the Federal government and obtained funding for the project. He was also involved in the

Ord River The Ord River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The river's catchment covers . The lower Ord River and the conjunction with Cambridge Gulf create the most northern estuarine environment in Western Australia. The Ord ...

Scheme from early on. Dumas was responsible for extensive land development in the district governed by the Albany Zone Development Committee, and negotiated the establishment of an

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...

, steel

rolling mill In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simil ...

and cement works at Kwinana. In 1952 he reached normal retirement age, but as the Kwinana development was still being completed, the Government employed Dumas with additional power and status to oversee the completion of the project. Dumas retired in December 1953. After retirement, Dumas joined the

Weld Club The Weld Club is a private male-only social club in Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1871 as a gentlemen's club, it is named after Frederick Weld, the chronologically first patron of the club and the Governor of Western Australia at the tim ...

, became director of several companies and was an advisor to Sir

Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was a Western Australian politician, and the 21st Premier of Western Australia from 1974 to 1982. He was a member of the Liberal Party. Early life Court's family e ...

. In the 1960s, Dumas took part in the campaign to save The Barracks Arch, the former home of the Public Works Department, from demolition. Dumas died on 10 August 1975 in

Albany, Western Australia Albany ( ; nys, Kinjarling) is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, southeast of Perth, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a ...

Honours

*Companion of the Most Distinguished

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

, 1950. *Knight Bachelor, 1959. *Knight Commander of the Most Excellent

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, 1964. *Honorary Member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1966.

Legacy

*The ''Russell Dumas Medal'' is awarded to the top engineering student each year at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

. *

Dumas House Dumas House is a fourteen-storey office building constructed in Perth, Western Australia, during the 1960s. The building is located close to St Georges Terrace, Kings Park, and Parliament House. Background Dumas House was part of the 1955 pl ...

, a State government office building, is named in his honour. *A bronze

plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I * Pla ...

with Dumas's name was laid in the footpath of

St Georges Terrace, Perth St Georges Terrace (colloquially known as "The Terrace") is the main street in the city of Perth, Western Australia. It runs parallel to the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River and forms the major arterial road through the central busi ...

as part of the

WAY 1979 WAY 79, also referred to as WAY '79 and WAY 1979, was the official 1979 sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) celebration of the European colonisation of Western Australia. Planning Preliminary planning for WAY 79 began shortly after the March 1 ...

celebrations to commemorate 150 notable figures in Western Australia's history. * Lincoln Street Ventilation Stack, also known as Dumas's Folly, is an obelisk or plinth-like structure in Perth. And while it was not useful for its intended purpose it was repurposed as a radio-frequency antenna during WWII.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dumas, Russell 1887 births 1975 deaths Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George 20th-century Australian engineers Australian military personnel of World War I People from Mount Barker, South Australia People educated at Prince Alfred College University of Adelaide alumni Public servants of Western Australia