William Edward Wainwright (3 January 1873 – 3 May 1959), commonly referred to as W. E. Wainwright, was a mine manager in

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

, New South Wales, Australia.

History

Wainwright was born in London, the son of schoolmaster Edward Harley Wainwright ( – 26 April 1919), and his wife Maria Wainwright, née Brooks.. In 1879 they left for Adelaide where E. H. Wainwright had accepted a position as Third Master of Prince Alfred College. :In 1883 he left "Princes" for rival St Peter's College as a replacement for Science master A. H. Highton. His decision to change schools may have been related to his religion: Wainwright was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

. He served at St Peter's for 22 years, resigning in 1906. Wainwright was educated by private tuition and was successful in the 1888 University examinations. He enrolled with the School of Mines in 1890, achieving excellent grades in the first year but missing a continuing scholarship through a change in criteria relating to technical drawing. He graduated with an Associate Diploma in 1892; with Charles John Whillas (1874–1945) the second and third to gain this recognition (Wainwright's was in Metallurgy; Whillas and (in the previous year) L. W. Grayson's being in Mining). In 1894 his paper on mining theory was given a pass mark by examiner Captain

H. R. Hancock Henry Richard Hancock (1 April 1836 – 14 January 1919) almost invariably referred to as "Captain Hancock" was a mine superintendent in Moonta and Wallaroo, South Australia. He was noted for his business acumen and the respect with which he wa ...

of Kadina giving him that second Diploma. That same year Wainwright was appointed assistant manager of the Ivanhoe gold mine,

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

, Western Australia, where he was in charge of the battery, which he held for two years before taking a similar position at the newly established Queen Margaret mine, Coolgardie. In 1898 he joined the

Broken Hill South Broken Hill South Limited was an Australian silver, lead and zinc mining company with mines at Broken Hill, New South Wales. It is not to be confused with Broken Hill South Blocks Ltd, which was acquired by Lakeview Consols in 1905 and Zinc Corpo ...

company and was put in charge of the metallurgical department in 1900, and effected an immediate increase in the percentage of valuable metal extracted. He had been appointed surface manager only a few months when a serious rockfall below the 500 ft level killed six men and left others trapped. With the resignation of underground manager Samuel Mayne (c. 1855–1933) in 1903, Wainwright was made general manager of the mine and of the company in 1918. In July 1920 Wainwright was transferred to the company's head office in Melbourne, and retired on 30 June 1937.

Andrew Fairweather Andrew Fairweather (31 May 1882 – 4 May 1962) was a mine manager in Broken Hill, New South Wales. History Fairweather was born in Adelaide, son of marine engineer Andrew Abercrombie Fairweather (1855–1940) and his wife Cecilia Russell Fairweat ...

(1882–1962) succeeded him on both occasions. He died at his home in Caulfield, Victoria and his remains were cremated.

Other activities

*Wainwright was hon. secretary. Broken Hill Mining Managers' Association 1906–1915. *Wainwright was vice-president of

Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) provides services to professionals engaged in all facets of the global minerals sector and is based in Carlton, Victoria, Australia. History The Institute had its genesis in 1893 with ...

1916–18 and elected president in 1919 and again in 1930. He led the Australia delegation to the 1930 Empire Mining Congress in 1930. He served as vice-president again in 1916–18, 1933, 1934 and received that body's Mines Medal in 1937.

Family

Edward Harley Wainwright (4 March 1841 – 26 April 1919) married Maria? Marian? Brooks ( – ) in England, left for Adelaide 1879, taught at Prince Alfred College, St Peter's College. Elected 1883 to the Royal Society (SA branch). *William Edward Wainwright (1873–1959), subject of this article, married Emily Constance Goode (1873 – 22 August 1953), daughter of

Henry Abel Goode H. A. & W. Goode was one of the largest regional department stores in the early days of South Australia, with stores in Yankalilla, Aldinga, Willunga, then finally and most notably in Port Pirie. Its principals were three brothers, Henry Abel ...

on 27 October 1900. their two daughters and three sons included: :*daughter (19 August 1901 – ) :*John Harley Wainwright (1911– ) :*William Harley Wainwright ( – 21 January 1977) He was head metallurgist, BHP and life member, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. He retired to Victor Harbor, where he died. *Florence Wainwright ( –1963) married

John George Kelly John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

(1859–1947) eldest son of Dr.

Alexander Charles Kelly Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

(1811–1877). of Tintara fame, on 5 November 1907 *Charles Leonard Wainwright ( 1879 – ) married Gladys Kirk Thomlinson/Tomlinson ( – ) on 4 June 1912 in

Seaton Carew Seaton Carew is a seaside resort and civil parish in the Borough of Hartlepool in County Durham, England. It had an estimated population of 6,018. The area is named after a Norman French family called Carou who owned lands in the area and set ...

. He was assistant manager of the Sulphide Corporation works in that town. *Cpl. Edward Harley Wainwright (15 November 1881 – 26 January 1918) studied Electrical Engineering at the School of Mines, died while doing war work at Vickers Ltd,

Crayford Crayford is a town and electoral ward in South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies east of Bexleyheath and north west of Dartford. Crayford was in the historic county of Kent until 1965. The settlement deve ...

, UK Charles Wainwright (1846 – 31 March 1903) married Annie Brooke (c. 1849 – 12 February 1881) in England and emigrated to Australia, possibly on the same ship as his brother. He married again, to Emma Brook ( – 4 October 1924) (both of Kidderminster, England) on 6 January 1888. He joined Education Department in 1879, was headmaster of public (State) schools

Narracoorte Naracoorte is a town in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, approximately 336 kilometres south-east of Adelaide and 100 kilometres north of Mount Gambier on the Riddoch Highway (A66). History Before the colonisation of South Austra ...

Eudunda Eudunda is a rural town in South Australia, roughly 103 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, established in 1870 after settlers began moving into the area in the 1860s. As of the 2006 census, Eudunda had a population of 640. Eudunda is in the R ...

, and

Murray Bridge Murray Bridge may refer to. *Murray Bridge, South Australia, a city and locality *Rural City of Murray Bridge, a local government area in South Australia *Corporate Town of Murray Bridge, a former local government area in South Australia See also ...

. *John William Wainwright (27 November 1880 – 1948) *Annie Wainwright (1889 – )

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wainwright, W. E. 1873 births 1959 deaths Australian mine managers Australian metallurgists British emigrants to Australia