Ronald Martin Wilson (1886–1967) was an architect and engineer in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. A number of his works are heritage-listed.

Early life

Ronald Martin Wilson was born 14 July 1886 in

Yeronga Yeronga is a southern riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Yeronga had a population of 6,535 people. Geography The suburb is bounded to the west and north by the Brisbane River and to the south-east by ...

in Brisbane, the son of architect

Alexander Brown Wilson Alexander Brown Wilson (5 June 1857, in Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland – 5 May 1938, in Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia) was an architect in Queensland, Australia. A number of his works are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. L ...

. He attended the

Brisbane Normal School , motto_translation = Knowledge is Power , city = South Brisbane , state = Queensland , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Public, selective, co-educational, secondary, ...

and the

Brisbane Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour , established = 1868 , type = Independent, day & boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Non-denominational , slogan = , key_people = , ci ...

. He worked in his father's architecture firm as an assistant while completing a degree in engineering at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Engineering

The first meeting of the Greater Brisbane Council in March 1925 established Cross River Commission to establish what bridges were needed for Brisbane. There were three members: chairman

Roger Hawken Roger William Hercules Hawken (12 May 1878 – 18 October 1947), an Australian engineer, was the first lecturer in civil engineering, and then a professor, at the University of Queensland. Personal life Hawken was born at Darlington, New So ...

, Professor of Engineering at the

, William Muir Nelson and Wilson. Their report showed 11 proposed river crossings, and considered costs and savings made due to the reduction in haulage costs etc, and the need for a railway bridge was also discussed. Their report ultimately led to the construction of the

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

and the

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

, but their proposal for a bridge at New Farm has yet to be realised.

Architectural works

Notable works by Wilson include: * Cliffside Apartments in Kangaroo Point, listed on the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

* St Lucia Presbyterian Church listed on the

Brisbane Heritage Register The Brisbane Heritage Register is a heritage register containing a list of culturally-significant places within the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovere ...

* conversion of a private home in Chelmer into a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

convalescent hospital, The Lady Wilson Red Cross Convalescent Home, later the Chelmer Police College, listed on the Queensland Heritage Register * St George's Greek Orthodox Church,

South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 7,196 people. Geography The suburb is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the north-west, ...

, circa 1958, listed on the Brisbane Heritage Register

Later life

Wilson died on 19 July 1967 at

St Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindia ...

. He was cremated.

Legacy

The Wilson family of architects have contributed to Brisbane architectural practice for over 130 years through four generations: Alexander Brown Wilson, Ronald Martin Wilson, Blair Wilson and Hamilton Wilson. Since 2014, the practice is known as

Wilson Architects Wilson Architects is one of Australia's the oldest architectural practices in Australia. The firm specialises in the design of educational and laboratory spaces and facilities. History Wilson Architects was founded in 1884 by Alexander Brown Wi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Ronald Martin 20th-century Australian architects 20th-century Australian engineers 1886 births 1967 deaths