Carlo Catani is sued in Warrnambool County Court

The Age newspaper of April 10, 1902  (see here) reported on a Court case where Carlo was sued in the Warrnambool County Court. The plaintiff, William John Murray, was unsuccessful. The case was in connection with the Merri River drainage scheme. The Merri River is to the west of the town of Warrnambool and I will write about the drainage scheme one day.  Over the years, Carlo gave evidence at committees and inquiries in a professional capacity and he was on the other side of the Bench after he was appointed a Magistrate at the St Kilda Court, where the first case he heard was on May 15, 1917, but this is the first court case I have found involving Carlo as either a plaintiff or defendant.

The Court House at Warrnambool, where the case involving Carlo was heard.

Warrnambool Court House, Timor Street. Photographer: John T. Collins, taken November 22, 1981.

State Library of Victoria Image H98.251/2516

Here is the report from The Age of April 10, 1902 -

A Peculiar Claim. A Public Works Officer Sued.

Warrnambool, Wednesday.

At the county court, before Judge Hamilton, William John Murray, owner of land near the Merri River, sought to recover from Mr. Catani, of the Public Works department, £19 19/ for certain work alleged to have been done on the authority of the defendant in connection with the Merri River drainage scheme.

Plaintiff stated that he had an interview with defendant at Warrnambool, and that the latter arranged with him to interview all the land owners interested in the Merri drainage scheme, with a view to inducing them to buy from the Government all the land between their holdings and the river which had been reclaimed. Defendant told plaintiff that he would be handsomely paid if he undertook the work, and after considerable demur he consented to undertake the task. He sent in two or three reports to the department, showing the results of the interviews, and defendant had on two or three occasions assured him that "he would be paid all right."

Some time afterwards, Mr. Catani and the Surveyor-General called on witness at his house, and in the course of conversation the Surveyor-General asked plaintiff what authority he had for doing the work for which he claimed payment. Plaintiff thereupon produced a letter he had received from Mr. Catani, and the Surveyor-General, after reading it, remarked, "Oh, he has been employed all right." 

At a subsequent stage, however, plaintiff received a letter from Mr. Catani, in which the latter stated that it was understood that plaintiff undertook the work "because he owns so interested in securing a river frontage for himself." At a later stage the Government repudiated the action of Mr. Catani in engaging his (plaintiff's) services.

In reply to Mr. S. F. Mann, of the Crown Law department, who appeared for defendant, plaintiff admitted having received certain amounts from land owners for his instrumentality in securing the drainage of their land.

Mr. Mann submitted that the action was an improper attempt to reach the Crown. The department should have been sued, and not one of the department's officers in a private capacity. His Honor coincided with Mr. Mann's view.

Mr. Chambers, who appeared for plaintiff, pointed out that the department had repudiated Mr. Catani's action. His Honor: Then there is all the stronger ground for an action against the department.

Plaintiff was non-suited, and costs were allowed to defendant.

The Union Bridge, Murray River, at Albury-Wodonga

On September 2, 1861, the Union Bridge over the Murray River between Albury and Wodonga was opened, replacing a punt. It was a day of great celebration and a procession which wound its way down the main streets of Albury to the new bridge was watched by over 1,200 spectators (1). The local newspaper the Albury Banner described the bridge -
Victoria is now united to New South Wales by one of the finest bridges in all the colonies - by the  "Union Bridge," at Albury a bridge which is most commanding in appearance, and, as to its workmanship throughout, may be regarded as - and is, in fact - one of the neatest pieces of joinery that any practical hand could wish to criticise; some of the large beams being so nicely spliced as almost to defy detection. The bridge is one hundred and fifty six feet long by thirty wide; it is supported on two piers composed of triple rows of piles, with similar abutments on either side the river: there are consequently three spans of eighty feet each from centre to centre of the piers. The superstructure is composed of three rows of trusses or framework (commonly known as the "double queen" truss), thus dividing the Bridge into two roadways. This portion of the work gives the idea of great solidity, being supported by numerous suspension bars of great strength and rigidity. Heavy American wagons passed over the Bridge, while several hundred persons were congregated upon it, and yet there was scarcely any sensible vibration (2).

View of the first Union Bridge over the Murray.  Photographer: John H. Jones.

Mr Jones, the photographer, died in 1872, so this was taken sometime between 1861 and then. 

State Library of Victoria Image H2017.75/83. Image has been cropped , this was a stereograph, see the full image here http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/4193730

This bridge served the community well for many years but eventually became unsafe and thus the Colonies of New South Wales and Victoria started working towards a solution. To this end in January 1894 Mr. Catani, Victorian Engineer of Roads and Bridges, was sent up to inspect the Union Bridge, and reported that in his opinion a comparatively small expenditure would be sufficient to make the structure safe for another four or five years. This view being altogether at variance with the opinion of the Public Works Department of the New South Wales Government, it has been decided that Mr. Davidson, Victorian Inspector-General of Public Works, should make a special visit of inspection (3).

On Saturday, February 17 1894, Mr Davidson paid a visit to Albury and inspected the bridge with the grandly named Edmund Caswell Bowyer-Smijth, the Albury District Roads Engineer (4). Mr Davidson admitted the bridge was in a unsafe condition and also admitted  that 30 years was the lifetime of the best constructed timber bridge, and with the Union Bridge, which has been in position over 30 years, there were several conditions justifying the conclusion that the structure had run its length of time (5).

A month after the visit of Mr Davidson, The Argus reported that - The worn out bridge at Albury, known as the "union bridge", continues to stand while the two colonies, Victoria and New South Wales, are engaged in discussing whether it should be repaired or replaced by a new one. New South Wales favours a new one to cost about £14,000 and requests this colony to bear half the expenditure. Victoria, seeing the necessity for practising economy would rather act on the opinion of Mr Catani, of the Public Works department, that the old bridge can be repaired to last for three years at a cost of £300. Mr Davidson, the inspector general of Public Works, who has seen the bridge, agrees with Mr Catani, but suggests as an alternative that as the present bridge was erected 33 years ago for £7,500 a bridge of equal strength might now be erected for about £4,000 if New South Wales insists on a new structure (6).

It was more than two years later before the two Colonies agreed on the new bridge. In August 1896, The Age reported Mr. Taverner, the Victorian Minister for Works, has had an interview with Mr. Young, Minister of Works in New South Wales, with reference to the erection of bridges over the Murray. The  "union bridge" at Albury is in an insecure condition, mainly on account of its age, and an understanding was come to between Victoria and New South Wales that they shall conjointly bear the expense of erecting a new bridge, New South Wales to call for tenders for the work and to supervise the construction. There has been some delay in calling for tenders, owing to a difference of opinion between the colonies as to plans and cost. These have been settled, and Mr. Taverner has received an assurance from Mr. Young that no time will be lost in proceeding with the work (7).

Mr Ball, the local M.L.A., receives notification from Mr de Burgh of the N.S.W. Public Works Department, that work on the new bridge will start shortly.

Albury Banner & Wodonga Express, July 9, 1897 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/99414054

Even after the two Colonies agreed,  it wasn't until nearly one year later that the contractors were ready to start and that was in July 1897 (8). All this time the locals and everyone else who used the main road from Melbourne to Sydney were inconvenienced with an unsafe bridge with severe load limits of which notices to that effect have been posted for some time on the main road in the vicinity of Albury. Heavily-laden wool teams have today been turning back from the bridge, the drivers being afraid to cross (9).

The Albury Banner had a full description of the new Union bridge -
The bridge, when completed, will be one of the finest in Australia. It consists of two truss spans of 110ft. each, two beam spans of 35ft. each, and one of 30ft. The width of the approach span is 28ft., and the main spans are 24ft. This is from kerb to kerb. These spans rest on three sets of cylinders, one set on each bank, which is solidly set on foundations of piles and concrete. The centre pier is placed in the middle of the stream, and in order to secure a solid foundation the contractors had to sink to a depth of 48 feet below the bed of the river. On the up stream side of the bridge there is a footway constructed over four feet wide. This will permit foot passengers to cross at any time independent of other traffic.... The timber used for trusses, girders, &c, is ironbark, and for the decking tallow wood has been used. All this had to be brought from the North Coast. Considerable difficulty has been experienced in getting the larger timber for girders, and it this that has caused the unfortunate delay in getting on with the work. It was thought that the bridge would be opened for traffic before the close of the year, but as the approaches on the Victorian side will not be finished until some time in January, there is no possibility of the new bridge being available for traffic until the latter end of that month. The bridge has been built at the joint cost of the two Governments, and will amount to close upon £7000. The Victorian approach will cost £900 extra, the contractors for which are Messrs. Toner and Mongan, who are pushing rapidly on with the work. The contractors for the bridge are Messrs. J. B. and W. Farquharson (10). Farquharsons were experienced bridge builders and in the 1890s had also built bridges on the Murray River at Swan Hill and Tocumwal (11).

The second Union Bridge. It appears to be still under construction.

Photographer: John Henry Harvey.

State Library of Victoria Image H2009.100/473

On December 21 1898, Ernest Macartney de Burgh, the New South Wales Department of Public Works Assistant Engineer for Bridges, together with Mr Bowyer-Smijth, made the final inspection of the bridge (12).  On December 30, Mr Davidson went to Wodonga to take over the work on the Victorian side from the contractor (13).  The bridge was thus at long last finished and was opened for traffic on December 31 1898 (14). Demolition of the old bridge began in early January (15).  As a matter of interest Carlo Catani and Ernest de Burgh were also both involved in two other projects - in 1900 on the bridge over the Murray between Koondrook and Barham ( read about this here) and in 1912 when Victoria was developing a policy on outer ports in towns such as Warrnambool and Mallacoota. At that time (1912) de Burgh was the Chief Engineer for Harbours in New South Wales (16). 

The locals wanted a grand opening ceremony, in fact they wanted a ceremony with befitting eclat (17) and the Shire of Wodonga and the Borough of Albury agreed that the day should be January 26, Anniversary Day and the 111th anniversary of the foundation of the mother colony (New South Wales) (18).  They hoped to invite the Premiers of both Colonies.  The Albury Banner said the opening ceremony would be a good opportunity to keep claims of Albury well to the front, and it should not be allowed to pass by unnoticed. Albury is destined to become an important inland city of Federated Australia, and that whether it is made the capital or not of the new nation (19). 

Alas, the hopes for a grand opening of the new bridge were dashed when the Premier refused to attend.  The New South Wales Premier, Sir George Houston Reid, is reported as saying that - he understood the bridge had not been opened for traffic when he was first communicated with. He had since been informed that this bridge had been opened some weeks ago for traffic. Under those circumstances he declined to come, and it would be absurd in the face of it to ask a representative lot of gentlemen to come all the way to Albury to take part in a second hand ceremony. If the mayor and aldermen wanted an opening, it was their own fault they did not find out when the bridge was to be finished, so that the Government of each colony might have taken part. They could have obtained that information very easily by walking to the bridge and asking the Government officer in charge, or by writing to the department in Sydney (20). 

Union Bridge, Albury, 1950

State Library of New South Wales Image 006556

The second Union Bridge was replaced in 1961.The Premier of New South Wales officially opened the replacement bridge on April 7, 1961 and the old bridge was later demolished (21).

The Age, April 6 1961

From Newspapers.com

Trove list - I have created a short list of articles on Trove about the Union Bridges, you can access it here.

Footnotes
(1) Albury Banner & Wodonga Express, December 9, 1898, see here.

(2) Albury Banner & Wodonga Express, September 4, 1861, see here.

(3) Albury Banner & Wodonga Express,  February 2, 1894, see here.

(4) Edmund Caswell Bowyer-Smijth was born in Norfolk in England in 1853, the third son of the Reverend Bowyer-Smijth of Attleborough, Norfolk. He married Annie Elizabeth Gray in Woollahra in Sydney in December 1884.  After 16 years as the Albury District Roads Engineer he retired in 1900.  Some time after he retired he returned to England where he died in 1921.

(5) Wodonga & Towong Sentinel, February 23, 1894, see here.

(6) The Argus, March 19 1894, see here.

(7) The Age, August 13, 1896, see here.

(8) Albury Banner & Wodonga Express, July 9, 1897, see here.

(9) The Argus, October 11, 1898, see here.

(10) Albury Banner & Wodonga Express, December 2, 1898, see here.

(11) Farquharsons - Sydney Morning Herald, December 4, 1896, see here; Sydney Morning Herald, December 29, 1925, see here.

(12) Albury Banner & Wodonga Express, December 23, 1898, see here.

(13) The Age, December 30 1898, see here.

(14) Albury Banner & Wodonga Express, January 6, 1899, see here.

(15) Tuesday, January 3, 1899 was when demolition commenced. Wodonga & Towong Sentinel  January 6, 1899, see here.

(16) Carlo Catani and Ernest Macartney de Burgh (1863-1929). List of articles on the Koondrook - Barham bridge, here and list of articles on the Outer Ports, here. De Burgh's entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, can be read here.

(17) Albury Banner & Wodonga Express, January 6, 1899, see here.

(18) Wagga Wagga Express, January 17, 1899, see here.

(19) Albury Banner & Wodonga Express, December 2, 1898, see here.

(20) Wagga Wagga Express, January 28, 1899, see here.

(21) I found out it was demolished from this Facebook post from the Albury & District Historical Society, here.

A Labour of Love - the Public Works of Carlo Catani

 A new book on Carlo Catani has just been released A Labour of Love - the Public Works of Carlo Catani Victoria 1876-1918, written and researched by Isaac Douglas Hermann.

The cover of the book. 

It is, as the blurb says - A resource book - a companion - for anyone researching Carlo Catani, or the extraordinary  and generous influence this Italian-born engineer had on the landscapes of inner Melbourne and across Victoria...It is a compendium that befits the life and legacy of this brilliant son of Florence, who went on to become one of Victoria's most revered and beloved public servants - David Brand, Architect and former City of Port Phillip Councillor.

The book looks at the life and work of Carlo Catani, covering such themes as his Accomplishments in areas including Roadways, Bridges, Drainage works, Parks & Gardens; Recognition such as the locations and streets named after him; Historical praise and the Centennial Commemorations of his untimely death in 1918. The most important commemoration, I believe, was the erection of a headstone on the unmarked Catani family grave at the Brighton Cemetery. This project to honour Carlo and his family was led by Isaac - he instigated the process, raised the funds, negotiated the permissions and designed the lovely headstone. Carlo Catani and his family now have the fitting headstone that they deserve and it was, indeed, a labour of love and respect on Isaac's part. 

The Catani family headstone, unveiled December 11, 2018, 

designed by Isaac as a tribute to Carlo and his family.

You can read more about the unveiling ceremony, here.

This blog was inspired by Isaac's enthusiasm with Carlo and I am grateful to him for sharing his research, which was and still is, often the impetus for my stories. I was thrilled to be there today when the books arrived from the printers, and seriously, I could not have been more excited to see the books than if they were my own books!

Isaac holding copies of his new book - A Labour of Love

Congratulations, Isaac. It is a lovely book, the product of four years of research and your own labour of love.

The publication of this book was generously supported by the Middle Park History Group, the St Kilda Historical Society and the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society. The books will be available for sale through the St Kilda Historical Society and the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society and soon at local (St Kilda/Elwood) bookshops. 

Carlo's Linguistic Skills

We know that Carlo was persuasive and charming, evidenced by these two quotes from Table Talk-
He is a model of urbanity and discretion, and Ministers like him so well that they will be induced to father his road beautification schemes, even when they scarcely know where the money is to come from (1). 

Carlo Catani is a most interesting companion on a long train or motor trip and in the bush. Incidentally he uses his conversational prestige to push forward his beneficent schemes for the making of beauty spots, good roads, new harbors and what not (2). 

I have found three references to his skills as a linguist in English and Italian.

In October 1908, Carlo organised a trip to Mount Buffalo for the Premier, the Minister for Lands, the Surveyor General and various Government other officials. The Ovens and Murray Advertiser reported on the trip, the efficiency of Carlo's organisational skills and at the end his perfect English. The relevant section of the article is transcribed, below.

Carlo's organization skills and perfect grammar praised.

Ovens & Murray Advertiser October 24, 1908 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/198714716#

To Mr. Catani, however, of the Public Works Department, is to be ascribed the principal praise. Not satisfied with constructing the road he organised the trip, and through himself and his assistants he apparently provided for every possible want. To house and feed 40 or 50 rather sybaritish individuals on the top of a bare rock 5000 feet up in the clouds, amid the snow, is no mean task; but he did it, and did it admirably. His own chief, Mr. Davidson, did not scruple to say that no man but Mr. Catani could have managed the thing so well; and in his efforts he was excellently seconded by his lieutenants, Messrs. Clauser (3) and McCormick. Just as a further taste of his quality, Mr. Catani gave a lesson to his guests by making the only absolutely grammatical speeches delivered during the trip, and so still further surprising the party (4).

There are two references I found to Carlo speaking Italian in public. The first was at meeting held at the Melbourne Town Hall on July 31, 1916 the purpose of which was to convince people who were from Allied Nations to subscribe to the War Loan. This included Russians, French, Belgians, Italians, Servians (apparently a former word for Serbian)  and the Japanese. As a matter of interest, this meeting took place two days after his son, Enrico, was Killed in Action in France, but Carlo was at the time unaware of his son's demise. 

Advertisement for the meeting, where Carlo was a guest speaker.

The Argus July 31, 1916 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1630281

The report the next day of the meeting was in The Argus and headlined - A Polyglot appeal: Speeches by Allies' Subjects - 
Heralded by the band playing the Belgian National Anthem, Monsieur C. Costerman, speaking in French, drew a harrowing picture of the sufferings of his countrymen. Then came a speech in Italian by Signor Catani. Those of his countrymen who had found a home in Australia had, he said, a double duty. As Australians they should give their last shilling; as Italians they should sell their innermost garment to provide funds to carry on the war. Monsieur E. Napoleon Boffard, representing France, gave as an excuse for speaking in English that he had forgotten French. The French peasants, he said, had taken their hoarded-up gold to the Treasury. "You have taken our husbands, you have taken our sons", the women said, "take our gold also, we want France to win." Monsieur Boffard concluded with a powerful appeal to his countrymen to do their duty (5).

The fact that the speakers were addressing the audience in languages other than English was apparently unusual and The Age advertised the meeting as a Meeting of Allies: Novel gathering at Town Hall (6).

The other reference I can find to Carlo speaking Italian was on his first day as a Magistrate at the St Kilda Court, which was on May 15, 1917. At the hearing Giacomo Rando was charged with having, on April 21, acted contrary to the regulations made by the Board of Public Health, under the Health Acts (for securing cleanliness and freedom from contamination of articles of food), to wit, bananas and apples, by storing them in places where things were kept which were likely to contaminate such articles of food or injuriously affect their wholesomeness or cleanliness (7).

The report in the Prahran Chronicle continued with Defendant (in his native tongue) was asked by Mr. Catani, J.P., as to whether there was a child's cot near the fruit and defendant replied that he did not know whether there was or not. The  Court found that apples were stored in the bathroom covered with old bags and rags and a case of bananas were covered with rags. Mr Rando was found guilty and fined  £3 (8).

We will return to Table Talk for another tribute to Carlo and his communication skills - 

Probably he was able to do so much with the slow-moving civil servants around him because he was blessed with unusual vigor himself, and could paint a rosy scheme in treble languages. He was about the best story-teller the department ever had (9).  Treble languages - English, Italian what would his other language be? Possibly French. His brother Ugo Catani,  attended a meeting in 1890 to establish a branch of the L'Alliance Francaise in Melbourne. Ugo was one of the entertainers and all the vocal and instrumental music were the compositions of the best French composers and all the conversation was in French (10), which suggests that Ugo spoke French, so it is possible that Carlo did as well. 

Trove List

I have created  a short list of articles on Carlo and his linguistic skills on Trove, access it here.

Footnotes
(1) Table Talk, February 15, 1912, see here.

(2) Table Talk, September 11, 1913, see here.

(3) This is George Clowser, read about him here https://carlocatani.blogspot.com/2019/07/mr-clowser.html

(4) Ovens and Murray Advertiser, October 24, 1908, see here.

(5) The Argus, August 1, 1916, see here.

(6) The Age, July 31, 1916, see here.

(7) Prahran Chronicle, May 19, 1917, see here.

(8) Prahran Chronicle, May 19, 1917, see here.

(9) Table Talk, May 3, 1917, see here.

(10) Australasian, August 2, 1890, see here.

Carlo Catani - Cyclopedia of Victoria, 1903

In the last post (see here) I looked at Ettore Checchi's entry from the Cyclopedia of Victoria, which  was published in three volumes from 1903 to 1905. The Cyclopedia was an attempt to present a comprehensive survey of the State in most of its multifarious aspects - political, social, religious, and educational, financial, commercial and industrial. In this post, I have transcribed Carlo Catani's entry, from volume 1 of the Cyclopedia.

Carlo Catani - Cyclopedia of Victoria, v. 1.

Carlo Catani

Photographer: Johnstone, O'Shannessy & Co. Image from Cyclopedia of Victoria, v. 3.

Mr Carlo Catani, Engineer for Roads and Bridges, was born at Florence, Italy, in 1852, and was educated in his native city, taking his diploma as a civil engineer at the Technical Institute, and in November, 1872, received his papers from the Minister for Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry. 

He, with Messrs. Baracchi and Checchi, came to Victoria in 1876, and entered the Lands Department. In 1882 Mr Catani was transferred to the Public Works Department, and in 1890 was Acting Engineer for Roads and Bridges, owing to the illness of his chief.  In 1892 he was appointed to that position. 

In Italy Mr Catani was employed on railway work. He qualified as a surveyor under the Land Act in 1880, a municipal surveyor in 1897, and is also a surveyor under the Transfer of Land Act. 

Between 1880 and 1890 Mr Catani was assistant engineer for harbour works, and he succeeded Mr Hynes as Engineer for Roads and Bridges, Harbour Works and Reclamation. It was under his supervision that the Yarra improvement, the Anderson Street bridge over the Yarra, works were carried out.

Ettore Checchi - Cyclopedia of Victoria, 1903

The Cyclopedia of Victoria was published in three volumes: volume 1 in 1903, and the next two volumes in 1904 and 1905. They were, as the title page said, an Historical and Commercial Review- Descriptive and Biographical, Facts, Figures and Illustrations. An Epitome of Progress. The preface explains further -  They were an attempt to present a comprehensive survey of the State in most of its multifarious aspects - political, social, religious, and educational, financial, commercial and industrial. The Cyclopedia was edited by James Smith and published by the Cyclopedia Company. 

This is the entry, from volume 1, on Ettore Checchi (1853 - 1946). Checchi had arrived in Melbourne in September 1876 with Pietro Baracchi and Carlo Catani. 

Ettore Checchi -  Cyclopedia of Victoria, v. 1.

Ettore Checchi

Photographer: Johnstone, O'Shannessy & Co. Image from Cyclopedia of Victoria, v. 3.

Mr  Ettore Checchi, Chief Assistant Engineer for Water Supply, was born in Tuscany, Italy, and educated at the Technical Institute of Florence, in which he holds the degree of mechanical and civil engineering. 

He came to Victoria in 1876, and on his arrival here entered the Lands Department, and shortly after the Public Works Department, which was then professionally directed by Mr W.H. Steele, as Inspector-General for Public Works. 

Mr Checchi was Assistant Engineer for Harbour Works in that department, and in 1888 was transferred to the Water Supply Department, under Mr Stuart Murray, Chief Engineer.  Mr Checchi for four years was in charge of the water-boring works in the Mallee country, but as the operations for striking an artesian supply of water proved to be unsuccessful, the Government decided to relinquish the work. 

Mr Checchi has the control and charge for maintenance of the Coliban and Geelong Water-works, and has carried out the Eastern Moorabool works, which, as an additional source of supply, cost £80,000. Mr Checchi is Hydraulic Engineer for the Victorian Government, and is also a licensed municipal surveyor.

......................................................................................

In a previous post,  I have transcribed an article on Ettore, written by J. N. Churchyard, Research Officer at the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission and  published in Aqua, the S.R.W.S.C. Journal in the 1950s, you can read it here.

I have also transcribed Carlo Catani's entry from the Cyclopedia of Victoria, read it here.

Ettore Checchi - River Murray Agreement and River Gauging by J.N. Churchyard.

This article on Ettore Checchi, by J. N. Churchyard, Research Officer at the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission was first published in Aqua, the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission Journal sometime between August 1956 and September 1958 and republished in Pioneers of Victorian Irrigation (pp. 20-21; SRWSC, 1976). Ettore Checchi, Pietro Baracchi and their friend Carlo Catani, arrived in Melbourne in September 1876.

Ettore Checchi (1853-1946 ) 

River Murray Agreement and River Gauging 

by J.N. Churchyard.

In an era when this country is receiving record numbers of New Australians, it is particularly instructive to consider the life of Ettore Checchi (1), one of our Italian immigrants of 80 years ago. In fifty years of service to the State, Mr Checchi performed some monumental work, the effect of which will benefit Australia for all time. It symbolises the contribution which our New Australians can make to their adopted country today.

Ettore Checchi was born in 1853 in the town of Pisa, famous, of course for its “leaning tower”. The father of the family of 12 had died when young Ettore was five years old, leaving his family in some financial difficulty, but despite this severe setback early in his life, Ettore Checchi managed to obtain his engineering degree at Florence. However, realising that there were few good prospects in Italy, he decided to emigrate, and after a difficult six-months trip, landed in Melbourne in 1877*.

It is worth mentioning that two other Italians, Carlo Catani and Pietro Baracchi, both of whom also achieved notable positions in the Victorian Public Service, were on the same ship.

Of the three, Catani, who became Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department is probably the best known. From the Commission’s point of view, the most interesting work which he did was to drain the now-fertile Kooweerup Swamp, but he is also known for the development of St Kilda foreshore, where Catani Gardens was named in his honour, and for the beautification of Mount Buffalo National Park, where Lake Catani also bears his name. Less is known of Baracchi, but he was Victorian Government Astronomer for a number of years.

However, to take up the story of Ettore Checchi, he was first employed as an assistant engineer in the Department of Lands and Public Works, where, among other things, he was largely concerned with the design of buildings of Princes and Falls (Queen’s) Bridges. But Mr Checchi’s most notable work was done during 39 years of service from 1888 to 1927, first with the Victorian Water Supply Department, and later with the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission.

Ettore Checchi

Image: https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/119404943/person/132073611441/facts

In his first few years as an assistant engineer, Mr Checchi was employed on hydrographic work, where his organisation of systematic river gauging throughout the State, under the direction of Stuart Murray, attracted world-wide attention, and laid the foundation of a scientific water conservation policy in this State (2).

In 1894, after some years as Chief Assistant Engineer, Mr Checchi was appointed as Engineer in Charge of River Gaugings, Irrigation Trusts and the Coliban and Geelong Water Supply Systems. As might be imagined, these duties kept him extremely busy; in fact, records show that for one period of six years Mr Checchi averaged only one day’s leave per annum.

However, Ettore Checchi’s greatest contribution was to supply most of the technical data in regard to water resources required in connection with the harnessing of the waters of the River Murray, a problem which had proved highly contentious for half a century. As early as 1863, proposals had been made for developing the waters of the Murray and an interstate Royal Commission had reported on the subject in 1902. But it was not until 1914 that an Agreement on the subject based on the recommendations of an Interstate Conference of Engineers in 1913. It was this Agreement which led to the establishment of the River Murray Commission.

Commissioner J. S. Dethridge of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission represented Victoria on the Conference. Ettore Checchi was the Chief Engineering Officer and was responsible for hydrographic investigations and the examination of storage sites along the Upper Murray, including one which was ultimately chosen for the Hume Reservoir. With his unique knowledge of stream conditions over a period of 25 years, Ettore Checchi was in a better position than any other man in Australia to advise on the distribution of water between the three States concerned.

The agreement of 1914 was the reward for his work, and at that stage, Mr Checchi might have been pardoned for thinking that his work had nearly ended, since he was then 57 years of age. However, he was by no means at the end of his working life for he did not retire until, at the age of 73 – and at his own request – he terminated what must be close to a record period of 50 years of service with the State. During his last 16 years with the Commission he was intimately associated with many of the major water conservation projects in this State, including the Hume and the first Eildon Reservoirs.

After his retirement Mr Checchi lived for a further 20 years until his death in 1946 at the age of 93 years. It is recorded by A.S. Kenyon that he was still “in fine form” and the age of 87, no doubt largely because of the great strength for which he was renowned. Indeed, Kenyon described him in a newspaper article as “possibly the strongest man in this world”.

The same source refers to Ettore Checchi as “first of all a gentleman in the fullest Continental sense of the word”, but more than that, “a great mathematician and a sound designing engineer”. The former tribute maybe endorsed only by those who knew Mr Checchi personally, but the latter claim is obvious from the work he did, which has provided such a sound basis for the development of water conservation not only in the State of Victoria, but in New South Wales and South Australia as well.

1.The Commission is indebted for much information in this article to Dr Checchi of Willaura, a son of the late Ettore Checchi, and to a daughter, Mrs N. Muddle of Hampton.
2. See article on Stuart Murray, “Aqua” November 1956.

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* Ettore Checchi, Carlo Catani and Pietro Baracchi actually arrived in Melbourne in September 1876.

Family information

Ettore Checchi married Rebecca Rodgers, of Attunga, near Tamworth on November 13, 1889. They had four children, all the births were registered in Caulfield - Leo, Cyril, Nancy and Norman Rodger. Rebecca died on November 24, 1944, aged 74 and Ettore died July 19, 1946. They were both cremated at Springvale.

Leo, born 1891, married Gwladys Williams , in Wales, in 1933. They had two sons John Rodger - born in 1936, married June Davies in 1962 and died in 1999; Howell Rodger, born 1941, married Glenys Ewans in 1972. Leo died April 14, 1972 and Gwladys July 30, 1972. All events took place in Wales.

Cyril, born July 24, 1892, married Frances Suddaby 'Fanny' Wilson at the Elsternwick Presbyterian Church on September 19, 1916. They had a son David Alwyn born November 2, 1920. David, joined the RAAF and died in a training flight in South Australia on May 13, 1942. Their daughter, Pauline, was born in September 1922. Frances died 1984, aged 88 and Cyril died at 104 years of age, May 14, 1997. They are buried at Willaura Cemetery. Cyril was a Doctor and practised at Willaura from 1920 to 1986. He was the subject of a book, The Greatest Joy of all: the story of Dr Cyril Checchi by Paul McLoughlin (Bob Meredith, 1995). The title The Greatest Joy of all, refers to the birth of babies. 

Nancy, born February 24, 1895, married Hubert Roy Muddle, December 14, 1916. Hubert died at the age of 28 on June 17, 1919, in NSW. Their son, William Beaumont Muddle was born in 1917 in Victoria and died in NSW in 1959. Nancy died May 23, 1978, her Executor was Irene Nora Checchi. Nancy was cremated at Springvale.

Norman Rodger was born January 5, 1901. He married Irene Nora Morrison in 1927. Leo died May 13, 1987; Irene died October 30, 1988. They were both cremated at Springvale.

The family information comes from the Indexes to Victorian and NSW Birth, Death and Marriages;  personal notices in Trove and newspapers.com; records on Ancestry and Springvale Cemetery records.

You can read Ettore Checchi's Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, written by Ronald East, here. It is partly based on Mr Churchyard's article. Lewis Ronald East, was an engineer with and later Chairman of  the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission.

Italian Links with Kitchener's Hundred by John C. Trinca looks at the life and war service of Alfred John Trinca, Cyril Checchi and Leo Checchi. It is published in the Newsletter of the Italian Historical Society CO AS IT, v. 2, n. 3 July-September 1991  http://coasit.com.au/IHS/journals/IHS%20Journal007.pdf

In another post I have transcribed Ettore Checchi's entry from the 1903 Cyclopedia of Victoria, read it here.