Midland Junction Technical School was set up as a branch institution of the Perth Technical School, mainly to support the engineering trades at the Railway Workshops at Midland Junction. Mr W.H.C James was the instructor in Mechanical Drawing and Mr Chas T. Wickham, the instructor in Geometry.
According to the Annual Report of 1904 the students who enrolled at Midland Junction in the very first course of Mathematics, Mechanical Drawing and Geometry were ‘earnest and hard working ’. They studied the use of instruments and the construction and use of scales, how to read plans, elevations and sections of simple details of machining, to enlarge and reduce from a copy and draw to scale. They also learnt to do inking in, lettering, colouring and tracing before progressing to freehand sketches of machine details, elevations, sections, plans etc necessary to construct a more complex scale drawing. Instruments required included a drawing board, an ebony edged T square, a writing pen, a mapping pen, a bottle of red and blue Indian ink and a set of spring bows.
Although the subjects offered at Midland Junction Technical School were mainly to support the trades, they provided an introduction to further studies in Engineering. Many of those early students went on to become engineers at a time when the Railway Workshops at Midland Junction formed the State’s largest industrial centre. This was also the era when electrical installations were being done for the first time and underground gold mining was rapidly replacing alluvial fossicking.
The first scholarship winner in Mechanical Drawing at Midland Junction Technical School was James Clough who later became the Foreman of the Electrical Shop at the Railway Workshops. Just a few years later another student John Charles King enrolled in the preparatory Engineering subjects that launched him into a career designing the State’s first major power station at East Perth.
After completing preparatory subjects at Midland, those initial students had to travel each day by train to Perth Technical School where Mechanical and Electrical Engineering subjects were offered through links with the Adelaide University.
The 1910 Directors Report notes:
"The classes in Engineering subjects have made steady progress and there will soon be need of considerable extension in his section of the school work. Classes for the cadets and apprentices of the Railway workshops have been regularly held throughout the year. The senior students have attended afternoon classes at the Technical School, and the main body of apprentices have been allowed time off to attend morning classes at the Midland Junction Workshops. The class work for the juniors has been brought into line with that at the Technical School and members of the school staff have conducted the annual examinations".
Students had to complete four years to gain their full Associateship in Engineering. A Diploma was issued only after completing one year’s practical experience in approved engineering works.
The Institution of Engineers was formed in 1919 by the amalgamation of the majority of societies of professional engineers (civil, mechanical, electrical and municipal.) The educational standards of the institution required
"a sound general education including English and Maths". Members also had to demonstrate the general principles of engineering upon which the various branches of engineering are built, and a more detailed knowledge of some particular branch of engineering".
Institution of Engineers to the Director of Education 15 January 1923.
The Institution recognised certain Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates as
providing exemption from the whole or portion of its exams. In 1923 the
Institution informed the Education Department that they would only accept
Diplomas, providing the entrance standard was equal to the Junior Public
Examination.
Institution of Engineers to the Director of Education, 15 January 1923
Education Department file 1511/25
This presented problems for Technical Education as the majority of students attending the courses were Railway Apprentices, few of whom had passed examinations equivalent to the Junior Certificate. According to the Superintendent of Technical Education in a letter to the Director of Education, the Railway Department was not prepared to raise the entrance qualification for apprentices above the 7th standard.
Allen, the Director of Technical Education argued that students would continue taking the subjects for their vocational requirements but at the end of their studies have no Diploma to show for the work they had done at the school. He recommended that students be able to study English at the Technical School level, and be advised that if they wished to become Associates of the Institution of Engineers, they would need to take an entrance examination to Junior Standard. Allen also noted in his correspondence that the University was urging the Technical School to include English and other subjects to Leaving Standard to enable some of the Diploma students to enter University courses.
One student from the 1920s who progressed through the ranks of the Institution to become a Fellow Chartered Professional Engineer was Cyril Carter. Having gained a taste of Mechanical Drawing at Midland Junction Technical School he went on to work on five of the State’s major power stations.
Over the years there have been many engineers, who have flowed from the Railways to other industries. Becoming a marine engineer was the aim of many who started with the railways. Vivian (John) MacCloud was one of those who redirected their training through joining the navy. Others entered the maritime industry through moving across to State Shipping.
From the early gold mining days to nichol and iron ore mining, railway engineers have largely contributed to the mining industry’s infrastructures, either working directly on the mine sites, creating new railway networks, or designing equipment for companies such as Vickers Hoskins.
Other ex-railway engineers have achieved recognition for their innovations in the manufacturing industry. In 1972 Ralph Sarich, who later achieved world acclaim for his orbital engine, won inventor of the year for developing a large earth moving scoop, a self tipping trailer, an hydraulic pump and an automatic water sprinkling system.
Fred Flottman’s
motorised hose reel is used in many applications throughout Australia,
particularly for firefighting, and is increasingly gaining a world market.
His latest prototype is a cost-effective and low maintenance scooter for people with mobility problems. Fred attributes his abilities to his early railway training.
Prior to the closure of the Midland Workshops in 1993 most of the students were railway employees, however since then, other industries, particularly mining, have provided the focus for training.
In 1982 Midland College of Technical and Further Education (as the School was then called) offered a full time Mechanical Engineering Course under the direction of Brian Matthews. This was extended in 1996 to include Civil Engineering.
The first of the annual Engineering
field excursions to the Yilgarn area was
conducted in 1988. The aim of the excursions, which extend over three days, is
to expose students to some of the State’s historic engineering structures as
well as to current employment options.
For students already employed in remote areas, flexible learning, relying
partly on class contact and partly
on correspondence, was introduced. In 2002
Andrew
Loone, who was employed as a fitter in Pannawonica on a ‘fly in fly out’
basis while completing his Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Mechanical
Engineering was successful in achieving Student of the Year (Sponsored by the
Midland Redevelopment Authority).
Another major change in Engineering has been the advent of Computer Assisted Drafting, which now forms a significant part of the Course.
Since the introduction of the full time Engineering Courses graduates have
applied their skills to a range of industries. One graduate began designing
tillage equipment for Small Industries at Merredin, another entered the shipping
industry through Austal Ships. Local government projects have absorbed a number
of graduates as well as private Structural and Civil Engineering firms. McDowall
Affleck who provide services such as footing and structural details, compaction
tests and specifications for retaining walls, roads and drainage have employed
several graduates in recent years.
Thanks to Brian Williams for his assistance with this industry profile.
