Michael Fitzpatrick (dec)*

Mike had a long and successful career, beginning as a field engineer and working his way up through Hydro Tasmania to become Assistant General Manager Engineering in charge of all its engineering activities.

From the early stages of his career, he was involved in the innovative design of many major dams, three of which have received national and international accolades: Catagunya Dam, the highest prestressed concrete dam in the world at the time, the 110 metre high Cethana rockfill dam and the 140 metre high Gordon arch dam.

After a year studying how to design arch dams in America, Mike expected to put his arch dam training to work on Cethana Dam but, when the abutments were exposed, the jointing system in the rocks made the site unsuitable. This uncommon problem required an economic alternative to be devised at short notice.

Mike and his team developed an innovative solution, a rockfill embankment with a continuous concrete slab on the upstream face as the watertight element. When engineers had built high dams of this type overseas, the dams leaked badly and required expensive repairs. Part of the problem was that the rockfill settles down under its own weight and reservoir water pressure, causing the concrete slab to crack and thus leak.

To overcome these problems, the Cethana design team argued such dams could be successfully built if the settlement was greatly reduce by smaller stones filling the voids between the larger ones, and compacting the rock fill in layers using a vibrating roller. By also compacting the upstream face of the rockfill, the reinforced concrete face would be firmly supported and not crack.

The completed dam showed the world that high concrete faced rockfill dams could be built with minimal leakage. Mike’s team received international recognition for their successful and innovative design. Many overseas dam engineers came to visit and Mike arranged for papers to be presented on the design and construction at the International Commission on Large Dams in 1973. The design was so successful that the Hydro Tasmania went on to build 12 similar dams.

Gordon Dam is now a national icon, a 140 metre high double curvature arch dam, the highest in Australia and retaining Australia’s largest man-made lake. It was designed mainly by Sergio Giudici under Mike’s supervision. Both Cethana and Gordon Dams are recognised as National Engineering Landmarks, for their high heritage significance which encompasses not only engineering excellence and innovation but also the people involved and the community benefit.

In 1988 Mike was elected Chairman of ANCOLD for three years, having been Vice Chairman since 1985. During this time, Mike and his wife Libby attended the annual executive meetings of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) and they made many international friends at these events. In 1990, he had the honour of hosting the annual ICOLD meeting in Sydney. With his secretary Tony Beach, Mike also led a strategic review of the organisation and gave it a fresh start. In his retirement, he co-authored the “The ANCOLD Story”, the history of the organisation from 1937 to 1995.

Mike continued to contribute to, and support, ANCOLD for the remainder of his life. He always volunteered to assist in the organisation of any ANCOLD event being held in Tasmania, including the being on the organising committee for the 2003 conference and providing valuable advice and guidance for the 2010 conference.

In 1991 Mike retired after 40 years’ service with Hydro Tasmania. He then undertook a number of significant consultancies both in and out of Australia. One was as a member of the technical advisory committee for the upgrading and repairs of Hume Dam, the major storage on the River Murray. Mike only learnt 3 days before he died that the latest repairs had been completed and the dam returned to full service. Family members report that he was greatly pleased by this good news received in a Christmas card from the Executive Director River Management David Dreverman.

Mike was an outstanding engineer who mentored a whole generation of dam engineers. He leaves behind a legacy of greatly advancing dam engineering in Australia and indeed oversees.

*It was with great sadness ANCOLD notified members and associates of the passing, on Boxing Day 2013, of past ANCOLD Chairman and Life Member, Michael Fitzpatrick.