John Horrigan
HORRIGAN, John Bryan, BE MIEAust (1906-1984)
John was born in Subiaco, Western Australia on July 11, 1906, the only son of James Horrigan and his wife Josephine Mary Horrigan, nee Farrelly.
He completed his Junior Certificate in 1922 and Leaving Certificate in 1924 at Perth Modern School. He was appointed as a Cadet Engineer in the Rail Construction Branch of the Public Works Department in 1925 and enrolled in the University of western Australia to study Engineering.
In 1929, John shared in the Norman Albert Prize in Engineering and in April 1930 graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree. On graduation John became a probationary engineer in the Public Works Department. When the Railway Construction Branch was incorporated into the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) in 1931, he joined the Way and Works Branch of the WAGR. In 1932 he visited the United Kingdom where he worked for the Middlesex County Council in West London utilizing his award of a prize of a free trip to Europe.
On his return to Australia, Horrigan re-joined the WAGR and, in 1934-35, was resident engineer on the construction of the foundations of a major extension to the East Perth Power Station which provided power to the whole of the Perth Metropolitan Area. The power station was operated by the Western Australian Government Electricity Service which was then a branch of the WAGR.
In 1948 Horrigan was made WAGR District Engineer at Narrogin and, in 1949, he was appointed to a three member Planning Board to investigate the long-term development requirements of the WAGR.
On March 3, 1949, he married Mercia Eastmon at Cottesloe.
In July 1949, he was appointed to the position Assistant Chief Civil Engineer (Planning and New Works). In 1950, he travelled to England to recruit staff and to study main railway lines and assess the latest advances in railway development.
John was involved with the design and construction of the rail link to the Kwinana Industrial Area in 1952. In 1962, the year in which the Standard Gauge Railway Project officially commenced, he succeeded Cedric Stewart as Chief Civil Engineer.
In 1965 he became Technical Adviser to Commissioner Wayne and, while Wayne was undertaking a review of transport policy for the Government in 1966 and 1967, Horrigan was appointed Deputy Commissioner. When Commissioner Wayne retired because of ill-health in 1967, Horrigan was ready to step into his shoes. When, four years later, in 1971, Horrigan retired himself, the Standard Gauge Railway Project was almost complete and major changes to the WAGR had been made under his stewardship, not only in the metropolitan area but throughout the system.
John died on October 25, 1984
References:
Fred Affleck, On Track – The making of Westrail 1950-1976, Western Australian Government Railways Commission, Perth, 1978
Daily News, 21.1.1931, p. 4.
West Australian, 14.7.1949, p. 14.
Daily News, 11.8.1950, p. 2.
West Australian, 21.11.195, p. 18.
