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Harold Charles Richards
Harold Charles Richards
Born	17 November 1925; Melbourne, Victoria
Died	2 June 2014 (aged 88); Anglesea, Victoria
Nationality	Australian
Education	Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Occupation	Civil engineer
Employer	Hardcastle & Richards
Known for	Contributions to engineering education, philanthropy
Spouse	Joyce
Children	Anthony, Margaret, Noel, Rosalie, Naomi

Harold Charles Richards (12 October 1925 – 2 June 2014) was an Australian civil engineer who co-founded the consulting engineering firm Hardcastle & Richards.^[1]

Career

Harold Richards studied engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.^[2] In 1951, he worked in the Design Section of Johns and Waygood, which was responsible for many of Australia's post-war infrastructure developments.^[3] In 1952, he co-founded Hardcastle & Richards with business partner Roy Hardcastle, as a result of winning the design competition for the Olympic Stadium for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. However, a change in government caused the cancellation of the project. The firm expanded to have offices in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Broken Hill.^[4] The firm was involved in many civil engineering projects, including the King Street Bridge over the Yarra River.^[5] In 1962, Hardcastle & Richards were invited by the School of Engineering at the University of Melbourne to participate in guiding students' final year design projects.^[3] These projects were based on actual projects in which the firm had been involved. This association with engineering education lasted five decades.

Other positions held:^[1]

Chairman of the Victorian Institute of Marine Science, 1994-1997
Chairman of the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, 1997-1998
Member of the Board of Management, Greenvale Centre and Mount Royal Hospital, 1990-1991
President Emeritus, Broadmeadows College of TAFE, 1989-1993
Elder, St John's Uniting Church in Australia, 1977-2014
Councillor, Shire of Bulla, 1965-1985
President, Shire of Bulla, 1972
President of the Association of Consulting Engineers Australia, 1977-1980
Vice-President of the Australian College of Professions, 1975
National Vice-President, Institution of Engineers Australia, 1973-1975
Member of the National Capital Planning Committee, 1973-1978
Member of Board of Management, North West Hospital, Melbourne, 1991-1995

Philanthropy

For almost 50 years, Hardcastle & Richards were major donors to the School of Engineering at the University of Melbourne^[2] and to RMIT University. In 1979, a bronze relief by artist Michael Meszaros, entitled Compression and Tension was presented to the Department of Civil Engineering to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the firm.^[6] Richards was the founder of the Rotary Club of Carlton in 1985 and its Charter President.^[7]

Honours

Member of the Order of Australia, 1980, for service to technical education^[8]
Honorary Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Melbourne^[3]
Elected Fellow, Institution of Engineers Australia^[1]
Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International, 1995^[1]
Honorary Life Member, Rotary Club of Carlton, 2013^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Who’s Who in Australia 2009. North Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content.
^ ^a ^b Melbourne School of Engineering (6 January 2011). "Stories from the Melbourne School of Engineering". Retrieved 22 April 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c University of Melbourne. "Vale Associate Professor Harold Richards AM". Retrieved 22 April 2019.
^ Encyclopedia of Australian Science. "Hardcastle & Richards (1952–?)". Retrieved 22 April 2019.
^ Engineers Australia Victorian Division. "Discover Engineering Heritage: Central Melbourne" (PDF). Retrieved 22 April 2019.
^ Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne (6 January 2016). "The Melbourne Graduate July 2013". Retrieved 22 April 2019.
^ Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne (6 January 2016). "The Melbourne Graduate July 2013". Retrieved 22 April 2019.
^ Commonwealth of Australia. "Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. S130" (PDF). Retrieved 25 April 2019.
^ Rotary Club of Carlton. "Presentation of Honorary Life Membership". Retrieved 22 April 2019.