Hardcastle & Richards

Hardcastle & Richards Pty Ltd (1952 - ?) (H&R) is a consulting engineering company which was established by Roy T. Hardcastle AO and Harold Charles Richards AM in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1952.[1]

Hardcastle & Richards Pty Ltd
TypePublic
IndustryEngineering and professional services consultancy; environmental management; design; project management
FounderRoy T. Hardcastle
Harold Charles Richards
HeadquartersMelbourne, VIC, Australia
Key people
Russell Smith(Managing Director)
ProductsService
RevenueA$8.6m (2012)
Number of employees
130 (2012)

Origin

Both Roy Hardcastle (who obtained his BCE at the University of Melbourne in 1948) and Harold Richardson were major contributors to the Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne for over 50 years as educators and donors as visiting alumni and in the case of Richards, Associate Professor.[2] Their involvement began in 1962 when Richards recalled: ‘Professor Francis at the University invited us in 1962 to participate in his students’ final year projects...I think this was an industry first.’ [3]

Philanthropy

Harold and Roy have been consistent donors to the School of Engineering. Harold also donated to International House, while Roy was a member of the University of Melbourne Committee of Convocation, and a regular attendee at Heritage Society events.[4] Roy Hardcastle was awarded the Ray Tonkin Award by the Heritage Council of Victoria for volunteer services to heritage in Melbourne during National Heritage Week in April 2012, in recognition of more than 40 years of voluntary service to industrial and engineering heritage. Hardcastle was a member of the Government Building Advisory Council from 1972 and a founding member of the Historic Buildings Preservation Council in 1974, representing Engineers Australia until 1985.[5]

Takeover

The company was taken over by Dames & Moore in 1995 at a time it had grown to about 130 staff under headed by Managing Director Russell Smith. At this time it had offices in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Broken Hill, Australia, as well as operations in Jakarta, Indonesia and had net revenues of A$8.6 million. The firm was involved in '...multidisciplinary engineering and project management services for the mining, infrastructure and industrial markets plus offshore structural and process engineering for the oil and gas sector',[6] However, the company had ceased by 2006 when it was last listed at 616 St Kilda Road, Melbourne.[7] However, the Broken Hill division was taken over by the US URS Corporation and continues to operate serving the mining industry.

Patents

The company holds patents for a Reciprocating feeder feed ejector and a Haulage system for pit mining.[8]

Projects
  • Tharwa Bridge New South Wales, 1978.[9]
  • Sunbury Community Facilities, 1976.[10]
  • Ore Haulage Facilities at Z.C. Mines, Broken Hill 1988 [11]
  • Noojee trestle bridge, 1989.[12]
  • Deborah Reef project, 1989,[13]

References
  1. Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000
  2. University of Melbourne Annual Giving Update 2010
  3. Engineering a future through friendship and philanthropy: Roy Hardcastle & Harold Richards Posted on January 6, 2011
  4. 'Reflecting on the first engineering industry student projects', Jennifer Thomas Alumni September 27, 2012
  5. Engineer Receives Heritage Award -- from EA Civil Engineers Magazine, May 2012, p35
  6. Dames & Moore's Australian Subsidiary Acquires Hardcastle & Richards Consulting Engineers
  7. Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009
  8. Patents AU1989pj2962 AU1994pm6187
  9. Tharwa Bridge feasibility study National Capital Development Commission, 1978.
  10. Melton-Sunbury Interim Co-ordinating Committee, 1976. Sunbury : community facilities, Perrott Lyon Timlock Kesa & Associates Pty. Ltd.; associated consultants Hardcastle & Richards Pty. Ltd; Engineering Computer Services.
  11. "Upgrade of the Ore Haulage Facilities at ZC Mines, Broken Hill". Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
  12. Hardcastle & Richards, report on the inspection and appraisal of the timber trestle bridge at Noojee, Vic. Victoria. Dept. of Conservation, Forests and Lands. Central Gippsland Region. Melbourne : Hardcastle & Richards, 1989.
  13. Bendigo Mining N.L. environment effects statement : Deborah Reef project, Hardcastle & Richards Proprietary Limited, 1989
  • Hardcastle & Richards Consulting engineers, Company Brochure, Published by Hardcastle & Richards, 1985 (copy held National Library of Australia)
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