NWS 9 Television Tower, Mount Lofty Ranges

Marco Nanni recently digitized more photographs including some relating to the NWS 9 Television Tower on Mount Lofty Ranges (Adelaide). The photos were taken by his father, in 1959, the year the tower was built. The photos are available on Marco's Flickr stream at http://flic.kr/s/aHsjFCT83k

 
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Marco also sent a list of the power line projects on which his father worked in the years 1954-1962, so that he could make contact with others who had worked on these projects.

1954 

• 66 Kv Maffra - Bairsdale (Victoria) 
• 132 Kv Waterfall - MT.Keira (NSW) 
• 132 Kv Blacktown - Lawson (NSW) 
• 66 Kv Gundagai - Tumut 

1955

• 132 Kv TullyFalls - Townsville 

1956 

• 220 Kv Colac-Keilor (Melbourne) 

1957 

• 220 Kv Mt.Beauty - Bendigo 

1958 

• 330 Kv Muswellbrook- Tamworth (Scone) 

1959

• 275 Kv Port Augusta - Magill (Adelaide) 
• 132 Kv Port Augusta - Woomera Television tower Mt Lofty Ranges (Adelaide) 

1961 

• 330 Kv-Yass Tumut 

1962 

• 66 Kv Mt.Isa - Clocurry

Filling in some gaps

Matthew Quomi recently contacted me with some information about the gaps in my recollection of my father's working life. He emailed to say:

I may be able to fill in a few blanks in your father’s story. The first one relates to the question mark around “Culkairn” 1956/57. I have a document that I found under a house in Pymble that apparently lists every project that E.P.T. was involved with from the company’s founding up till 1966. I have found a listing for the Lismore-Koolkhan 132KV wooden pole transmission line that was built for the Northern Rivers County Council in NSW. Culkairn/Koolkhan; what do you think? Does it correspond with his movements?

I may also have an explanation for “Tolmie Gorge” 1968. Tolmie is a place in Victoria where numerous transmission lines were erected, such as the Dederang to South Morang line that your father worked on. I also read that in 1969 he was in Myrtleford NSW, which is in the same area. There are numerous transmission lines that pass through this area and they all they are all associated with the hydroelectric schemes of either New South Wales or Victoria. Obviously E.P.T. would have built the vast majority of them, hence your father’s presence.

I very much appreciate receiving this information as I had not yet made these investigations myself.

Matthew has been researching EPT history in great detail, maintaining the facebook group, sharing stories with the former workers and much more. An impressive photographic archive is developing in the facebook group. I had the pleasure of meeting Matthew for the first time last week in Sydney and was deeply moved by his commitment to salvaging the EPT story as an important part of this country's migration and engineering history.

Famiglia Lorieri

Marie Donnelley (nee Lorieri) has emailed to make an inquiry and also to told me a little about her family's story: 

I was browsing the web regarding EPT and found out that you had done some research on EPT as your father had worked for the company in the mid 1950s.  My father came out with the first of the men from SAE in 1951. He was actually flown over from Italy to Australia – we, my mother and my sister and brother followed and arrived by ship in June 1952.  He, too, was a rigger and linesman and was at the original camp at Menai/Engadine and worked throughout Australia until he finally, due to his age, worked at Marayong.  Unfortunately I do not know much about his work history as I was only 6 when we arrived here ...   
Regards 
Marie

Giuseppe Minati

This week I received an email from Sandra Minati, who shared a little of her own family's story. I was thrilled to learn that Sandra's father knew my father and that we shared many of the same memories such as Christmas Parties and long periods of our fathers' absence. It was also heartening to learn that the project has brought some happiness and pride to Mr Minati and wish them both well.

I was so happy and excited to read your website on Transmission Lines as my father Giuseppe Minati worked with your father.

My father worked with your dad on the Channel 9 tower and at Port Kembla and also at Goulburn.

I am now sitting with him and showing him all the photos and videos and he is very excited and interested.

Even I understand like with you the hard work and commitment our fathers gave to the Company.  Dad is now looking at photos that he has kept on quite a few of his job sites and wow it is bringing back memories.

My mother at home looking after us three children on her own and Dad was away sometimes for months at a time.  We were always so excited to have him home even for a short time because he would have to leave soon after to complete another job.  

I remember Christmas Parties and I vividly remember the cooks in the kitchen serving up the food.Our fathers are heroes and I am very proud of him and they will leave a legacy.

Dad is now 90 years old and he has a big smile on his face right now.

Our fathers will leave a legacy and they have made a great contribution to this Country and we thank you very much for bringing the history of EPT to life on your website.

Take Care ...
Sandra Minati

Luigi Morato

With the EPT conversation occurring across several social media platforms, including the facebook group, the sharing of stories is also more networked. Today, via facebook, I heard from Ginetta Morato, daughter of Luigi Morato. She writes:

My father, Luigi Morato also worked for SAE Bologna before being sent to Australia in 1956. He was employed by EPT for all of his working years in this land, and held the role of Testing Station Manager, Marayong until the company’s closure. Sadly, he passed away just on 2 years ago. Please know that he would have taken great pride and delight in viewing your posts. My mother on the other hand was instrumental, together with Padre Silvio, in commencing the Saturday Italian language courses for children of EPT workers, in which she taught from 1968 until the 1980’s. These programs played an important part in bringing together a community and providing an opportunity for the preservation and maintenance of Italian language and culture in second and subsequent generations.

EPT Facebook Group

Matthew Quomi has set up a facebook group as a meeting place for former E.P.T. employees and their descendants to share their memories. Some of the content from Transmission Lines, particularly photographs, will be shared with the facebook group. For those not connected to facebook, I am happy to accept comments or emails and pass them on.

EPT in Queensland

Ian Moller has consulted with his colleague Brian Becconsall to compile these notes about EPT work in Queensland. Brian says, "I believe the first steel lines were all built by E.P.T. throughout the 1960’s. I think the only competitor was ASCOM who got 50% of the Gladstone to Brisbane 275kV interconnectors to ensure they were all done on time by 1973 (associated with the establishment of Gladstone Power Station)."

1957- Commissioning of Tully Falls Hydro power station, with 132kV double circuit steel tower lines to Cairns

1958- Interconnection Cairns to Townsville via 132kV double circuit steel tower line

The start of the steel tower system in SE Qld was in the 1960’s

April 1962- the original Rocklea substation established as a switching station (cut in to existing 110kV wood pole Abermain (Ipswich) feeders)

Jan 1963- Stafford substation commissioned with a new 110kV double circuit steel tower line from South Pine substation to Bunyaville substation (Everton Hills) connecting to  2 x 110kV underground cables to Stafford substation

July 1963- West Darra substation commissioned

June 1964 - South Pine substation to Image Flat substation (near Nambour) and northward via a 132 kV double circuit steel tower line, connecting to the Wide Bay Burnett Electricity Board 132 kV network (wood pole lines mostly). (Ian's comment - from memory I believe the SEQ 110kV network interfaced with the WBBEB 132kV network via stepup transformers at Image Flat)

Sept 1964 - South Pine substation (Brendale) to Hays Inlet substation (Rothwell)

Apr 1966 - Swanbank A power station energised, requiring 110kV links to West Darra substation

EPT built all the steel 110kV around the SE Qld, and the first 275kV lines out of Swanbank as follows;

Apr 1970 - Swanbank B commissioned- first 275kV lines to South Pine substation

Feb 1971 - Swanbank B to Belmont substation 275kV double circuit steel tower

Dec 1972 - Swanbank B to Mudgeeraba 2x 275KV single circuit steel tower lines energised at 110kV initially

Then the construction of first major 275kV lines from Brisbane to Gladstone was shared - I think EPT did the southern half, ASCOM the northern half (subject to confirmation)

Nov 1972 - South Pine substation to Gladstone Power Station - 2 x 275kV single circuit steel tower lines energised via new substations at Woolooga and Gin Gin

Christmas Party at Marayong

Marayong Camp

Cables, Patent Testing