James Tearoe
James Tearoe (1861-1934)
Born at Brixton
1934 Obituary [1]
JAMES TEAROE was executive engineer to the Government of Queensland until his retirement in 1922.
He was born in Brixton and received his education at Brixton Collegiate School and King's College, London. He then commenced a three years' pupilage, terminating in 1879, to Mr. J. C. Wilson, M.I.Mech.E., of Westminster.
After working for about a year as an improver with Messrs. Appleby Brothers, of Greenwich, he joined Messrs. Richard Garrett and Sons, Ltd., of Leiston, Suffolk, as a draughtsman.
In 1882 he was appointed to the staff of the Agent-General for Queensland in London, becoming assistant engineer in 1890. In this position he was responsible for the design and construction of the principal engineering works of the Queensland Government Railways, including the workshops at Ipswich and Rockhampton, many of the largest bridges, several types of locomotives and rolling stock, and permanent way and other materials.
He was appointed consulting engineer to the Queensland Government in 1904 when he took over the entire responsibility for the design and manufacture of railway equipment, and the carrying out of important public works. He also acted as a consultant to various municipal authorities and harbour boards in Queensland.
After his retirement Mr. Tearoe lived at Dorking, where his death occurred on 22nd November 1934 in his seventy-fourth year.
He was elected to Membership of the Institution in 1909, and was also a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.