Brady, Joseph

BRADY, Joseph (1828–1908) was born near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland, eldest son of Michael Brady, a surveyor, and Catherine Coffey. For three years from 1841 he was a pupil of his father, before working from October 1844 until March 1850 for the engineer CB Vignoles (1793–1875) including two years on the ‘Little’ North-Western Railway, from Lancaster to Skipton, England under Richard Smallman as resident engineer. After two sections of the Railway were completed, he migrated in 1850 to New South Wales where he assisted the engineer of the Sydney Railway Co., on surveys, design and construction. He also worked on early work for the Yan Yean reservoir in Victoria returning there in 1858 as engineer to the Bendigo Waterworks Co. and in 1863 as manager of the Sandhurst Railway. From Taradale, Victoria Brady entered a competition for the Brisbane River’s first bridge with an unsuccessful design for a wood trussed bridge on iron screw piles, before in 1864, moving to Brisbane where he was contracted for improvements in navigation between Brisbane and Ipswich. In April 1864 he was appointed Engineer to the Brisbane Board of Waterworks completing work initiated by Thomas OLDHAM, including Enoggera Dam and from August 1865, concurrently also Engineer for Harbours and Rivers, advising the Queensland Government on wharfage and jetties, improvements to navigation in coastal rivers and the coastal lights including associated building works. In the financial crisis of 1866, his Department was disbanded but Brady was retained as a consultant and in August 1867 under the direction of the Engineer-in-Chief, HW PLEWS, Brady oversaw completion of John BOURNE’s contract to extend the Southern & Western Railway from Toowoomba to Dalby – gaining credit which would otherwise gone to the unlucky Bourne. His service reservoir for the Brisbane waterworks was completed in 1871. After returning to Victoria in 1869, he was engineer in charge of the water supply for the Sandhurst district. Brady was elected AMICE in December 1875, subsequently serving as engineer to the Melbourne Harbour Trust overseeing major improvements to the Yarra River and construction of the Victoria Dock. Brady retired in 1891 and died at St Kilda, Melbourne. Two of his brothers were also engineers: Henry William Brady (1840–?) and Francis Brady (1830–1919).