Ernest Freeth
FREETH, Ernest Evelyn, BE(hons) FIEAust MIMechE (London) FIMarE Cit WA (1916-1992)
Ernest was born in Grose Street, Paramatta, Sydney, on February 29, 1916. He was the younger son of the Reverend Robert Evelyn Freeth and his wife Gladys Mary Freeth (nee Snashall). His brother Gordon became a prominent politician and his sister Elizabeth was a champion New Zealand fencer.
His father, a Cambridge graduate, had come to South Australia in 1913 to be Curate at Christ Church, North Adelaide. At the time of Ernest’s birth, his father was the Assistant Chaplain at King’s School, Paramatta. The family moved to Western Australia in 1928 where his father had been appointed Headmaster of Guildford Grammar School, a position his father held until 1949.
Ernest both lived and studied at Guildford Grammar before commencing an Engineering Degree at the University of Western Australia in 1933. He graduated in April 1939.
Prior to graduation he was involved with extensive testing of the efficiency of producer gas.
After obtaining local employment with an English engineering company, he travelled to England, on June 12, 1938, on the “Jervis Bay”, to visit their United Kingdom facilities.
On July 24, 1943, he married Jean Almira Scott at Hillmorton, Warwickshire. They had three children, Hilary Jeane (born UK January 1945), Robert Ernest (b June 1947) and Elizabeth Marion.
Ernest spent the war years in England working with major manufacturing companies. He returned to Australia with his wife and infant daughter Hilary on the “Rimtaka”, leaving Liverpool on January 25, 1946. He became the Manager of the English Electric Company in Melbourne. By 1949 he was working with the English Electric Company in NSW.
From 1958 to 1963, he was a regular visitor to Perth as the Midland Railway Company, through Sidney Blockley, had placed orders for seven diesel electric locomotives.
In 1963, he relocated to Western Australia with the English Electric Company. In 1968 the English Electric Company merged with GEC and Ernest continued executive roles with the merged company in Perth.
Ernest became a Student Member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, in 1935 becoming an Associate Member in 1944 and a Member in 1958. On his return to Perth around 1963, Ernest became the Honorary Secretary of the WA Division. Following two years as Vice Chairman he was WA Division Chairman in 1972.
He was also a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (London) and a Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineers. As Vice Chairman of the Australia New Zealand Division of the Institute of Marine Engineers he played a key role in establishing the Marine Academy at Launceston.
In the 1973 WA Citizen of the Year Awards, he was the winner in the Professions category.
Ernest died on December 4,1992, aged 76, at Shenton Park. He was survived by his wife Jean.
References:
West Australian, 8.12.1933, p. 4.
West Australian, 14.4.1939, p. 9.
West Australian, 14.2.1953, p. 5.
Beverley Times, 13.12.1973, p. 3.
Swan Fountain, 1988 (Booklet with details of WA Citizen of the Year winners)
Compiled by Chris Fitzhardinge, January 21, 2025.
