David Baxter, winner of the Allen Neyland award, the Australian Tunnelling Society’s award for service and excellence, passed away last week on the morning of 15th September 2022.
David had a long and distinguished career in civil engineering and was an active and hardworking member of ATS. Educated at Imperial College London, David worked for Maunsell in the UK and in Jamaica, before moving to Australia to work on the Westgate Bridge. In 1972, David joined John Connell, Mott Hay and Anderson, to work on the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop. Following this project, David worked on the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, the Brisbane Rail Tunnels and the Sydney Airport Rail Link. His paper, co-authored by Sandy Bennet, “Aspects of design and in-situ testing for the MURL rock tunnels” (Fourth Australian Tunnelling Conference) was a classic for the design of tunnels in Melbourne for many years. David had a very strong work ethic and a commitment to excellence, tempered by a sense of humour and fun. He is survived by his wife Eve, son Andrew and granddaughters Sarah and Melissa.
The photo shows David at the breakthough of the Brunswick St tunnels 1993, in the era of ties but no hi-vis.
