Design and Art Australia Online

sketcher and civil engineer, was born on 18 August 1828 near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland. Trained as a field surveyor and draughtsman in 1842-44 under his father, a surveyor on the Title Commutation Survey in England, he too worked on railway surveys and rail construction in England until he emigrated to Sydney in 1850, there to become a draughtsman with the newly formed Sydney Railway Company. He resigned at the beginning of 1851 and left for Melbourne where he carried out surveys and prepared drawings for the Yan Yean water supply scheme under the city surveyor and architect, James Blackburn. Brady’s two known watercolour sketches, Bonney, a Port Phillip Black (1850) and Melbourne from the Yarra 1851 (Mitchell Library), were drawn during this period.

Brady returned to Sydney as assistant engineer with the railway company at the end of July 1851 and worked on the Sydney-Parramatta and Sydney-Mittagong lines. He resigned in 1857 and returned to Victoria where he was engineer to the Sandhurst (Bendigo) Waterworks (1858-63). He worked on both water supply schemes and railway projects for Victoria, then went to Queensland where he became engineer to the Brisbane Board of Water Works and manager in charge of constructing the Brisbane-Dalby railway line. Back at Victoria in 1869 Brady continued to be involved in major civil engineering works, especially as engineer to the new Melbourne Harbour Trust (1877-91). He died on 8 July 1908 at his home, Allawah, Staniland Grove, Elsternwick. At Sydney in 1854 he had married Adelaide Sarah, the daughter of Henry Keck, governor of Darlinghurst Gaol; they had seven (surviving) children.

Writers:

Staff Writer

Date written:

1992

Last updated:

2011