Manuel Hornibrook
Sir Emanuel Richard Hornibrook OBE was an Australian builder and civil engineer. He founded the firm M R Hornibrook Pty Ltd that after merger with Baulderstone became one of the largest Australian civil engineering firms. Known as "MR", Hornibrook was knighted in 1960. He was highly respected and a builder of bridges across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Papua New Guinea as well as other major projects including Stages 2 and 3 of the Sydney Opera House.
Early life
Emanuel Richard Hornibrook was born on 7 August 1893 in Enoggera, Brisbane, the second of seven children of John Hornibrook and his wife Catherine. He was educated at Nambour, Obi Obi, Bowen Bridge and South Brisbane state schools.Building (and engineering) career
At the age of 13 Hornibrook commenced apprenticeship with builder HW Fooks. In 1912, at the age of 19, Horninbrook with his brother Reginald established their own business, which started with building drainage channels and sewerage systems. Soon the bridge building became Hornibrook's speciality.The business quickly moved into civil engineering contracting, excavating Queensland's first open-cut coal mine at Blair Athol in 1923. The William Jolly Bridge built from 1930 to 1932 became his all-time favourite project because of the aesthetic appeal of the bridge and the pioneering use of the sand island method of pier construction.
In 1914 Hornibrook joined the Queensland Master Builders' Association and was its president in 1922 and 1923; he was president and a life member of the Master Builders Federation of Australia; he was also a foundation fellow, councillor and National President of the Australian Institute of Builders, and a driving force in the construction of its headquarters at Milsons Point, Sydney. For his contribution to the science and the practice of building, he was awarded the A.I.B.'s first medal of merit. President of the Queensland Civil Engineering Contractors' Association, he was an honorary member of the Australian Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors and an honorary fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building —the first Australian to be so honoured. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1957 and knighted in 1960.
Sir Manuel Hornibrook was the Chief Engineer during construction of the Hornibrook Bridge which was named after him. He was also responsible for building Brisbane's Story Bridge and William Jolly Bridge. One of Hornibrook's most challenging projects was building the immensely complex roof shells of the Sydney Opera House, turning architect Jorn Utzon's dream into reality.
Later life
Hornibrook died at the Holy Spirit Hospital on Wickham Terrace in Brisbane on 30 May 1970.Hornibrook was posthumously inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in 2016.