Calder Edward Oliver (BE[Civil] '41)
1919 - 2007

After many years as a Commissioner of the Water, Conservation and Irrigation Commission and a valuable member of a south coast community, Calder Edward Oliver passed away in Bateman’s Bay Hospital on May 11, 2007

Ted, as he was known to his friends, was born on 18 May 1919 in Manchester, on the kitchen table at the home of his maternal Grandparents. At the age of three months, the Oliver family sailed to Melbourne, Australia, where Ted’s father, Royal Australian Egineers AIF Officer Calder Kernot Oliver, was based on his return from World War 1, having fought on the Western Front in France.

As the family moved regularly throughout Victoria, it was decided Ted would board at Knox Grammar school so that he may have a continuity of education. From here, he was accepted into The University of Sydney, following his father’s footsteps and enrolling in a Bachelor of Engineering.

Half way through his degree World War 11 broke out and he began to have flying lessons in order that he may join the RAAF. However, he was forced to complete his degree before he began officers training in the AIF School of Military Engineering. He quickly became an officer and served throughout Australia and Pupua New Guinea, building accommodation and the like for training and defence force soldiers.

Following the declaration of peace, Ted was sent to Changi to help ex-prisoners contact their families and return home and the horror of the camp stayed with him for many years. Soon after, he was appointed Officer-in-chief of the engineer contingent responsible for Timor, Simba, Sumbala and Lombok, with the huge task of disarming 26,000 Japanese and beginning the clean up of damage done. One of his tasks throughout these countries was disarming and moving defective bombs.

On discharge from the army, Ted joined the Water, Conservation and Irrigation Commission where he was resident engineer at Burrinjuck, Keepit and later Wyangala Dams. It was at Wyangala that Ted met his wife Dawn, having rescued her from the dam after their boat sank. They married on April fools day 1967, and Ted adopted Dawn’s young daughter, Leonie. They lived at Wyangala for a year before the family moved to Sydney when Ted was promoted to Head Office. Dawn and Ted’s other two children, Sue and John were born in 1968 and 1971.

After travelling the world with the family, Ted was appointed one of the Commissioners of the Water, Conservation and Irrigation Commission in 1974. He continued role until his retirement in 1980 when the family built a new home in Cowra.

Always active, Ted now kept himself involved in the community by joining many organisations, taking on major roles including: treasurer of the Cowra Branch of the RSL; director and later vice-president of the Cowra Tourist and Development Corporation; consultant at the Japanese Gardens; local member’s representative of the Shire Traffic Committee; nearly every position in the Rotary Club of Cowra; and Chief Steward of the Cowra Wine Show for eight years.

In 1991, Ted and Dawn decided to leave Cowra and rebuilt their holiday home at Durras North where they lived happily until Ted’s health worsened. After recovering from a series of illnesses, bone marrow cancer finally took its toll and he passed away in May.

His family says he was a gentle, brave man and he will be terribly missed.


Edited from Dawn Oliver’s history of the Oliver family titled “They Came from the Dumfries.”