Two leading lights of the Brisbane construction industry have been named the 2014 recipients of Distinguished Constructor Awards and will take their place in the Construction Hall of Fame at QUT.
The late John Taylor, former general manager of M R Hornibrook, and John Gaskin, former Watpac founder, managing director of Multiplex, now the principal of Gaskin Construction Services, join an elite group who have helped shape Queensland.
Professor Steve Kajewski, QUT's head of the Civil Engineering and Built Environment School and a member of the selection panel for the awards, said the pair would be forever honoured for their outstanding achievements in the Hall of Fame which is in 'S' Block at QUT's Gardens Point campus.
"John Gaskin (pictured) can take credit for substantially changing the Brisbane skyline. He arrived here from Melbourne in 1970 with McDougal Ireland and worked on the Gabba Cricket Grounds before joining Watkins where he was involved in the construction of the Riverside Expressway and the Supreme Court Building," Professor Kajewski said.
"John then helped start Watpac which became an innovative leader in high-rise buildings and later was appointed general manager, then managing director of Multiplex overseeing such major projects as the construction of Suncorp Stadium and the Gold Coast Convention Centre.
"He established his own construction consultancy firm in 2005 and is a highly regarded senior figure within the industry."
Professor Kajewski said Mr Gaskin's experience and reputation led to him being appointed by the Premier of Queensland to chair the Mackay Flood Recovery Task Force; the SEQ Storm Recovery Task Force (The Gap); and the Central Queensland Flood Recovery Task Force (Roma to Chinchilla).
"The other Distinguished Constructor Award recipient for 2014, John Taylor, sadly passed away in 2000. The award was accepted on the night by his daughter Beverley Coulter," he said.
"John Taylor grew up on a cattle station near Hughenden. He joined M R Hornibrook in Brisbane in 1950 and was a stalwart of the company for 34 years, serving as general manager from 1964 until his retirement in 1984.
"As general manager he took bold steps to modernise the company which had been founded in 1912 and had to its credit the construction of such iconic structures as the Story Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
"John was instrumental in designing and building a fleet of steel-hulled construction vessels which saw the company winning the majority of the wharfage around the Queensland coast. His engineering judgement was second to none and he wasn't afraid to take on demanding construction projects like the world-first emergency demolition and reconstruction in situ of a post tensioned bridge beam."
"The contribution of both men to the building of modern Queensland cannot be overstated."
The Construction Hall of Fame was established in 1998 and is a joint initiative of the construction industry and QUT. The Distinguished Constructor Awards are presented each year to honour the achievements of leaders in the Queensland construction industry with recipients selected by a panel of peers.
Previous recipients include Sir Manuel Hornibrook, Sir Leslie Thiess, Jack Hutchinson, Sir John Holland, Valmai Pidgeon, John Job Bradfield, Michael Power, Ian Barclay, John Petrie, John Kindler and Greg Quinn.
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
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