Places

Date: 3 Aug 2006 - 03 Aug 2006

From: Earthquake Commission oral history project

By: Andrews, Alfred Latham, 1923-2009

Reference: OHInt-0825-02

Description: Interview with Latham Andrews, born Masterton 1923. Describes father J W Andrews, builder and Mayor of Lower Hutt 1932-1946. Talks about mother Margaret Latham, musician and music teacher. Refers to grandfather Alfred Latham, a builder and artist. Discusses effects of the Depression, childhood illness, and his education at Eastern Hutt Primary School and Hutt Valley High School. Mentions teachers, early interest in engineering, Ewen Bridge, Hutt River, Arnold Downer and H Reynolds Bach. Refers to being in the first 18-year-old ballot in World War two, service in New Zealand in transport and munitions; overseas service 1944-1946, mainly in Italy. Comments on an audience with Pope Pius XII. Talks about marriage to Mary Thomson and about her father John Watson Thompson, a naval architect. Discusses their family. Describes studying engineering at Canterbury University College, graduating BE in Fluid Mechanics 1951. Gives details of courses and teachers, including Neil Mobray, Don Bruce Smith and P J Alley. Mentions students George Butcher, Bob Norman and Bill Duncan. Talks about employment by Guy Powell and discusses work of the firm at time of the 1950s postwar building and infrastructure replacement boom, including designing bridges, schools, commercial buildings, and gymnasia. Joined Edwards, Clendon and partners ca 1962. Describes growing awareness of importance of earthquake engineering and behaviour of structures in earthquakes. Discusses forensic work following the DIC department store scaffolding collapse, a bridge collapse, major earthquakes such as Edgcumbe, and the Layton's Building subsidence in Lower Hutt. Details the international development of earthquake engineering, including the third world conference in Auckland in 1962. Outlines the development of the New Zealand Standards Institute building codes and the New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineering. Mentions Cull Report, Lyall Holmes and Wilf Edwards. Discusses using pre-stressed concrete for the Overseas Passenger Terminal building, Wellington and the ward block for Wairau Hospital. Mentions John Hollings, Bob Park and Tom Paulay. Discusses in detail career high point of working on design for the Maui Platform. Refers to Shell BP, Todd Corporation and Paul Freed. Also mentions Ivan Skinner and Robin Adams. Briefly outlines his work for the Earthquake Commission and the Earthquake Lifelines Committee. Interviewer(s) - Susan Fowke Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-015257, OHC-015258, OHC-015256 Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 2.46 Hours and minutes Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-5533. Port. of Latham Andrews, Second World War; recent port. of Latham and Mary Andrews Search dates: 1923 - 1951 - 2006