Obituary:   Harry William  Granger

Harry William Granger died in the early afternoon on Tuesday 21 June 1977, while engaged on survey and maintenance work in connection with the tide gauge at Jervis Bay.

Harry was born in Goulburn in 1928 and spent his early years at Rowe’s Lagoon near Collector on the family farm.  He received his early schooling on the farm from his mother, a qualified teacher.

He had four brothers and one sister.

The Granger family later moved to Goulburn where Harry attended Bourke Street Primary and then Goulburn High School where he obtained his Leaving Certificate.

Harry became articled to one of the partners of Fitzgerald and Cochran, a private survey firm in Goulburn, in 1947 and became a Registered Surveyor in 1956 at which time he took over a private survey practice in Cooma.  He did many surveys in the Monaro district and the Snowy Mountains.

In November 1966, he joined National Mapping as a Surveyor Class 1 in the then newly established Levelling Section in Canberra. Since then Harry has been in charge of many levelling and tide gauge surveys covering all States of Australia.

He was promoted to Surveyor Class 2 in December 1969 and put in charge of the Geodetic Levelling Section.

The preparation of the adjustment of the Australian Levelling Survey took place in this Section under his leadership and culminated in the establishment of the Australian Height Datum in May 1971.

Harry Granger has been very active in public life mainly through his involvement in Rotary International both in Cooma and Canberra.  He was a past president of the Woden Chapter of Rotary.  He was Honorary Secretary of the Institution of Surveyors of Australia, Canberra Division since early 1975 and President of the National Mapping Group (Canberra) of the Professional Officers Association.

Harry has had many achievements in the field of surveying and gave great service to the survey profession.  He has made many friends in all walks of life.

Harry Granger is survived by his wife Shirley and his daughters Linley, Deidre and Elizabeth to whom the Institution extends its sympathy.

The Australian Surveyor, September, 1977, Vol.28, No.7, pp. 471 (courtesy Barry Sloane)