BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932-1939
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BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932 TO 1939
IES monthly meetings were held at the SECV offices at 238 Flinders Street.
During 1932, the Victorian Council elected Norman Johnston the first
Honorary Member of an Australian Illuminating Engineering Society.
Johnston had been instrumental in forming the Society in Victoria through his correspondence with Eric Williams in New South Wales, and was in the process of transferring to that Society; the first of many such transfers - and almost always, the loss of the old was to the gain of the new.
A competition for an official Society badge was held, and a badge soon afterwards manufactured - although the name of the winning designer is not recorded. An exhibit at the Radio Show at the Melbourne Town Hall won much acclaim for the Society and 'reaped a splendid increase in membership', as was noted in the minutes of a Council meeting of the
New South Wales Society shortly afterwards.
Council resolved to amend the Constitution to provide for evidence of technical ability as a condition for the transfer from Associate Member to
Member. It was decided that this evidence should take the form of a written thesis on lighting. Council discussed grading also with colleagues in New South Wales. However, it was not until March 1939, when agreement was reached between the two Societies, that the standards were accepted for the admission of members to the technical grades of
'Fellow' and 'Member' in addition to 'Associate', 'Sustaining Member',
'Affiliate Member', 'Honorary Member', and 'Life Member'.
Returning to the events of 1932, Council authorized the printing of a membership application form which set out the qualifications for the entry into the grades of membership. This first membership application form of 1933 became the forerunner of many such documents, designed to clarify for the aspiring new IES member the different grades and the standing which they carried. Not all these attempts were successful and revision of the membership brochure and application form caused endless discussion at the National and State levels for years to come.
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BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932 TO 1939
In 1934 Percy Magnus became President of the Victorian council; he would retain an involvement with the IES until his passing in 1990. The following year Dr Albert Dresler, already an eminent German lighting scholar, started his association with the Commission Internationale l’Eclairage (CIE) in Europe. In 1937 Victorian Society membership passed the 100 mark. In April 1938 the first Australian fluorescent installation switched on - Hampton Court Hotel, King’s Cross, Sydney.
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BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932 TO 1939
Council discussed incorporation of the Society; however, this idea was rejected due to the cost involved. Shortly afterwards, when the Society in
New South Wales registered, registration of the Victorian Society and amalgamation with its sister Society in New South Wales was again on the agenda - and rejected. There seems to have been no doubt that incorporation would one day become necessary, if only to limit the personal liability of the members of Council, and the costs involved would probably have been bearable. However, the stumbling block was the name in which the Society in Victoria was to register. The Society in
New South Wales had registered the name of 'The Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia' when it became incorporated in March 1934. It was thought in New South Wales that registration would be a further step towards the desired federation of all Illuminating Engineering
Societies of Australia.
The judgment of the New South Wales Council proved singularly wrong.
The New South Wales Council wrote to the Victorian Council 'that the name of the Society is a matter of great importance, but at the same time feels that the proposal in its letter of 4 August 1934 is the main question'.
This related to the proposal for the amalgamation between Victoria and
New South Wales under the same title. 'Naturally, such an amalgamation would be on an equality basis, and this principle would also apply in respect to other States where the Society may be established... there would be no suggestion that the Victorian Division as constituted would be subsidiary to New South Wales, nor would any other State under the proposal submitted'. The New South Wales Society included on all stationery and official and unofficial documents and pronouncements
'(NSW)' behind its registered name; however the Council of the Society in
Victoria found being but a division of another organisation totally unacceptable.
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BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932 TO 1939
When Victoria did incorporate in 1944, it registered the name as 'The
Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia (Victoria)', and so did the
Societies in South Australia (SA Inc) and Western Australia (WA). Only the Queensland Society, which was formed originally as a division of the
Society in New South Wales retained the title 'The Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia (Queensland Division)'.
The creation of a federal body remained on the agenda paper of Council meetings until 1936 when it was resolved 'that the time is inopportune to form a Federal Council as an advisory body, but that until such time as such body is formed, each Society will endeavour to develop along similar lines'.
Much thought was given to the problems of membership qualifications, and the amendments to the qualification clauses for technical grades set a new standard for the Society. The new membership classes which became effective in November 1938, comprised: Honorary Member,
Member, Associate Member, Associate, Affiliate Member and Sustaining
Member.
A few months later, at a conference in Sydney, the Societies agreed on the introduction of the new and higher grade of Fellow; the first Fellows of the Society in Victoria were the President, Leo Douglas Wright, and the
Past-Presidents. The issue of membership certificates in line with the practice in New South Wales was considered, but rejected.
In March 1939, members of the Victorian Society met with their colleagues from New South Wales and reached complete agreement on one of the most important issues of Society membership: uniformity of membership grades and qualifications. As a result, a Special General
Meeting was called for 19 April and resolved:
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BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932 TO 1939
1. The introduction of a new and higher grade membership with technical qualifications to be known as 'Fellow'.
2. The association of more specific technical qualifications with the grade of 'Member'.
3. The substitution of 'Associate' in lieu of 'Associate Member'.
4. The addition of a new grade to be known as 'Affiliate Member'.
5. The retention of the grades of 'Sustaining, Honorary and Life
Member' without change.
1939 promised so much; the Society pledged its support to the Victorian
Society for the new journal, the 'IES Lighting Review', of which the first issue had appeared February 1939 and it was anticipated that New South
Wales would become an active party to the publication in the near future.
The same month, the IES Victorian Education Committee was formed.
The first edition of the Australian Streetlighting Code CA-19 was issued, and in September 1939, the first contacts were made with members in
Queensland and the formation of a Queensland Chapter, and later of a
Division, in Queensland was discussed. However events in Europe were about to curtail such optimism; for in September 1939, World War Two started.
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BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932 TO 1939
GENERAL MEETINGS
GENERAL MEETINGS
Unfortunately no listing of IES Events for the period 1931-1939 has survived.
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BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932 TO 1939
IES LIGHTING REVIEW
GENERAL MEETINGS
The newly-established Victorian Council considered the establishment of an IES Journal in 1932, and invited comment from the New South Wales
Society. However, pending advice from New South Wales, the
'Australasian Electrical Times' was appointed the official organ of the
Society. A little more than a year later, the 'Australasian Engineer' which had been the journal of the Society in New South Wales since that
Society's inception, offered to print the Victorian Society's papers and to distribute the journal to the members. Indeed, the two senior Societies had been fortunate in that they had been able to make arrangements with the publishers of established technical journals for the publication of the Societies' early activities and proceedings. The Society in New South
Wales continued this association to the end of 1966, when ‘Building:
Lighting: Engineering' ceased publication.
The Society in Victoria was less fortunate. In October 1936, the
'Australasian Engineer' advised the Council that in future, the space available to the Society would be reduced to one page only, including illustrations. As the Society in New South Wales had considered the possibility of publishing its own proceedings, Victoria decided to approach their colleagues in New South Wales with a view to producing a joint publication for the two Societies. However, the Society of New
South Wales had already decided to defer publishing proceedings other than those in the 'Australasian Engineer' because of the heavy cost involved; and so we Victorians were on our own.
Early in 1938, Leo Wright, then president of the Society, was authorized to investigate publication of an IES journal, if he gained support of the
Sustaining Members of the Society. In April 1938 he reported to Council that the State Electricity Commission would become a Sustaining
Member on the condition that the Society went ahead with publishing a lighting journal. Similarly, the Melbourne City Council promised support; statutorily, it could not become a Sustaining Member, but the Council
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BACK-LIGHT
25

BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932 TO 1939
IES LIGHTING REVIEW
GENERAL MEETINGS was prepared to consider the purchase of up to 1,000 copies if this was to contain a reasonable amount of promotional data.
In November 1938, Wright submitted detailed proposals for the publication of a journal to his Council. These were referred to the
Publications Committee for report. On 9 December 1938, Bob Nott, the
Chairman of the Committee, reported to Council and recommended that the Society embark on the production of its own journal, the 'IES Lighting
Review', 'on art paper, profusely illustrated, and containing topical and semi-topical material, mostly from overseas'. Proceedings of the Society were to be inserted for IES members only.
It was expected that the first issue in February 1939 would have a circulation of a minimum of 3,000 copies. The Victorian Council adopted the report and, on 24 February 1939, Nott could report to his Council, with great satisfaction 'that the first issue of the magazine was published today'.
The heading carried a non -regulation winged emblem combining the letters 'IES' with a deep-bowl RLM reflector casting its beam on the words: Lighting Review - Feb. 1939 - Price 1/6 - Produced by the
Publications Committee - Chairman: R.J. Nott, A.M.T.C.
An editorial 'A New Profession Advances' was signed 'L.D. Wright, A.S.T.C.,
A.M.I.E.(Aust), President' and was followed by a 'Message of Goodwill from the Contemporary English Society' signed Percy Good, President and John S Dow, Hon. Secretary. The second page contained six
'Messages of Approbation from Leaders of Professions and Industry' in
Victoria.
However, Wright did not give up hope of receiving New South Wales support for a joint venture. In January 1939, he wrote a personal letter to
Alexander Forbes in New South Wales, saying 'it seems to me that you people should be in with us on this proposition and in this regard we are
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BACK-LIGHT - 1932 TO 1939
1932 TO 1939
THE IES LIGHTING REVIEW
GENERAL MEETINGS quite prepared for any suggestion which will make the journal a truly IES
Australian production, and not ours only'.
The Society in New South Wales offered 'cordial congratulations on the excellence of the journal published and on the high standard of editorial matter that had been maintained in each issue' and promised support and co-operation. Wright, in reporting to his Council, suggested that 'we should induce them to include the Transactions and the Review in the one proposition'.
When the New South Wales Council met again to consider the new
Victorian proposal, Australia was at war, Forbes was on military service, and it was not possible to proceed with further deliberation of the proposed formation of a Federal Council. This postponement also concerned the matter of the IES Review which in accordance with resolutions passed by Council was wrapped up in the general question of the appointment of a Federal Council.
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