Don Fry

Last updated

Donald George Fry [1] is an Australian engineer, company director, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Contents

NQEA

Fry is the owner and chairman of NQEA, founded by his father in 1948 in Cairns, Queensland as a general engineering company contracting to the mining industry, then diversified. Fry started his apprenticeship as a Fitter and Turner with NQEA.

Under Fry's direction, NQEA later entered the boat building and maintenance industry, and won the contract to build the 14 Australian follow-on 42 m (138 ft) Fremantle class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy that entered service in the 1980s, then provided maintenance for the ships. NQEA later built and maintained luxury pleasure boats.

Hypersonics

The Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra contracted NQEA to build a complete ground testing hypersonics test chamber to a design developed by him.

In 2004 NQEA built a nozzle for a scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet engine) to be tested by the University of Queensland ground test facility, the T4 tunnel. Fry has been designated as an adjunct professor of the University's School of Engineering.

Community involvement

Besides his business and scientific interests, Don Fry chairs Australia’s national committee advising the Government of Australia on homelessness.

He is chair of the James Cook University Engineering Advisory Board.

Fry is a recipient of Engineers Australia highest National award. He was the inaugural recipient of the Queensland Division Hall of Fame.

Fry has also been inducted into the Queensland University of Technology Hall of Fame for Outstanding Constructors.

He is Patron of the FNQ Independent Living Support Association, a longtime board member of Lifeline Cairns, and has been for 30 years member of the Cairns Salvation Army Advisory Board.

In 2006 he was appointed a special trustee for ensuring the allocation of funds under the federal government's Cyclone Larry assistance package.

Awards and recognition

Related Research Articles

<i>Fremantle</i>-class patrol boat Patrol boat class of the Royal Australian Navy

The Fremantle-class patrol boats were coastal patrol vessels operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1979 to 2007. Designed by British shipbuilder Brooke Marine and constructed in Australia by NQEA, the Fremantle class were larger, more powerful, and more capable than the preceding Attack class, and the two primary patrol boat bases required infrastructure upgrades to support them. Although up to 30 vessels were planned, fifteen were ordered and constructed, with an unexercised option for five more.

Keith Joseph Bullock FTSE (1931–2015) was an engineer and academic at the University of Queensland.

Janet Holmes à Court, AC, HonFAHA, HonFAIB is an Australian businesswoman and one of Australia's wealthiest women. She is the Chairperson of one of Australia's largest private companies, Heytesbury Pty Ltd, having turned around its fortunes after the death of her husband Robert Holmes à Court in 1990. She retained full ownership of the Heytesbury Group of companies until 2008 when her son, Peter Holmes à Court, assumed ownership, while she remained chairman.

<i>Leeuwin</i>-class survey vessel

The Leeuwin class is a two-ship class of hydrographic survey vessels operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Leeuwin and Melville were ordered from NQEA Australia in 1996, and were commissioned in 2000. The ships are capable of charting waters up to 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) deep, carry three Fantome-class survey boats, and can operate an AS 350B Squirrel helicopter. In addition to surveying duties, since 2001 both vessels have been used to supplement the RAN patrol force. Leeuwin and Melville are based at HMAS Cairns, and are active as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walkers Limited</span> Australian locomotive manufacturer

Walkers Limited was an Australian engineering company, based in Maryborough, Queensland. It built ships and railway locomotives. The Walkers factory still produces railway locomotives and rolling stock as part of Downer Rail.

Kenneth William Hayward was an Australian politician and is the current Principal of Chequers Financial Services Australia and Owner of FNQ Accounting, Tully. He was a Labor member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1986 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Finkel</span> Australian neuroscientist, engineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist

Alan Simon Finkel is an Australian neuroscientist, inventor, researcher, entrepreneur, educator, policy advisor, and philanthropist. He was Australia’s Chief Scientist from 2016 to 2020. Prior to his appointment, his career included Chancellor of Monash University, President of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE), and CEO and founder of Axon Instruments, and CTO for the electric car start-up Better Place Australia.

Donald Robert ArgusACCPASF is an Australian businessman, chairman of Bank of America Australia advisory board and member of Monash University's Monash Business School advisory board. He is a former member of Bank of America's inaugural Global Advisory Council (2013–2019); former chairman of BHP (1999–2010) and Brambles (1999–2008), former director of the Australian Foundation Investment Company (1999–2013) and former CEO of National Australia Bank (1991–1999). He was educated at the Anglican Church Grammar School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Wettenhall</span> Australian politician

Stephen Peter Arthur Wettenhall was the Labor Member of the Parliament of Queensland for Barron River. He was first elected in the 2006 Queensland state election, and was defeated in the 2012 state election.

The Queensland University of Technology Distinguished Constructor Award recognises significant contributions by individuals to the Queensland construction industry and community and to honour those who have given a lifetime of work to the industry. The achievements of Queensland's most admired construction industry leaders are further acknowledged by their induction into the QUT Construction Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NQEA</span>

NQEA Pty Ltd is an engineering and shipbuilding company based in Cairns, Australia. The company was founded in 1948 as an engineering supply company named North Queensland Engineers & Agents, then expanded in 1966 into shipbuilding and was renamed.

Paul Fawcett Greenfield AO was the President and Vice Chancellor of The University of Queensland from 1 January 2008 to 13 January 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Wilkie-Jans</span>

Jack Andrew Jans or Jack Wilkie-Jans is an Aboriginal affairs advocate, multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and politologist.

Malcolm Alexander Kinnaird AC DUniv FIEAust FTSE (1933–2014) was a South Australian engineer, joint founder of international engineering company Kinhill Engineering responsible for many major engineering projects including the Alice Springs to Darwin railway. Within South Australia, he was responsible for developing West Lakes, North Haven and the David Jones building.

George ChapmanAO is a surveyor, and businessman from Cairns, Queensland, Australia. He has contributed to the community of Queensland as Chairman of Telecasters North Queensland, Ten Network Holdings, TAB Queensland, Cairns Port Authority, Chapman Group and Skyrail Pty Ltd. Other significant contributions include his involvement in the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, Cairns Regional Development Bureau, and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Sir James William FootsAOFTSEHonFAusIMMMIMMFCIC was an Australian mining engineer and Chairman of Mount Isa Mines and Chancellor of the University of Queensland.

Stanley Graham Jones is a retired Australian judge. He served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland and became the court's first Far North Queensland judge. He was the first person to be appointed to the role of chancellor at Central Queensland University.

Donald Nicklin AO (1934-2007) was an Australian chemical engineer and academic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim May (chemical engineer)</span> Australian chemical engineer and businessman (1934–2023)

James Richard MayFTSE HonFAusIMM was an Australian chemical engineer and company director who was the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Minerals Industry Research Association Limited (AMIRA) between 1968 and 1994. He was also a fellow of a number of chartered institutions and organisations and was on various committees and academic associations and institutes.

Kenneth John Donald is an Australian pathologist, academic and former rugby union player.

References

  1. "Dr Donald G Fry, AO". FNQ Independent Living Association Inc. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  2. "Donald George Fry". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  3. Don Fry EHA Magazine June 2006