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Engineering started long ago when humans first started forming the items around them into shapes that were more useful. However, it was not until humans settled, and needed numerous types of technology to build cities, did engineering (from the Latin for ingenious) become a separate profession with its own name, training and identity separate from others.

What is the key role for the Professional Engineer in society? I believe that role is to provide engineering service with the community firmly in mind. While the nature and type of service may take many forms as diverse as designing, building and maintaining infrastructure for cities or in designing and constructing artificial limbs for patients, the essence of engineering is the economic delivery of an engineering infrastructure, service or product to meet the needs of the community.

Many people in our community, including reporters and community leaders, think that things such as spectacular bridges, skyscrapers, aeroplanes, manufacturing plants and space ships are designed by Scientists and that Engineers do the welding or use... View Article

Professionalism is as, perhaps even more, relevant today as it was when the concept first emerged centuries ago. Defined as a combination of knowledge, skills, trustworthiness and altruism found in those who commit themselves to a life of service to others, professionalism now covers many more disciplines than the original professions of law, medicine and divinity.

We need to view the story of the Profession of Engineering in Australia over the perspective of a century. To provide an understanding of the development, maturation and decline of the social construct of the Profession of Engineering, I present the narrative in decadal steps.