[Index]
Roger Barraclough GIBSON (1909 - 1977)
Children Self + Spouses Parents Grandparents Greatgrandparents
Living
Roger Barraclough GIBSON (1909 - 1977)

+

Myrna Rosamond McNaughten DICKEY (1910 - 2003)

Marjorie Cecilia (Jenny) O'BRIEN
Alexander James GIBSON (1876 - 1960) Edward Morris GIBSON



Martha JAMES



Marion Ellen (Mimi) HITCHMAN (1880 - 1947) Thomas Joseph HITCHMAN (1855 - 1947) Robert HITCHMAN (1827 - )
Lydia (HITCHMAN) ( - 1861)
Kate JONES (1859 - 1945) Richard Morgan JONES (1817 - 1874)
Ellen Sarah ELWORTHY (1826 - 1921)

b. 30 May 1909 at New South Wales, Australia
m. (1) 24 Aug 1934 Myrna Rosamond McNaughten DICKEY (1910 - 2003) at North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
m. (2) Jun 1963 Marjorie Cecilia (Jenny) O'BRIEN at Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia
d. 31 Dec 1977 at Waverton, New South Wales, Australia aged 68
Near Relatives of Roger Barraclough GIBSON (1909 - 1977)
Relationship Person Born Birth Place Died Death Place Age
Grandfather Edward Morris GIBSON
Grandmother Martha JAMES
Grandfather Thomas Joseph HITCHMAN 18 Apr 1855 Wheatley, Oxfordshire, England 1947 North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 92
Grandmother Kate JONES 01 Aug 1859 Paddington, New South Wales, Australia 1945 North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 86

Father in Law William Craufuird McNaughten DICKEY 23 Mar 1883 1960 77
Mother in Law Rosamond Alice CARTER
Father in Law John Carroll O'BRIEN

Father Alexander James GIBSON 18 Dec 1876 London, Middlesex, England 02 Dec 1960 Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia 83
Mother Marion Ellen (Mimi) HITCHMAN 1880 Concord, New South Wales, Australia 1947 North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 67

Self Roger Barraclough GIBSON 30 May 1909 New South Wales, Australia 31 Dec 1977 Waverton, New South Wales, Australia 68

Wife Myrna Rosamond McNaughten DICKEY 21 Mar 1910 London, Middlesex, England Jul 2003 93
Wife Marjorie Cecilia (Jenny) O'BRIEN

Daughter Living or Recently Deceased

Brother Alexander Roy Morris GIBSON 18 Dec 1903 St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia 08 Dec 1975 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 71
Sister Violet Marion Hall GIBSON 01 Dec 1907 Mosman, New South Wales, Australia 05 Sep 1989 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 81
Sister Kitty Desmond GIBSON 23 Mar 1919 Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia

Son in Law Living or Recently Deceased

Granddaughter Living or Recently Deceased
Grandson Living or Recently Deceased

Aunt Ida Muriel HITCHMAN 1882 Burwood, New South Wales, Australia 1975 New South Wales, Australia 93
Uncle Sydney W NOSS 1885 St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia 1930 Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia 45
Uncle Harold Roy HITCHMAN 28 Aug 1884 Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia May 1970 Mosman, New South Wales, Australia 85
Aunt Lilian May DALEY 1888 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1973 St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia 85

Cousin Thomas Frere NOSS
Cousin Kathleen Alison NOSS 1918 New South Wales, Australia 1945 North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 27
Cousin Anthony Neville Wemyss HITCHMAN 1918 10 Jan 2006 Dee Why, New South Wales, Australia 88
Cousin Thomas Roy HITCHMAN abt 1920 23 Mar 2003 Pennant Hills, New South Wales, Australia 83

Niece Living or Recently Deceased
Niece Living or Recently Deceased
Niece Living or Recently Deceased
Nephew James Alexander Wearing SMITH 24 Oct 1936 17 Jan 1984 Kelmscott, Western Australia, Australia 47
Niece Living or Recently Deceased
Nephew Living or Recently Deceased
Niece Elinor Marion BATHGATE 02 Sep 1952 New South Wales, Australia 09 Jan 1987 Killara, New South Wales, Australia 34

Sister in Law Christine M McNaughten DICKEY abt Sep 1915 Brentford, Middlesex, England
Sister in Law Sylvia Joan McNaughten DICKEY abt Sep 1915 Brentford, Middlesex, England
Sister in Law Jean Mary DUGUID 13 Dec 1904 Burwood, New South Wales, Australia 25 Dec 1993 89
Brother in Law James Wearing SMITH 15 Feb 1901 Adelaide, SA, Australia 18 Feb 1975 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 74
Brother in Law William Henry BATHGATE 31 Jul 1914 Petersham, New South Wales, Australia 24 May 1994 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 79
Events in Roger Barraclough GIBSON (1909 - 1977)'s life
Date Age Event Place Notes Src
30 May 1909 Roger Barraclough GIBSON was born New South Wales, Australia 2
24 Aug 1934 25 Married Myrna Rosamond McNaughten DICKEY (aged 24) North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 12098/1934 2
1947 38 Death of mother Marion Ellen (Mimi) HITCHMAN (aged 67) North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Note 1
1956 47 Divorced (Myrna Rosamond McNaughten DICKEY) 2
02 Dec 1960 51 Death of father Alexander James GIBSON (aged 83) Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia 32814/1960 2
Jun 1963 54 Married Marjorie Cecilia (Jenny) O'BRIEN Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia 2
31 Dec 1977 68 Roger Barraclough GIBSON died Waverton, New South Wales, Australia 2
Note 1: 5716/1947 Louisa Ellen Florence
Personal Notes:
GIBSON, ROGER BARRACLOUGH (1909-1977), mechanical engineer, was born on 31 May 1909 at Mosman, Sydney, third child of Alexander James Gibson, an engineer from London, and his native-born wife Marion Ellen Florence, née Hitchman. Educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore), Roger graduated in engineering technology at the University of Sydney (B.E., 1934). On 24 August 1934 he married Myrna Rosamond McNaghten Dickey at the Shore chapel; they were to be divorced in 1957. After working for the Australian Gas Light Co., in 1937 he joined his father's engineering consultancy firm, Julius, Poole & Gibson, despite some rumblings from the old guard that his irreverent wit and humour were not compatible with the serious profession of engineering. Using a hydraulic model especially built for the purpose at Sydney Technical College, he helped his father in making intensive calculations to increase the discharge capacity of Burrinjuck Dam, thereby ensuring its safety in time of flood.

Having been commissioned lieutenant in the Militia, Gibson was seconded on 1 January 1941 to the Australian Imperial Force. In 1941-43 he served with the Australian Army Ordnance Corps in the Middle East. Back home, he was promoted major and in 1944-45 was electrical and mechanical engineer, Northern Territory Lines of Communication Area Workshops. He transferred to the Reserve of Officers on 3 November 1945 and rejoined his father's firm.

Gibson's originality in design and his imaginative approach to problems involved him in a diverse range of engineering projects: the design of coke ovens and conveyor systems for the Mount Pleasant and Illawarra collieries, the design and development of aircraft undercarriage support and cargo-handling equipment for Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, and of power-operated hangar doors at Mascot airport (a technology transferred to the United States of America), solving pumping-station problems at Mildura and adapting mechanical designs for amusement equipment at Luna Park, Sydney. For many years he also served as the firm's expert on engineering valuation in New Zealand (in regard to earthquake insurance), notably for New Zealand Forest Products Ltd. He married a widow Marjorie Cecilia Cudmore, née Carroll, on 22 June 1963 at the district registrar's office, Chatswood.

One of Gibson's last major projects was the detailed design of special mechanical devices for the Sydney Opera House which included winch systems for television-light battens, loudspeakers, glass-wall cleaning mechanisms, and the 'lenticular' or doughnut-shaped acoustic cloud reflectors in the concert hall. He loved machinery and gadgets, and was a lively innovator. For a problem requiring imagination rather than disciplined engineering, 'you sent for Gibson'.

A tall, dark-haired man who frequently displayed his teeth in laughter and vivid speech, Gibson was a witty raconteur with an eye for the human and the absurd. Sharp minded and articulate, he was often sought by the legal profession to act as an expert witness, work he responded to with relish. He died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm on 31 December 1977 at his Waverton home and was cremated; his wife survived him, as did the daughter of his first marriage.

Select Bibliography
M. Anderson and P. Cochrane, Julius, Poole & Gibson (Syd, 1989); private information. More on the resources

Author: Ann Moyal

Print Publication Details: Ann Moyal, 'Gibson, Roger Barraclough (1909 - 1977)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 14, Melbourne University Press, 1996, p. 270.
Source References:
2. Type: Book, Abbr: Devon to Down Under, Title: Devon to Down Under, Auth: Bettie Elworthy, Publ: Bookbound, Date: 1997
- Reference = 35 (Marriage)
- Reference = 36 (Death)
- Reference = 35
- Reference = 36 (Marriage)
- Reference = 35 (Birth)
- Reference = 36 (Divorced)

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