Hardcastle & Richards
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering consultancy |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Founder | Roy T. Hardcastle AO, Harold Charles Richards AM |
| Fate | Purchased by Dames & Moore in 1995; ceased operations around 2006 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Australia, Indonesia |
Key people | Russell Smith (Managing Director, 1995) |
| Products | Multidisciplinary engineering and project management services for mining, infrastructure, industrial markets, offshore structural and process engineering (oil and gas) |
Number of employees | 130 (1995) |
Hardcastle & Richards Pty Ltd (established 1952 - ?) (H&R) is an engineering consultancy firm founded in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, by Roy T. Hardcastle AO and Harold Charles Richards AM.
Origin
The two founders played a vital role as educators and benefactors at the Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne for more than five decades. Their partnership with the university commenced in 1962 through involvement in final-year student projects, representing an early instance of collaboration between industry and academia.
Philanthropy
Both Harold and Roy consistently contributed financially to the School of Engineering. Additionally, Harold supported International House, while Roy participated actively on the University of Melbourne Committee of Convocation and took part in Heritage Society activities. In recognition of his extensive volunteer work spanning over 40 years in industrial and engineering heritage, Roy Hardcastle was honored with the Ray Tonkin Award from the Heritage Council of Victoria in 2012. He served on the Government Building Advisory Council starting in 1972 and was a founding member of the Historic Buildings Preservation Council in 1974, representing Engineers Australia until 1985.
Takeover
By 1995, the firm employed approximately 130 personnel under Managing Director Russell Smith when it was purchased by Dames & Moore. It maintained offices across Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Broken Hill, Australia, as well as Jakarta, Indonesia, generating annual revenues of A$8.6 million. The company's expertise encompassed multidisciplinary engineering and project management services for sectors including mining, infrastructure, industrial markets, and offshore structural and process engineering related to oil and gas. Operations ceased around 2006, with its last known address at 616 St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Nonetheless, its Broken Hill branch was acquired by US-based URS Corporation and continues to provide services within the mining sector.
Patents
Patents held by the company include innovations for a Reciprocating feeder feed ejector and a Haulage system designed for pit mining operations.
Projects
- Tharwa Bridge, New South Wales, completed in 1978
- Sunbury Community Facilities development in 1976
- Ore Haulage Facilities at Z.C. Mines located in Broken Hill, 1988
- Inspection and assessment of Noojee trestle bridge, conducted in 1989
- Environmental effects statement for Deborah Reef project, prepared in 1989
References
- Hardcastle & Richards Consulting Engineers, Company Brochure, Hardcastle & Richards, 1985 (copy held National Library of Australia)