Engineering Centenary Committee

Following a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor on 20 September 1979 to discuss the Engineering Centennial it was thought best to establish an initial committee of 12-15 people to discuss an appeal for a centre more imaginative than the usual centre for continuing education. Activities should stimulate, enhance and initiate ingoing programs. At a faculty meeting on 22 November 1979 names for members of a steering committee were suggested. It was generally agreed that the purpose of the centre was to involve the University with Australian industry and enterprise in furthering excellence and innovation. A committee of the Dean and Professors Davis, Tanner and Prince was set up to clarify the aims and produce a preliminary report. Aim was to mark the centenary of the whole engineering school.

The Engineering Centenary Committee held its first meeting on 11 June 1980. The Committee deliberated on the purpose, and name  of the Centre, the fundraising appeal and the first projects to be undertaken. 

It was agreed to call the Centre 'The Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering' with the expectation it be shortened for general use to The Warren Centre. At its meeting on 25 February the division of the workload between the Board of Directors of the Centre and the Engineering Centenary Committee was discussed.  It was decided that the Board should confine itself to the Warren Centre until after the Centenary Celebrations had taken place, the Board and Centenary Committee were to work in parallel until mid-1983.

The Warren Centre Board met for the first time on 7 April 1982, at this meeting it took over responsibility for fundraising for the Centre. The Centenary Committee continued to be responsible for the details of the celebrations. This included a Engineering Congress and a centenary publication. The last documented meeting of the Committee was held on 17 June 1982.