District Commissioner Of Works To Retire

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30154, 11 June 1963, Page 6

District Commissioner Of Works To Retire

Substantial contributions to public works organisation and the establishment of civil and military aviation in New Zealand have been made by Mr E. C. Smart, who will retire as District Commissioner of Works in Christchurch at the end of this month.

Forty-two years ago Mr Smart began his Public Service career in Christchurch He subsequently served, both as a civilian and as an Air Force officer, in many parts of the country and throughout the Pacific.

In this time he was directly associated with major governmental engineering projects suoh as drainage work, river control, and road and rail construction—the Main Trunk line in the South Island being a project with which he was connected in the late 19205. a few years after his graduation from Canterbury University College as a bachelor of engineering.

Mr Smart gained his pilot’s licence in 1935 and became a Hight member of the Wellington Territorial Air Force Squadron In the same year he was appointed to the aerodromes branch of the Public Works Department, a post he held for more than 10 years In the war his work fluctuated between flying duties and engineering In 1940. with the rank of squadron leader, he became commanding officer of No. 1 Aerodrome Construction Unit in Malaya During 1943-44 Mr Smart commanded the Royal New Zealand Air Force station. Wangere, which was used as i receiving centre tor per sonnel from overseas, and from which operated a com munications flight and ar anti-aircraft artillery coordinating flight He was engaged spasmodically for many years on ground organisation for civil ind military aviation, and made many historic first

flights aboard Empire flyingboats on civil aviation routes to Fiji, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. In 1947 Mr Smart was appointed aerodrome engineer for the Ministry of Works and was primarily engaged

m developing ground facilities for flying services throughout the Pacific and New Zealand. In 1952 he became District Commissions jf Works in Dunedin, and in 1955 he returned to head office is i<nspec*ig engineer for the Ministry of Works He came to his present post in Christchurch m 1959

In his youth Mr Smart was i keen footballer. He represented New Zealand Universiies in Australia in 1923.

I entrench myself in my oooks equally against sorrow ind the weather—Leigh Hunt.