Civil Engineering January-February 2022 | Vol 30 No 1

Civil Engineering January/February 2022 49 G raham passed away very sud- denly, having experienced a major heart attack on that day. His life was taken early, but even so Graham led a life that was admired and respected by many in the civil engineering profession and led his life in a way that engendered an endearing and enduring love from all the family members that he leaves behind. Graham was educated at King Edwards School in Johannesburg and matriculated in 1965. His greatest achievement while there was not an aca- demic one, but undoubtedly it shaped his life beyond imagination; he met and fell in love with Patricia, a girl he married in 1970 while he was studying for his degree in civil engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand. AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER Graham was a bursary student sponsored by the Johannesburg City Council. He joined the ranks of the City Engineer’s Department after his graduation and his year of compulsory military service. His peers recognised him as one of the finest engineers ever employed by the City and in his 24 years of service within Council, he rose to the position of Deputy City Engineer (Roads). He always referred to his love of the smell of bitumen in his nostrils that led him up that highway. His intuition, however, and his drive for a somewhat broader career advance- ment, saw Graham accept a Senior Deputy Directors’ role in the Metropolitan Planning Department of Council. The role was related to land use and transport planning as well as transportation model- ling, with the department responsible for local authority work well beyond the boundaries of the City of Johannesburg. It proved to be a good career move as he was quickly promoted into the role of Director of Metropolitan Planning where he used his managerial and visionary skills working with provincial and state departments to better the lives of millions of residents. Graham did not stop in that Departmental Head’s position for too long either, as he was promoted by the full City Council to a seat on the Council’s Management Committee where he served with sitting councillors as the Executive Director of Planning. This was in 1994, just before local gov- ernment restructuring was about to com- mence as part of the transformation of the country into a full democracy. Graham’s vast experience and skills were utilised in the transformation as he became the CEO of one of the regional entities set up as a forerunner to the full-scale establishment of the City of Johannesburg that we know today. Throughout these 24 years of Council service, until 1995, Graham had the op- portunity to shape many aspects of gov- ernance from within the sphere of local authority. Could he now take this further? At this time of another potentially more diverse career move Graham had to consider his first love: family. Graham and Patricia had two beautiful daughters to parent, educate and guide through the early parts of their lives. Patricia, being a qualified teacher, played a major role in this. Their daughters Tonia and Nicola were looked after magnificently and made their own way into marriage (to Mark and Peter respectively) and family life with Graham and Patricia as role models. Indeed, four grandchildren completed Graham and Patricia’s family group of “precious people”. AN INDUSTRY LEADER Graham’s vision for South Africa and his own career role in furthering the coun- try’s progression steered him to a position at the helm of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA). He was appointed as CEO of the organisation in 1995. His involvement in Council at the City of Johannesburg gave him an ideal perspective from the “outside looking in” to the profession of private sector consultants as it looked to traverse the new environment which South Africa was seeking to establish. His local gov- ernment involvement also gave him an understanding of political and structural changes that were on the horizon. He engaged in and led two milestone projects at CESA, among others, that Obituary Graham Stephen Pirie 3 December 1947 – 9 November 2021 Graham Stephen Pirie, a long-time senior member of SAICE, sadly passed away on 9 November 2021.