To describe something or someone that’s impressive and slightly scary.
Hints for depicting snowy mountains
Explore the Snowy Hydro defining moment in Australian history with a memory game. Match pairs of cards to reveal interesting stories about the people who worked on this enormous, pioneering project. Then test your knowledge with a quiz!
PLAY GAME
Developed by Thomas Larkin
Optimised for Chrome, Safari and Edge. For best results play on a laptop or computer.
Thomas Larkin
I study Engineering and Arts at the Australian National University. I made this digital resource as part of a course investing the use of digital methods to reimagine historical artifacts.
I decided to focus on the construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric system because I was fascinated by the impacts this project had on both the technical and social landscape of Australia.
I built this resource using some basic web development skills, resources from the National Archives of Australia and the use of Adobe Illustrator to create each of the character cards in the memory game.
I hope you enjoy using this digital resource! (January 2020)
How to use this resource – for Teachers
The first part of this digital resource is a memory game. There are 10 different cards to match, each card displays an employee of the Snowy Hydro. Each card depicts a cartoon of the ‘character’ and the typical ‘tools’ they would have used while working on the Snowy Hydro project.
Users are challenged to match each of the 10 pairs as quickly as possible by clicking on cards to turn them over. Users may only click on two cards in a row. There are 18 different character cards in total, so each user will be playing with a different group of 10 cards in a different arrangement. Every game is different!
If a user discovers a ‘match’, a popup will appear which contains further information about that particular character. Other than the depiction of the character, all of the information contained in each character card is factual.
After each of the 10 cards has been successfully matched, a button will appear at the bottom of the webpage directing the user to an end of game Quiz. The quiz consists of 10 different questions, matching the 10 character cards that the user previously encountered.
The 10 character cards relating to each users’ 10 quiz questions will be displayed at the bottom of the webpage. Although some of the quiz questions may seem a little tricky, there are plenty of hints in the resource to help users answer all of the questions correctly.
If at any point a user is stuck in the quiz, they can hover over and click onto any of the character cards displayed along the bottom of the webpage. Doing this will cause the information popup to appear. All of the answers to the quiz questions can be found in these information popups, with some reading involved!
HOME
The instructions of the game will go here!
RESET BOARD onClick=”window.location.href = ‘quiz.html'” –> QUIZ
Douglas Walter Leckie
Occupation: Pilot
Years Employed: 6
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Douglas was a skilled pilot, having flown aircraft in the Second World War and multiple research expeditions to Antarctica before he commenced work on the Snowy Hydro project. Whilst working for the Snowy Hydro, he received the prestigious Oswald Watt Medal. This medal recognizes “the most noticeable contribution to aviation in Australia by an Australian in a calendar year.”
He resigned from work in 1960 and decided to move to Victoria to help his mother manage the family farm.
Paul Meredith
Occupation: Axeman
Years Employed: 2
Country of Origin: Australia
Paul found himself in quite a bit of trouble after a workplace incident in Cooma. As a result of this, he was fined $30 from the
Khancoban Khancoban is a town in the Kosciuszko National Park built to house workers of the Snowy Hydro scheme.
court and fired from his job as an axeman. Hoping to get her son’s job back, Paul’s mother wrote a letter to his boss stating:
“Paul is more than sorry for his mistakes. He is by no means a bad lad, this trouble he got into was done in haste, without reason or thought of what the consequences could be.”
Unfortunately for Paul, he was not
reinstated to ‘reinstate’ means to return something to its original state
Heinz Jeromin
Occupation: Works Foreman
Years Employed: 26
Country of Origin: Germany
Prior to working on the Snowy Hydro project, Heinz served the German army during the Second World War. During this time, he was a prisoner of war for 5 years.
He began his 26 year career with the Snowy Hydro Authority as a carpenter but over his career he continued to gain promotions. Before his promotion to works foreman, the following comments were made about Mr Jeromin:
“His officer in charge has reported favourably on his ability to organise work and handle men and considers him to be suitable for the position of works foreman.”
Ildiko Botka
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Years Employed: 12
Country of Origin: Hungary
Ildiko Botka fled Hungary as a
refugee a ‘refugee’ is someone that has been forced to leave their country due to war, persecution or a natural disaster
and immigrated to Australia. Her skillsets as a civil engineer were needed and after receiving a job, she was placed in the
hydrology ‘hydrology’ is a type of science that studies water and how water moves through land
branch. Some of her tasks in this section included flood studies, snowmelt forecasting procedures and work on computers to model flooding.
She applied for 9 months of unpaid leave in order to have a baby but this application was rejected and as a result, she was forced to resign. Despite the Snowy Hydro Authority wishing to keep her position, they strongly advised her to reapply after 9 months. After giving birth, she reapplied for her position in the hydrology department and was successful.
Kazys Sinkevicius
Occupation: Carpenter (initially)
Years Employed: 10
Country of Origin: Lithuania
Kazys was employed and reclassified multiple times over his career with the Snowy Hydro Authority. He began his work as a carpenter, but this work was not suited to his body. As a result of his bad health his doctor wrote the following letter to his boss:
“This man is suffering from heart disease. While it is desirable for him to continue activity within his limits this work should be of the lightest sedentary grade. Thus a nine to five desk job is most essential.”
His boss terminated his employment as a result of his permanently bad health.
Anton Glavica
Occupation: Chainman
Years Employed: 10
Country of Origin: Yugoslavia
Anton Glavica moved to Australia from a country called
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia no longer exists. The place where Yugoslavia used to be in Europe is now Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia
A ‘Chainman’ is another name for someone who performs surveying work. Surveyors take detailed measurements of areas of land to make sure that infrastructure projects – such as the construction of dams and hydroelectric power stations – is suitable.
As a Chainman, Anton Glavica had a number of roles to perform. Some of these roles included maintaining survey equipment, chopping down trees and bushland to clear lines of sight and clearing walking tracks.
Josef Peska
Occupation: Timekeeper
Years Employed: 5
Country of Origin: Czechoslovakia
Josef studied commerce at university in Prague. He used these skills working as a timekeeper. Much of his work involved distributing large sums of money towards employees, materials and project work – jobs that would require lots of maths! After further
accounting An ‘accountant’ is someone who keeps track of financial records
studies, he was made a member of the Australian Society of Accountants in 1958. In a letter that the Society wrote, addressed to the Snowy Hydro Authority:
“As a result of years of study and work, Mr Peska has gained the privilege of membership and through you I desire to congratulate him.”
Richard Lodge
Occupation: Lorry Driver
Years Employed: 38
Country of Origin: Australia
Richard Lodge spent most of his working life (38 years of it) working for the Snowy Hydro Authority. Driving lorries for the Snowy Hydro Project would have involved moving large quantities or earth to and from worksites to make way for new infrastructure. For someone like Richard, there were always jobs to be found.
In addition to working for the Snowy Hydro project in Australia, Richard was selected to go on a driver assignment to Thailand to assist in building the Tak to Mae Sot road project. This project was one of the first overseas aid projects by the Snowy Mountains Authority.
Gerard Willem Van Wezel
Occupation: Electrical Engineer
Years Employed: 14
Country of Origin: Netherlands
At the time of the Second World War Gerard was held as a prisoner for three years by the Japanese. During this time, he was forced to work on the
Burma Railway line this was a railway line that was built to connect Burma and Thailand in Asia
His university education was broken up over two countries. The first half of which involved engineering study in the Netherlands. He then moved to Perth and completed an electrical engineering program there.
In his role as an electrical engineer, Gerard was responsible for the installation of electrical equipment, cabling and device protection at hydro-electric power stations.
Angeleia Beranek
Occupation: Typist
Years Employed: 5
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Typists were responsible for producing letters, certificates, articles and other documentation. For a typist, making little to no errors was crucial. If too many errors on a document were made, the entire document had to be retyped. To be appointed as a typist by the Snowy Hydro Authority, applicants had to pass a 40 words per minute typing test.
In her application typing test, Angeleia typed at a rate of 47.8 words per minute. Later in her career, she was tested typing at a rate of 66.3 words per minute which made her eligible for a higher salary. Towards the end of her career, she was tested at 57.6 words per minute, a slight drop from her personal best!
Harold Ernest Henry Gibbs
Occupation: Electrical Engineer
Years Employed: 4
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Harold Gibbs saw an ad in the local newspaper for a job in Australia as an Electrical Engineer and quickly jumped on the opportunity to move overseas with his family and chase a new life. His wife and two children joined him on the trip to Australia for work on the Snowy Hydro.
He spent 4 years working for the Snowy Hydro and afterwards left to work on electrical grid networks in NSW, and later on, the Royal Air Force. He was described by his boss at the Snowy Hydro as being a “widely experienced, capable and energetic engineer.”
Robert Turner Brodie
Occupation: Scientific Services Division (Engineer)
Years Employed: 5
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Whilst in his final year of Civil Engineering studies in Glasgow, Scotland, Robert saw a job advertisement for work on the Snowy Hydro Scheme in Australia. As someone with a keen interest in infrastructure foundations and soils, he applied for the job and was successful!
Most of his work on the Snowy Hydro Scheme involved soil testing, rock bolt development and technical report writing. Most of his work was situated around the
Khancoban Khancoban is a town in the Kosciuszko National Park built to house workers of the Snowy Hydro scheme.
dam region of the project.
Constance Dora Harvey
Occupation: Artist/Tracer
Years Employed: 17
Country of Origin: Australia
Before applying for her job as a
tracer a tracer is someone who draws detailed drawings of equipment and objects such as generators, bridges and buildings
on the Snowy Hydro scheme, Constance had experience working for an Engineering company in London and as an artist. She moved to Cooma in 1957 and her work as a tracer involved sketching detailed drawings of gates, valves, power plants and graphs.
Her skills at drawing were observed by her managers, calling her an “intelligent, co-operative and cheerful person”. Constance was also deaf but was skilled in lip reading and could speak fairly well. She commented later in her life that “disability is no handicap in work as a tracer.”
Rudolf Ernest Belin
Occupation: Scientific Officer
Years Employed: 3
Country of Origin: Great Britain (born in New Zealand)
Rudolf was born in New Zealand and studied at university in Auckland. He applied for a position as an
Electrical Engineer An electrical engineer is someone who develops, repairs and manages electrical circuits and the devices that they are used within
but was instead offered the role of ‘Scientific Officer’, something he was not pleased about! At the same time, he was offered a promotion at his work in New Zealand, but decided to accept the offer from the Snowy Hydro scheme, since he believed that over time, the sort of work available in Australia would be more interesting.
He moved his family from New Zealand to Australia to begin work with the Snowy Hydro scheme in 1956.
Peter James French
Occupation: Apprentice Electrical Fitter / Mechanic / Drafter
Years Employed: 5
Country of Origin: Australia
While still a high school student in Tumut, Peter applied for a position as an apprentice electrician.
“. I feel that I would like to become a qualified electrician if possible, and become a part of your great scheme.”
In a reference letter from his principal at Tumut High School, he was described as having a “pleasant personality and disposition” as well as being a “reliable, industrious and trustworthy young man”, possessing a “bay of potential”. He received a job offer as an apprentice electrical fitter mechanic – straight out of high school!
As a second year apprentice in 1968, Peter was paid 57 cents per hour, or $23 per week! As an apprentice, some of the tasks he would have performed included working on motor coils, electrical circuit board work and electrical maintenance inside homes. He took a liking to work in the drawing office, sketching electrical circuit boards and other devices. His skills were best suited here.
Thomas Crawford
Occupation: Electrical Engineer
Years Employed: 5
Country of Origin: Australia
Thomas worked as an electrical engineer for the Snowy Hydro scheme. He was a highly skilled employee and during his time here, was granted 2 years of leave to undertake work experience in Sweden. The Snowy Hydro scheme believed that in gaining experience abroad Mr Crawford would return with new knowledge to benefit the project in Australia.
After enjoying work and life in Europe, he petitioned to remain abroad for longer than the 2 years previously agreed upon. The Snowy Hydro were disappointed with this proposal and after failed negotiations, Thomas resigned from his position in Australia and continued to live and work in Europe. The Authority decided to never again re-employ Thomas, due to his breaking of their bond.
Joseph Gotts
Occupation: Technical Records Officer
Years Employed: 22
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Joseph had an interesting career before working on the Snowy Hydro Scheme. We worked as a radio intelligence operator during the Second World War for the British Army and later moved to Australia as part of the British Assisted Passage Scheme and found work in Canberra in the Department of Immigration.
He was very skilled at languages, being fluent in German and with a reading knowledge of Dutch and French. In his application letter, Joseph stated “I realise that language qualifications are not essential. but in view of the large number of European migrants employed by the authority, I feel that they could be an asset.”
In his role as a technical records officer, Mr Gotts was responsible for correspondence and filing, liaison with other workshops within the SMHEA and liaison on costing and workshops procedure, maintenance of the filing system, overseeing staff member movements (leave, overtime, resignations) and general office duties.
Later in his career, he was reclassified as a technical officer and his type of work changed to tasks such as installation and maintenance of communications systems, fire protection systems, thermoelectric generators and air conditioning systems.
After 22 years working for the Snowy Hydro scheme, he was retrenched due to insufficient work.
Francis Richard Gibbs
Occupation: Model Maker
Years Employed: 17
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Prior to working on the Snowy Hydro scheme, Francis Gibbs served for three years in the Royal Engineers in Great Britain as Sergeant Model-Maker and was responsible for constructing topographical models of military objectives and other models required for tactical exercises. The Snowy Hydro authority believed that Mr Gibbs’ skill sets could be used in the construction of topographical scale models for publicity purposes and in the construction of models for the hydraulics laboratory.
In his first year of work with the Snowy Hydro authority he prepared scale models of the Snowy Mountains area which were used for display purposes in Melbourne and Sydney. His skills were highly sought after by the scheme and he spent some time on transfer with the Public Relations team in Sydney, producing display models of the Snowy Hydro Scheme.
He was skilled with his hands and his work as a model maker also led to work in restoring furniture for the Snowy Hydro scheme.
Staggering
Definition
Something that is breathtaking or surprising.
Examples
“The staggering snowy mountains towered above the village, obscuring the sun in the distance.”
“He tried to focus on his journey, but the staggering mountains were topped with thick snow.”
How it Adds Description
The word “staggering” emphasizes the size of the mountains, allowing you to show the reader how large your snowy mountains are. This term can also show your character’s shock or awe at the sight of the scenery, therefore informing the reader that they’ve never seen a setting this large or snowy before.
Bleached
Definition
An object that’s a light or white color.
Examples
“The bleached mountains up ahead reflected the sunlight, blinding her eyes as she traveled towards them.”
“They couldn’t ignore the snow bleached mountains, and they chose to take shelter in a nearby cave to avoid the freezing temperatures.”
How it Adds Description
The word “bleached” reveals the light color of an object, and can be used to draw attention to the white snow on the mountains. This is a great word if you want to create a stark contrast between the rock and the snow, as “bleach” evokes a powerful image for most readers.
Alabaster
Definition
A white stone used for sculptures and ornaments. Often used as an adjective noun to describe objects with light/white colors.
Examples
“He noticed the alabaster mountains in the distance and wondered when the snowfall would cease.”
“It was the alabaster mountains that worried her the most, she’d never seen so much snow in one place.”
How it Adds Description
As a noun “alabaster” refers to a type of stone. However, it’s frequently used as an adjective to highlight the white color of an object. When used to describe mountains, “alabaster” conveys how perfectly white the snow is. This can help to set the scene for your reader, and is especially helpful when world building.
