AMAV VICDOC Winter 2024 - Magazine - Page 73
completed an apprenticeship
J ack
with Norman Bell & Co (later part
of GEC and subsequently, O’Donnell
Griffin), in July 1945. He then started
his own business, and in 1946 formed a
partnership with Lionel Kennedy. With
their partnership, one of the great names
in the history of electrical contracting
in Queensland was born — Kennedy
and Middleton.
Over three decades the company
became a substantial force in electrical
contracting. It was publicly listed on the
stock exchange in 1977 — Kennedy and
Middleton Industries Limited. In 1979, a tie
up with Barker and Taylor created Kennedy
Taylor, a national contractor with branches
and manufacturing facilities in Brisbane,
Melbourne, and Sydney. The company
was a substantial employer and trainer
of apprentices. Jack retired from
Kennedy Taylor in 1984.
In the 1986 Queen’s Birthday Honours
list Jack was made a Member of the
Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Sadly, Jack died in November 2013.
At Jack’s celebration of life event, an
electrician who Jack had nurtured as a
young apprentice more than 50 years
before said, “Jack was a great mentor
during my time as an apprentice, and
he was the best boss I ever had.”
Following Jack’s death, his family
established the Jack Baxter Middleton
Scholarship with Queensland University of
Technology (QUT) to honour his memory
and his lifelong commitment to education
and training, and to foster the education
of future leaders in industries related to
electrical engineering.
The scholarship, first awarded in 2017,
quickly established itself as a prestigious
scholarship. It is awarded annually to
an outstanding engineering student
completing first year undergraduate
studies and moving into an electrical
engineering speciality.
The inaugural recipient of the scholarship
was Somayeh Hussaini. Somayeh’s parents
were from Afghanistan, and she was born in
Iran. The family were displaced at this time,
and registered with the United Nations
to become refugees. Somayeh learned
English at a community centre for refugees
in Malaysia and after just one year began
teaching others.
Somayeh and her family were accepted
by Australia in 2013. When they arrived
in Brisbane Somayeh started school for
the first time, beginning in Year 10. Her
maths teachers encouraged her to go to an
engineering camp for high school students,
where Somayeh became very interested
in mechatronics engineering. She applied
and was accepted to study a Bachelor of
Engineering (Mechatronics Engineering) at
QUT. After her first year of study, Somayeh
received the inaugural Jack Middleton
Scholarship in 2017.
Since then, Somayeh has gone from
strength to strength, and graduated
with first class honours. She is currently
undertaking her PhD studies at QUT Centre
for Robotics in perception and localisation
for robotics and autonomous vehicles.
Somayeh is a strong advocate for young
women studying STEM, especially those
from migrant backgrounds.
The Middleton Family are actively engaged
with the award of the scholarship, as well
as building and nurturing relationships with
alumni. They are delighted with the career
path and development of its first recipient.
The family has endowed an account
within the Harper Bernays Charitable
Trust to underwrite the funding of the
scholarship in perpetuity.
L1, 50 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000
T: 1800 427 737
info@harperbernays.com.au
harperbernays.com.au
VI CD O C WI NTER 2024
73
