On Monday 6th of October, The British Engineering Association of Engineers and other Professions presented a generous donation to the ABCC to be used for welfare cases in the community. The ABCC wishes to thank all the members and friends of The Association and specially its Chairman: Ken Beswick, Vice-Chairman: David Parsons and the Secretary: Roger Knowles. For more information on their activities please contact Ken Beswick. Email: ken@kenbeswick A brief history of British Engineering Association of the River Plate This Association was formally created in 1898 as the Institution of Engineers of the River Plate and in 1913 was given legal status by a decree signed by Dr. Luis Saenz Peña, President of the Argentine Republic. This was a time when Britain had varied interests in Argentina and the country was rapidly developing. The Institution thrived until the 1914-1918 War when activities declined as so many members had left the country for military service in Britain. In March, 1920 the Institution was disbanded but 9 months later, 55 British engineers met to consider the formation of an Association of British Engineers and in 1921 over 100 engineers voted to form the Association of British Engineers in the Argentine Republic. This Association was open to all trained engineers and those who were employed in engineering works and who were of British nationality or decent. Membership rose rapidly to 248. In 1928, the British Railways encouraged the formation of the Centre of British Engineering Institutions in which six engineering entities became members. They were the Buenos Aires branches of the Institutions of Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, the Institute of Transport, British Standards and the Association of British Engineers in the Argentine Republic. The Centre flourished and became the meeting point for the interchange of engineering developments and their incorporation into local activities. Again, in the war years of 1939-1945 many members left for military service in Britain and after the war many British firms closed down or were sold, but the Centre continued actively, largely due to the support it received from the British owned Railways. When these were sold to the Argentine Government in 1948 the Centre lost this valuable support. It marked the end of an era of interest and influence in Argentina and the Centre ceased to exist. The local branches of the British Engineers Institutions became the “Joint Group of Professional Engineers” and the Association of British Engineers in the Argentine Republic continued as before but its statutes were modified. This required a change of name to the British Engineering Association of the River Plate and it allowed the admission of non-British members. Monthly luncheons were started at which a guest speaker would give a lecture on technical matters. In 1978 the Association was granted “personeria juridica” as the Asociacion de Ingeneria del Rio de la Plata and kept close contact with other similar European and Argentine entities. However, the rapid development of information technology gradually overcame the need for a reference library and technical presentations at the monthly luncheons so the decision was taken to invite all professions to participate. To reflect this increased membership, “......and Other Professions” was added to the title. The monthly lunches continue with a wide spectrum of speakers, subjects and audiences. On reflection, the Association is proud to have made a modest contribution to the development of engineering in the Republic of Argentina. Roger Knowles TD CEng MIET Secretary
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 20:02:52 +0000
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