C. Y. O'Connor - Early Life

Early Life

O'Connor was born in Gravelmount, Castletown, County Meath, Ireland, third and youngest son and fourth child of John O'Connor, a farmer and company secretary, and his wife Mary Elizabeth, née O'Keefe. O'Connor was home schooled by his aunt before being educated at the Waterford Endowed School (also known as Bishop Foy's School). In 1859 he was apprenticed to John Chaloner Smith as a railway engineer. At the age of 21 he migrated to New Zealand, and on 6 September 1866 was appointed assistant engineer for Canterbury Province under Edward Dobson. His first task was the construction of the Otira Gorge section of the road over Arthur's Pass, so that the gold fields on the West Coast became easier to access. After holding other positions, O'Connor became inspecting engineer for the mid-South Island. In 1873 he married Scottish born Susan Laetitia Ness and they had seven children, four girls and three boys whilst in New Zealand (their 4th child, Charles Goring Yelverton O'Connor, died aged 7 months in a home accident). In 1883 he was appointed Under-Secretary of Public Works in New Zealand and in 1890 he was appointed Marine Engineer for the colony.

By 1891 O'Connor had much experience in harbour and dock construction when he resigned his position in April that year to become Engineer-in-Chief of Western Australia. His wife and children relocated with him to Australia. There he was responsible for the construction of Fremantle Harbour and the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme project that supplied water to the Eastern Goldfields. He was the inaugural Engineer in Chief of the Public Works Department.