The Dictionary of Australasian Biography/O'Connor, C. Y.
O'Connor, C. Y., M.I.C.E., Engineer-in-chief of Western Australia, is a native of Ireland, where he was born in 1843. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to Mr. John Challoner Smith, M.I.C.E., and was engaged in engineering work in connection with the Irish railways until 1865, when he emigrated to New Zealand. Here he was assistant engineer in the province of Canterbury, under Mr. Dobson, from Sept. of the latter year till 1870, when the West Coast portion of Canterbury was constituted a separate county, and he was appointed its engineer. Mr. O'Connor was District Engineer for the county of Westland from July 1871 to Nov. 1872, and District Engineer for the Canterbury provincial district from the latter date till Nov. 1874, when he was appointed District Engineer for the whole West Coast district, a position he retained till March 1880. During the latter period he also, by permission of the New Zealand Government, acted as Consulting Engineer for the county of Westland from April 1877 to April 1878, and as Consulting Engineer to the Hokitika Harbour Board from April 1877 to March 1880. From March 1880 to Nov. 1883 Mr. O'Connor was Inspecting Engineer for the whole of the Middle Island of New Zealand, being Under-Secretary for Public Works for the colony from Nov. 1883 to May 1890, when he was appointed Marine Engineer. Mr. O'Connor, who was admitted a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers in April 1880, accepted the appointment of Engineer-in-Chief of Western Australia in April 1891, arriving in that colony at the end of May.