David Jellie

An Accidental Engineer David Jellie

Within the narrative of An Accidental Engineer there is a revealing truth about a kid from the bush who never had a life plan but always seemed to enjoy the journey. A story familiar to many.

David Jellie was lucky in the timing of his engineering career. Following the Second World War, Australia was throwing off the shackles of austerity with the rapid expansion and upgrading of the road network. In the second half of his career, he worked on international projects in Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and the Middle East. He witnessed the start of the rise of China, the aftermath of partition of Pakistan and India, and the aspirations of the people of the world for security, shelter, food and love - regardless of their ethnicity.

His love of drawing as a boy led to a passion for landscape painting in later life. He describes this journey with intimacy and self-deprecating humour.

This book, by the author's own admission, is a memoir of a nobody - but nonetheless, a great story about growing up in rural Australia in the 1940s. Eloquently written and moving, it reaches out to the reader and draws them into the stories being told.