John Overall

• Name — Sir John Overall • Office — Commissioner of the National Capital Development Commission • Term Start — 1958 • Term End — 1972 • Successor — William Andrews • Born — 15 July 1913 • Birthplace — Sydney, New South Wales • Died — 2 September 2001 • Place of death — Canberra, Australian Capital Territory • Education — Sydney Technical College • Occupation — Architect • Awards — Knight Bachelor Commander of the Order of the British Empire Royal Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal • Allegiance — Australia • Branch — Second Australian Imperial Force • Service Years — 1940–1945 • Rank — Lieutenant Colonel • Commands — 1st Parachute Battalion • Battles — * Second World War • Western Desert campaign • First Battle of El Alamein • Mawards — Military Cross & Bar

Overall was born in Sydney, New South Wales, on 15 July 1913. He had humble beginnings and grew up with his sisters in a Masonic home in Sydney. He studied architecture at the Sydney Technical College in the 1920s.

Overall served as an officer in the Second Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War, where he was awarded the Military Cross for "great courage, devotion and initiative" in 1941 for his service during the early Western Desert campaign in North Africa. Overall was awarded a Bar to the decoration for his "outstanding leadership and disregard for danger" on 1 September 1942 during the First Battle of El Alamein. After serving with the 9th Divisional Engineers, in September 1943 he took over command of Australia's first parachute infantry battalion, the 1st Parachute Battalion, and was in command of that unit when they deployed to Singapore at the end of the war.

When he returned to Australia following the war, Overall worked as an architect and in 1952 was made the Chief Government Architect in the Commonwealth Department of Works. In 1957 he was appointed Commissioner of the newly established National Capital Development Commission (NCDC). In this role Overall made a significant contribution to the development of Canberra up until 1972 and in this regard is known as the "father of Canberra" for implementing Walter Burley Griffin's vision for the city as the founding Commissioner of the NCDC, a position he held for 25 years. Overall was also an advisor to various State Governments and fought vigorously for the protection of the Rocks area in Sydney which was marked for redevelopment. Overall returned to private practice in 1972, where he served on the boards of Lend Lease and CSR Limited. Overall lobbied successive governments for the building of a new parliament house, and in 1977 was asked by Malcolm Fraser, Prime Minister of Australia, to be chairman of the selection committee that chose the winning design for the new building. Overall also became a member of the construction committee of the new Parliament House and he fought vigorously for the integrity of the original design to be maintained when synthetic grass was suggested as a cost-cutting measure by the government of the day for the roof of Parliament House. Today Parliament House has a grass lawn roof as a result of Overall's passion for the integrity of the design to be implemented. He threatened to resign over the issue and lobbied Paul Keating, then Federal Treasurer to approve the additional funds to complete the building.

Overall's wife Margaret died in 1988; he dedicated Canberra Yesterday and Today to her as 'my inspiration and our family's inspiration.' The couple had four sons and, at Overall's death in 2001, eleven grandchildren.