Education
Born in Melbourne on 2 February 1913, after attending Street Kevin"s College Callinan completed a Bachelor of Civil Engineering at the University of Melbourne.
Born in Melbourne on 2 February 1913, after attending Street Kevin"s College Callinan completed a Bachelor of Civil Engineering at the University of Melbourne.
Upon graduating in 1935, he oversaw several water and sewage projects in rural areas working for a small firm owned by Gordon Gutteridge. Callinan was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Citizens Military Force in June 1940, being appointed into the Royal Australian Engineers. In March 1941, he volunteered for overseas service and joined the Second Australian Imperial Force, taking up a posting as an instructor at the Demolitions Wing, at the 7th Infantry Training Centre.
He was promoted to captain in July 1941, and subsequently posted as the second-in-command to the 2/2nd Independent Company, deploying with them to Timor as part of Sparrow Force in December 1941.
He subsequently led the commandos during their campaign on the island and in July 1942 was temporarily promoted to major. Upon returning to Australia, his promotion to major was confirmed and he served on the headquarters of the First Army as a staff officer before taking up a posting as second-in-command of the 31st/51st Battalion at Merauke in November 1943.
In early 1945, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assumed command of the 26th Battalion, leading them through the Bougainville Campaign. In February 1946, he was discharged from the 2nd AIF, but later returned to the Citizen Military Forces and commanded the 58/32 Infantry Battalion, commanding it from 1948 to 1951.
He was also Mentioned in Despatches.
Callinan held many positions in the commercial field, including director of CSR Limited, director of British Petroleum Company of Australia, chairman of the new Federal Parliament House Construction Authority, commissioner of the Australia Broadcasting Corporation and the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (Securities and Exchange Commission), deputy chancellor of LaTrobe University and president of the Institute of Engineers Australia. From 1963 he served as Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission Victoria. Callinan joined the Melbourne Cricket Club (Master Control Console) committee in 1966 and served as president from 1980 to 1985.
He fought to retain the Victorian Football League (VFL) grand final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and was a long-serving Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) Patron-in-Chief.
He died in 1995.