Thoughts

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  Doug Tarrant May 17, 2019 at 3:46pm

  G'day Billy

  Well, I'm about to give it all away! I'm going to ceremoniously cut the string off my plumb bob in a couple of months. Remember them? I get scoffed at all the time for carrying one in the fieldbag. The babes just out of nappies don't realise how useful a tool it is! Little do they know, almost on top of the list is that I carry it as a symbol of my status on site. You're right, the surveyor is the most important (and least paid) on site. I explain to to the youngies we are God on site but absolutely under no circumstances are you to 'act' as if you are. Some don't get it and suffer the consequences which is always good entertainment.

  Coincidently my latest job has been a large data transfer facility near the Melbourne International Airport. We've been working on it now for at least the last twelve months. It is situated in exactlty the same spot I started surveying as a 14 year old in 1968. Yep! Over fifty years ago. I have no idea what we were doing apart from bashing through scrub and banging pegs in the ground. I suppose it was a re-estab survey. On that day in '68 I collected a small cast iron trinket which I carried around all day, along with the 14lb sledge and It is still displayed in the shed. See attached.

  It has been interesting to say the least. I've measured a lot of things but never a road! The last few years have been with an aerial survey company so there's been lots of trips to far away corners of Australia to establish photo control points. These jobs have been balanced against trudging over landfills and quarries doing volume surveys. You've got to take the good with the bad.

  So now it's onto something completely different. The blacksmith shop will get finished as will the woodwork shop and the garden, and the fish won't know what hit'em.

  Enjoyed the chat, happy days

  Cheers

  Doug

   
• 

  Billy Brooks May 17, 2019 at 2:57am

   Hi,doug,

  I work with a old Civil Eng. from Australia around  20 +/- years ago.He was ablast to work around.

  He came over here with the construction company and his son was living here so that worked out for him.

  The first construction meeting we had he told everyone the surveyor was the most important

  persons or man on the job. I cannot rember his last name,but his first name was Berry. I still have his card somewhere. He told me he had also worked in New  Zealand.

  He was also the Supt. for the site and kept everyone straight. Me and him talk about old jobs we had done just about everyday. That's how I knew what you ment when you said jigger.

  He gave me a sheet of australian survey slang. I still have it somewhere in one of my books.

  Thank you for being a friend,

  billy