CONNECT WITH CHRIS
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au.linkedin.com/in/csnixon/ |
PROFILE
As at: October 2016
Name/ Nickname: Chris Nixon
Age: 36
Family? (Marital status?)
Married with 3 beautiful girls
Current job/Role ?
NSW Survey Manager at FYFE
What’s the best advice your parents ever gave to you?
Tell the truth
What’s your personal motto?
Buy the best and look after it
What makes you happy?
No stress
What makes you angry?
Doing a job twice – because the engineer made a mistake. Check your work!
Career History
Career to date?
Over fifteen years surveying experience, including twelve years of mining and quarrying and three years of civil, cadastral and hydrographic.
Career influences?
Len Solomon – the first mine surveyor I worked with. A great role model and gentleman.
Career highlight (biggest achievement)?
Becoming an Unrestricted Mine Surveyor in NSW
Career shocker?
Having a digger on a dump after pegging the wrong line – learnt from that mistake!
Career goals?
To be respected by my peers as a competent and reliable surveyor.
Survey Work / People
What is the best piece of survey equipmenttechnology/software that you have used & why?
Maptek I-Site Studio software. So powerful, intuitive and fun to use.
What is the oldest piece of survey equipment that you have used?
A steel band – at uni.
What's the most contentious survey issue in your workplace at the moment?(eg. Hours of work, $$, career path, poor planning/scheduling, technology/equipment improvements, field experience, housing, training …???)
Lack of training due to the “economic climate”.
If you were the boss for a day - list 3 things you would change?
Implement better machine guidance on all equipment on site
Restructure the organisation
BBQ lunch to lift moral
APART from $$, what factor attracts you to work in the mining industry as opposed to other survey disciplines?
Being able to stay up with the latest surveying technology
Would you recommend a career in surveying to a grade 12 school kid? If not, what career would you recommend?
Definitely. Surveying has allowed me to travel the world on numerous occasions, keep up with the latest technology and meet some great characters along the way. It has a great mix of outdoors / indoors work.
Sports/Hobbies
How do you relax?
Playing with the kids
What sports do you play/ watch?
Tennis at the moment
What are your other hobbies outside work?
Restoring an old car
Where would be your ideal retirement location?
Sunshine Coast looks good
Favourite food/drink?
Anything seafood
Favourite movie?
The Bourne trilogy
Finally, if you were down to your last $10 what would you spend it on?
I think Chris Moy got it right: “Ice creams for the wife and kids.”