Profile as at November 2013

 

Name/ Nickname: Trevor Collins
 
Age: 49

Family? (Marital status?): Married 2 daughters

Current job/Role?
Managing Director of Trevor Collins Drafting & Survey Pty Ltd

What’s the best advice your Parents ever gave to you?
Be honest in what you do

What’s your personal motto?
Personal Service

What makes you happy?
Enjoying the moment & when forward planning pays off

What makes you angry?
Stupid people especially when they do not know it


Career History

Career to date 

• 1982-1988 Trainee then ticketed BHP Collieries
• 1989-1995 Surveyor at United Collieries
• 1995-2000 Surveyor at Wallarah Colliery
• 2000-2004 Set up TCDS, working as mIne surveyor on various projects
• 2004-2005 Mine Surveyor working for Centennial
• 2006-2013 Back working for TCDS

Career Influences
As with most people, influenced by the bosses from the early part of career - Dennis Baker, Robin Knight, Stu Mac Naugthon, Ken Halverson, in his own way.

Career highlight (biggest achievement)?
Survey wise, back holing a shaft at then Nardell, after being forced to use some ordinary equipment, down drift & then working s etc.

Lately being able keep a company running for this long

Career shocker?
Sending a dozer clearing a path thru the dunes at Redhead Sand Mine, very early in career. Ended up being the wrong way, thank goodness for no greenies

Career goals?
Keeping my company running thru this current downturn

 

Survey Work / People

What is the best piece of survey equipment/technology/software that you have used & why?

AutoCAD Suite of products, let me do my job

What is the oldest piece of survey equipment that you have used?

Hilger & Watts inverted theodolite

Who's the strangest/funniest/unorthodox survey character that you've met so far (and why) ?

Jack Blackadder, the nicest person you could met, verses his first appearance

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 …???)

Getting enough work in current environment

If you were the boss for a day - list 3 things you would change?

I am my boss, so nothing

APART from $$, what factor attracts you to work in the mining industry as opposed to other survey disciplines?
Variety of work & different challenges

Would you recommend a career in surveying to a grade 12 school kid?  If not, what career would you recommend?
Good at Maths, spatially aware, yes I would

 

Sports/Hobbies

How do you relax?
Various exercise, reading, pottering around, quality time with friends

What sports do you play/ watch.
Any sport that is played with passion

What are your other hobbies outside work?
Surfing, bike riding, gardening

Where would be your ideal retirement location?
Couple of months on a good snow field, rest just around home base

Favourite food/drink?
Italian, beer, good red wine

Favourite movie?
Lord of the rings trilogy

Finally, if you were down to your last $10 what would you spend it on?
Train ticket out of where you were, cause it isn’t a good spot