Updated as at March 2016

Name/ Nickname: Daniel Cherry….Big Dan
Age: 46
Family? (Marital status?) Partner Lisa with 3 great kids, Noah, Dakota & Zach
Current job/Role? Group Mine Surveyor – Open Cut at Whitehaven Coal

What’s the best advice your Parents ever gave to you?
Be happy, enjoy life.

What’s your claim to fame? (most famous person you’ve met /most famous thing you’ve done?)
Marie Bashir (Former Governor of NSW) – Excellence in Surveying Awards

What’s your personal motto? Happy family, happy life

What makes you happy? Family

What makes you angry? People who just don’t want to give it a go

Describe your ideal woman and what makes a woman beautiful?
Have to say my partner Lisa, she keeps me on track

What's the most romantic thing you've done? Lisa’s ring with one diamond for all of us

CAREER HISTORY

Career to date?
2014 – 2016 McNaughton Mining Services – Contract Surveyor to BMA Broadmeadow Mine
2009 – 2014 Nominated Mine Surveyor / LTP Engineers at Vale’s Integra Coal OC

Career Influences? Ross Burden & Chris Moy

Career highlight (biggest achievement)? Starting North Wambo UG including backholing the conveyor drift portal with a T1 and chain.

Career shocker? Surveyors don’t make mistakes, just an issue with positional uncertainty

Career goals? Retire happy, healthy and with a loving family

SURVEY WORK/PEOPLE

What is the best piece of survey equipment/technology/software that you have used & why?
Leica TS15 & Compnet – Built a full compliant network at Broadmeadow with great results

What is the oldest piece of survey equipment that you have used? Leica T1

Who's the strangest/funniest/unorthodox survey character that you've met so far (and why) ?
Keith Drower – Gave me my start in Mine Surveying but the Bikey Boyfriend was one hell of a story that just never ended.

What's the most contentious survey issue in your workplace at the moment?
Starting the building process, hopefully never have one

If you were the boss for a day - list 3 things you would change?
GPS on all the dozers & drills & less hours.

APART from $$, what factor attracts you to work in the mining industry as opposed to other survey disciplines?
The history of mining and the chance to help young surveyors get Registered like me.

Would you recommend a career in surveying to a grade 12 school kid? If not, what career would you recommend?
Yes, if you enjoy an outdoor job that makes you think

SPORTS/HOBBIES

How do you relax? Just being with the kids

What sports do you play/ watch? Soccer / Touch Football

What are your other hobbies outside work? Will watch nearly any kind of sport.

Where would be your ideal retirement location? A winery in the Hunter Valley

Favourite food/drink? Anything and heaps of it.

Favourite movie? The Blind Side

Finally, if you were down to your last $10 what would you spend it on?
Ice creams for Lisa and the kids.