Key Contacts

Profile as at October 2021

Name:  Dan Ward

Age: 34

Family? No kids yet

Current job/Role?
Director of DWARD Mining - www.dwardmining.com.au

What’s your personal motto?
Never accept the status quo.

CAREER HISTORY

Career to date?
Started in UG coal Queensland, then moved to WA where I held Senior and Chief Mine Surveyor roles at various sites. From there became the Mining and UAV Manager for Land Surveyors and more recently Global Director of Technical Engagement with Airobotics. I now run my own Contracting/Consultancy DWARD Mining and part lecturing at TAFE.

Career Influences?
Pretty much everyone I have worked with over the years has influenced in some way or another.

Career highlight (biggest achievement)?
Mentoring and training the next generation.

Career shocker?
In my first year in UG coal, made a mistake on my calcs when turning angles, didn’t check my work on the surface and ended up taking about 90m on the wrong bearing.

Career goals?
Full time farmer, part time mining.

SURVEY WORK/PEOPLE

What is the best piece of survey equipment/technology/software that you have used & why?
This changes every year.

What is the oldest piece of survey equipment that you have used?
Steel band and compass.

Who's the strangest/funniest/unorthodox survey character that you've met so far (and why) ?
Chris Hayes, my first Senior wouldn’t take any crap from anyone learnt a lot about how to get people out of the way.

What's the most contentious survey issue in your workplace at the moment?
With such a shortage of surveyors, there isn't time or resources to innovate.

If you were the boss for a day - what would you change?
Would offer a lot more shares and options to all staff, companies success is shared.

APART from $$, what factor attracts you to work in the mining industry as opposed to other survey disciplines?
Comradery and the ability to invest in the latest technology.

Would you recommend a career in surveying to a grade 12 school kid? If not, what career would you recommend?
Potentially, a number of things need to change to future proof the Mine Surveying profession.

SPORTS/HOBBIES

Farming, horticulture, camping.

How do you relax?
Working on the farm.

Where would be your ideal retirement location?
Too far away to think about that.