Photograph - Royal Australian Survey Corps Surveyors in the Field – North Queensland, 1958

Historical information

This is a set of seven photographs of surveyors and support staff in the field undertaking duties in North Queensland in 1958. The surveyors were employed in the establishment of mapping and geodetic control. In this era surveyors used theodolites to observe horizontal and vertical angles and chains to measure base line distances between survey stations. Bob Skitch shown in photos .4P to .6P was in the 2nd year of his career in the Australian Army. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and his last appointment was the CO of the Army Survey Regiment from 1976 to 1980. The annotation on the back of photo .5P ‘Black foreground is where Bob Skitch boiled billy and started a grass fire’.

Physical description

This is a set of seven photographs of surveyors and support staff in the field undertaking duties in North Queensland in 1958. The photographs were printed on photographic paper and are part of the Army Survey Regiment’s Collection. The photographs were scanned at 300 dpi.
.1) - Photo, colour, 1958. Surveyor in Nth QLD enjoying a bath. L to R: Don Cocker, Bob Thompson.
.2) - Photo, colour, 1958. Don Cocker surveyor in Nth QLD, enjoying a bath.
.3) - Photo, colour, 1958. Surveyors Nth QLD undertaking survey observations, using MRA1 tellurometer to measure base-line distances. L to R: Len Davies, Lou Sommer, John Van De Graff. MRA1 was covered to stop overheating.
.4) - Photo, colour, 1958. Surveyors south of Richmond, QLD digging holes for the erection of a Bilby observation tower. L to R: John Van De Graff, Bob Skitch, Kev Moody, Mal Hayes, Don Gray
.5) - Photo, colour, 1958. Surveyors south of Richmond, QLD erecting a Bilby observation tower. L to R: Tom Royle, Bob Skitch (on ground level), Mal Hayes.
.6) - Photo, colour, 1958. Surveyors south of Richmond, QLD erecting a Bilby observation tower. L to R: Tom Royle, Bob Skitch, Mal Hayes, Jim McGill (on ground level).
.7) - Photo, colour, 1958. Surveyors south of Richmond, QLD undertaking survey measurements from a Bilby observation tower.

Inscriptions & markings

.1P to .7P annotated on back – personnel names, the year and the location. Annotated on back of .5P ‘Black foreground is where Bob Skitch boiled billy and started a grass fire’.

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