The Institution of Surveyors Victoria (ISV), is the peak body for the surveying profession in Victoria. ISV was originally known as the Victorian Institute of Surveyors (VIS), and was established in 1874. ISV is the oldest professional surveying body in both Victoria and Australia.
Role ISV promotes best practice, professional growth and continuing professional development (CPD) for land surveyors and especially for land (cadastral) surveyors. ISV also pursues strong connections with government, business, academe and the community. The key functions undertaken include:
the conduct of congresses and seminars, which is especially important to enable Licensed Surveyors to fulfil mandatory CPD requirements, known as Further Professional Education or Training (FPET) under Section 7 of the Surveying Act 2004 for the Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria (SRBV)- SRBV does not provide FPET activities and is dependent on ISV and other bodies professional publishing including the institution's journal "Traverse" partnering with universities that teach surveying helping to formulate educational standards for cadastral surveyors conveying the opinions and expert advice of the surveying profession to government representation on SRBV engaging with other professional and industry bodies.
Organization ISV's board of directors is chaired by the elected president and its office is in Melbourne. From its first meeting on 7 April 1874, ISV members included surveyors from across all regions of the state. ISV now has four regional groups: the Gippsland Group, the Glenelg Grampians Group, the Murray Group and the North Central Victoria Group.
History Victoria was under the then colony of New South Wales until it became a separate colony in July 1851, and it gained self-governance from Britain in 1855. Upon the Federation of Australia, Victoria became an Australian state. Throughout, Victoria's surveyors have contributed to the state's development.
Establishment and incorporation VIS which was established in 1874, was originally incorporated in 1895. In 1952, ISV merged with other Australian state surveying institutions to form the Institution of Surveyors Australia. However, it retained its separate incorporation, whilst becoming a state division of ISA. In 2007, ISV foresaw the closure of ISA and re-commenced as an institution in its own right. ISA closed as of 1 July 2009. Robert Lewis John Ellery was the first serving President of VIS, serving for the period 1874–77. Ellery was elected Fellow of VIS in 1877, the first to be awarded the honour.
1874: VIS inaugural meeting VIS held its first "Ordinary Meeting" at Weber's Hotel (also known as Hockin's Hotel and Assembly Rooms), on the north west corner of Elizabeth and Lonsdale Streets, Melbourne on Saturday 9 May 1874 commencing at 12.30pm. The meeting was chaired by Stuart Murray MA CE, Secretary, and the minutes list the others present as Lt.Col.(then Major) Thomas Couchman CE, Vice-President; Thomas Bingham Muntz (Surveyor and Shire Engineer at Metcalf near Castlemaine); William Davidson ISO CE. (Government Surveyor); and Henry Archdall (Licensed Surveyor and Mining Surveyor). The meeting noted a letter to the Surveyor-General Alexander John Skene MA JP dated 7 April 1874 informing him of his election to the office of President of the Institute. The meeting also noted a response letter from the Acting Secretary to A.J.Skene dated 28 April 1874 declining the office of President, as he was obliged by pressure of public business to vacate his position. As the inaugural meeting minutes make no mention of electing Major Robert Lewis John Ellery CMG RRAS FRAS to President, it is understood that only after the meeting was Ellery elected President and accepted the role. The meeting addressed various correspondence, reviewed the members’ list, and admitted thirty-eight surveyors as Members of VIS. Of particular note, these included Skene (Surveyor-General) and Ellery (Government Astronomer) and future Surveyors-General Alexander Black, Michael Callanan, and Samuel Kingston Vickery. In addition to these thirty-eight admitted as members, Secretary Stuart Murray, in conjunction with the Vice President Thomas Couchman, Thomas Muntz and John Lardner (admitted member) were tasked with making enquiries as to the qualifications of nine other surveyors seeking membership. Founding members listed: Robert Maxwell, Thomas H. Bell, Peter Simpson, (William) Sherwood Vernon, James (Rolland) Maxwell, Robert (Henry) Nankivell Jr, John (Grimes) Peers, Thomas E. McNulty, John McNulty, Edmond Colbert, Reginald (Augustus Frederick) Murray, Clarence Smith, Mark Amos, Henry Davidson, William (Lupton) Hargreave, Stuart Murray, Walter Cherry, Henry Archdall, Thomas (Bingham) Muntz, August J.M. Tuxen, Thomas Couchman, William Davidson, John Lardner, Samuel (Kingston) Vickery, William (Gregson) Couchman, Thomas Thomson, Joseph (Lowe) Shaw, Joseph Smith, Thomas H. Turner, Alexander (John) Skene, Robert (Lewis John) Ellery, Michael Callanan, William Thornhill, William (Knowles) Andrews, Alexander Black, Frederick (Joy) Pirani, William (Henry) Angove, John (Samuel) Langtree. The Institute met at the Royal Society of Victoria, until March 1880, when rendezvous were changed to the Melbourne Exchange (erected behind the old Hall of Commerce, Collins Street West) which was considered a more central and convenient meeting place.
1892: First Intercolonial Conference of Surveyors On 31 October 1892, at Customs House in Melbourne, representatives of the respective Surveyors Examination Boards of the Australian Colonies and New Zealand convened the first Intercolonial Conference of Surveyors where it was proposed and agreed to introduce reciprocity for registration of surveyors. It was Robert Ellery, Chair of the Victorian Board of Examiners for Land Surveyors who introduced the proposal. Ellery was also elected President of the intercolonial Conference of Surveyors. At the time of this conference, Australia was entering a depression and the Surveyor-General position had remained unfilled since Surveyor-General Charles Whybrow Ligar had retired in May 1892. Ellery was also the Government Astronomer. He had worked under Surveyors-General Ligar, Alexander John Skene and Alexander Black. Reciprocity has largely continued since that agreement.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
