3 minute read
Meet the Team
PRODUCTIVE
Meet the Team
Will Carney Ganger
Meet Will! Will is a Ganger on our asset maintenance team meaning that he spends a lot of time out on the roads in Hornsby Shire, tending to repairs to road surfaces and pathways. He described his role and some of this year’s challenges for his team following the heavy rains. Q: What does a typical day look like for you? A: I am in charge of a team of people. On a typical day we fix potholes and excavate and form up for kerb, gutter and footways. We do this all across the Shire, a lot of our work is fixing up footpaths damaged by tree roots. Recently, following the severe weather we’ve been very busy doing potholes – we haven’t stopped! We’ve done hundreds of potholes since January. Q: How does your role impact the community? A: During this wet weather, we try to make it safe for people to drive their cars and not damage their vehicles. Just today, I’ve also repaired a footpath that was lifted by a tree root which was causing a trip hazard. People often come out and talk to us and offer us cups of coffee — especially when we need to work in the rain. People are mostly nice to us but either way that’s all part of the job. I love my job! Q: Why do you choose to work for Hornsby Shire Council? A: Hornsby Shire Council is a very good place to work. It's a nice part of the role that we get to go out to the rural areas as well as around the suburbs.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job? A: Making the streets safe again for the community and knowing you have done a good job. It feels good when you’ve succeeded — especially with the tough jobs! During the floods we were working on blocked pits and drains. It was a great feeling to get those cleared!
Meet the Team
Michael Lawton Senior Land Surveyor, Asset Operations and Maintenance
Meet Michael! He has been at Hornsby Shire Council for 35 years, and for the last twenty has been the Senior Land Surveyor. Michael’s role takes him to every corner of the Shire on a regular basis as his team surveys for new projects and uses various imaging techniques to support planning, engineering, natural resources projects and more. Q: What does a typical day look like for you? A: Any kind of development or construction job that Council does starts with a survey plan – so we might do a detailed survey or contour survey. Q: How does your role impact the community? A: We are involved in the purchase and disposal of land. We open and close roads. We can do
subdivisions, we can do draining easements, we can do engineering surveys. A couple of years ago we purchased a drone (UAV) which we have implemented and are finding more and more applications for it. In the Quarry, we did a volumetric check survey on the amount of fill that went into it. If a tree needs to be removed, we can use the thermal camera in the drone to check to see if a mammal is inside a hole in the tree before it is removed. We use it for compliance jobs, and we’ve created our own street view of the river front settlement.
Q: Why do you choose to work for Hornsby Shire Council? A: When I left school, I worked in a bank for three years and decided it wasn’t for me, I wanted to work in the nature. I grew up here in Hornsby and I’ve always had an affinity with Hornsby Shire. Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job? A: I was lucky enough to find a job here and love it. It’s a big geographical LGA with a lot of bushland and waterways, you can’t ask for anything more.
