Duncan’s working career began as a Professional Land Surveyor in the City of
Cape Town Land Survey Branch for 7 years. He then ventured into private practice
with Ken Hodge for a 5 year stay before breaking away to start his own practice.
The company has since grown from strength to strength.
Duncan’s charismatic leadership and management style has been one of the reasons
for his company’s success. “I train my employees by showing them how to perform
their tasks and not by telling them how it is done. And there is a big
difference,” he says with a chuckle.
According to Duncan, the company has always been committed to delivering service
of exceptional quality. “99% of my business comes from word of mouth and client
referrals. As a team we ensure that we deliver work of the highest quality,
otherwise we might as well close shop,” he says.
When asked how land surveying has changed over the years, Duncan responds: “The
principles have remained largely the same. I am still using the same techniques
and processes today that I used when I first started. I used a total station
back then, and today we still use the electronic total station, but with many
technological advances built in.”
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“The equipment is of course a lot more user-friendly and has become more
advanced, but the principle of providing accurate information to the centimetre
is still the same. GPS advances have also been remarkable, but the equipment is
very expensive and doesn’t work in all areas, although this is improving.”
“I’ve had many surveyors come to work for me and, for example, have measured a
rectangular building with a GPS. When they plot the co-ordinates in AllyCAD, the
final representation comes out distorted. This is where experience counts, as I
can immediately see where the errors are and can show the student how to avoid
them.”
Duncan is a devoted CAD user and has high praise for AllyCAD. “My office is a
proud supporter of AllyCAD software. In fact, AllyCAD and Civil Designer are
premium products and beat the competition by a mile. It is quick and easy to
use, and I especially enjoy the use of photographic bitmaps as backdrops to my
drawings.”
One of the biggest project accomplishments at Duncan Bates Land Surveyors is
when the firm obtained planning permission for the establishment of 1160 unit
private golf estate in the Stellenbosch Administrative District. “This was
achieved by co-ordinating a professional team comprising of environmental
consultants, civil engineers and a project manager.”
“This was also the first project where no objections were received from the
public because we involved them from the very beginning during the planning
phase. The extensive golf estate made provision for an 18 hole golf course, a
hotel, retail outlets and sporting facilities, and was an exciting project to
work on. It is currently being implemented, and will take the next 3 to 5 years
to be completed,” he explains.
According to Duncan, the next few years at Duncan Bates Land Surveyors will be
equally exciting. Bruce McKenzie is a Professional Land Surveyor-in-Training and
is currently undertaking his articles with the firm, and Elzette Henshilwood
heads up the Town Planning section of the practice. The company has also
embarked on a support programme to mentor a top female university student from a
previously disadvantaged background. With the addition of Farzaana Fisher, the
staff at Duncan Bates Land Surveyors has now grown to a team of six, with the
company offering a variety of services in both land and property development
ventures.
“I’ve worked hard my whole life and I am now in a position to impart my
knowledge and experience to others. There is no greater profession than being a
Land Surveyor and developing quality people in the profession gives me great
joy. I have a dedicated and committed team, and the company's achievements are
clear evidence of this,” he says proudly.
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