McMullen Nolan Group recently played host to 12 Bhutanese and Nepalese government surveying and spatial professionals as part of Landgate’s involvement with an AusAid sponsored land administration training program.
Ten of the group were from Nepal’s Ministry of Land Reform and Management (MoLRM) and two from Bhutan’s National Land Commission Secretariat (NLCS).
Through its strong relationship with Landgate, McMullen Nolan Group assisted by providing the Himalayan region based surveyors with a day in the operations of a privately owned Western Australian survey company.
Bhutan and Nepal have recently begun surveying the land parcels of each country and aim to soon create a cadastral system for use in their rapidly evolving countries. The Bhutanese and Nepalese governments are both looking to modernise the systems used to administer land resources in their countries in an effort to alleviate poverty.
McMullen Nolan Group Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director Scott Anderson welcomed the international visitors to the company’s headquarters in Jandakot and gave them a brief overview of the surveying and spatial information services MNG provides to the Land Development and Resources & Infrastructure sectors in Western Australia and beyond.
This formed the foundation for the rest of the day’s sessions with various specialist staff within MNG who shared their knowledge of Western Australian land development processes with the visitors, with a view to suggesting methods they could potentially adopt, adjust accordingly and implement in their professional lives back in their homelands, including tours and information on MNG’s computer drafting sections, laser scanning division, quality assurance processes, OH&S, and an on-site demonstration of the processes behind taking a greenfields land parcel and turning it into a residential subdivision.
Being based in one of the most mountainous regions in the world, understandably the Nepalese delegation sited difficult terrain as one of the biggest challenges they faced in their surveying operations in their homeland. Coupling this with a shortage of modern surveying equipment, resources and skilled manpower also makes for a challenging environment.
Chief Survey Officer at the Kaski Survey Office in Pokhara, Nepal Ramesh Gyawali said he would return home with some fresh ideas of how to approach his survey work and how to lessen his day to day operational challenges following his visit to McMullen Nolan Group’s headquarters.
“We will implement skills and knowledge gained from the McMullen Nolan Group in the field of surveying and mapping. Land development process that we learnt from the McMullen Nolan Group will definitely help us to improve the land development process in our country,” he said.
“We are now in the phase of transition from conventional methods to the modern methods and technologies. We are using traditional techniques and equipment in the field of surveying and mapping.
“(We had) a very good time with the McMullen Nolan Group staff. They were very cooperative with the delegates. We would like to thank them for providing the opportunity to learn about the McMullen Nolan Group’s experience in the field of surveying and mapping,” he said.
Landgate has delivered 13 AusAID sponsored fellowship programs in the last five years, including two others this year, with delegates from the governments of the Philippines and Vietnam. 2012 is the first time Landgate has hosted fellows from the governments of Nepal and Bhutan.
Landgate Training Coordinator Francoise Becu-Reynolds said the program gave participants an overview of the workings of Landgate, a world-class land information agency.
"The program included technical workshops and mentored professional work placement," she said.
"The fellows also participated in professional development courses, learning the skills required to transfer knowledge, and the leadership qualities to lead reform successfully.
“This was a great opportunity for them to gain firsthand experience of the systems, processes and legislation used to govern land administration in Western Australia.”
