Rick Drew

Chartered Building Surveyor

Rick has the expertise that allows Burnett Country Certifiers to issue building approvals on buildings and structures of any type or size and in any location. He started the practice in 2005 and has now been in the building industry for over 40 years. In that time he has obtained an unprecedented amount of experience and knowledge in a wide variety of aspects of the industry. This has been highly advantageous in achieving the degree of success he has in the building certification profession. Commencing his career in Quantity Surveying, Rick has also been –

• a Director of a building company that still exists after 35 years;
• a partner in a building supplies and hardware;
• developer and proprietor of a brickworks;
• Operations Manager for a national building company; a building contractor and Director of a construction company specializing in structural steel fabrication and construction of transportable school buildings for the State Government and industrial buildings for the private sector;
• General Manager for a national home building company, which ultimately led to the ownership of a franchise;
• 4 1/2 years experience in local government as a building certifier.

The additional skills he gained in many of these positions includes extensive "hands on" experience that resulted in the capacity to undertake most trade work and interact well with on-site personnel, particularly in problem resolution.

In 2000, Rick decided to leave the main stream building industry to study law. Instead, he was convinced to study Building Surveying based on the premise that the years of building industry experience would be of untold value in this field. The interpretation and application of legislation is a major function of the profession. In relation to building certification, Rick's professional profile now includes the following -

• Building Certifier - accredited and licensed as a Level 1 Private Building Surveyor
• Master of Building Surveying
• Bachelor of Building Surveying (with Distinction)
• Advanced Diploma in Building Surveying
• Awarded CQ University Australia/Australian Institute of Building Surveying prize for highest Grade Point Average on the first attempt for graduating student for both degrees
• Senior Professional with the Royal Institute of Building Surveyors
• Member of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors

In addition to being a building certification practitioner, Rick was a member of the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Health as a casual lecturer in the area of the Built Environment at CQ University Australia from December 2006 to February 2011. The areas he lectured in were building legislation, performance based legislation and building infrastructure auditing. He found lecturing enjoyable and stimulating as a practicing building surveyor through the interaction with students, many of whom held restricted licenses and were studying toward their bachelor degree that would ultimately allow them to practice at the highest level. Other benefits included keeping up with the latest building legislation, codes and standards as well as the satisfaction of playing a part in the future development of the building surveying profession

Private building certification was introduced in 1998 to create competition in the regulation of building and construction work undertaken in Qld. Competition results in productivity and Rick takes pride in the high level of service Burnett Country Certifiers gives to its 1,000’s of satisfied clients through competitive prices and rapid turnaround times from receipt of application to issue of approval.

 

Joanne Dowling

Manager Development Assessment

Joanne is a highly regarded employee with an extensive knowledge in the field of development assessment. She commenced work with BCC in January 2016 and has gone from administrative assistant to Manager of Development Assessment. Understanding all of these provisions takes a highly skilled person capable of learning complex matters and undertaking quite extensive research. With all of her knowledge, our clients find her of great assistance in answering the myriad of questions they may have in relation to their building approval. Jo has been able to understand a number of building elements and systems that need to be considered and the consequences of not making sure the development complies with the assessment provisions of the Building Act 1975. Joanne is also responsible for the supervision of all administration staff in the office. In conclusion, Jo has played a major role in the success of our business and it is realistic to say that there are very few obstacles to her extending her capabilities to the maximum in building surveying if she chooses to.