Institution of Surveyors Victoria

The Institution of Surveyors Victoria (ISV), formerly known as the Victorian Institute of Surveyors (VIS), was established in 1874. ISV is the oldest professional surveying body in both Victoria and Australia operating continuously (directly, or through the Institution of Surveyors Australia) since its formation.

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.

ISV 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 CMG FRS FRAS was the inaugural President of VIS, serving for the period 1874–77. Ellery was a Fellow of VIS.

ISV celebrated its Centenary at the 17th Australian Survey Congress in Melbourne, 23 February -1 March 1974. The congress was held at Old Customs House, which now is the Immigration Museum, Melbourne. His Excellency, Major General Sir Rohan Delacombe KCMG KCVO KBE CB DSO, officially opened the congress on 25th February, 1974. Of significance, the congress keynote address, “A Surveyor Looks at the Environment – the Next 100 Years”, was delivered by Professor Desmond O'Connor, the Foundation Professor of Environmental Studies at Murdoch University. Professor O'Connor was originally a surveyor.

The International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) XX Congress, with the theme "Surveying global changes", was held in Melbourne, 5-12 March 1994.· The Congress, hosted by the former ISA, was largely under the organization of ISV and the Congress Director was Raymond Holmes. Holmes was an Honorary Fellow of ISV and also the twenty-second Surveyor-General of Victoria. ISV members undertook most of the key roles in conduct of the Congress to ensure its successful operation. The Congress was opened by the then Victorian Governor, His Excellency, Richard McGarvie AC QC. The Congress was recognized at that time as having the largest number of delegates, more than 1,000, and the first to achieve that number. Congress feedback overwhelming reported it as the best ever FIG Congress and the directorship of Holmes and the support of ISV has been acknowledged as critical to the success.

Institutional Name

ISV has had several different names throughout its continuing existence. It was first known as the Victorian Institute of Surveyors from 1874-1952. The institutional name was incorporated in 1895. On its merging with other state surveying institutions to form the Institution of Surveyors Australia (ISA) in 1952, VIS became part of ISA, it was then known as the Melbourne Division of Institution of Surveyors Australia, and that name continued for the period 1952-58. It was renamed as the Victorian Division of the Institution of Surveyors Australia in 1959 and it remained a division until ISA closed in 2009. However, around 2005, when the closure of ISA was inevitable, the division sought to re-establish itself as a separate body. The Institution of Surveyors Victoria became officially registered with its incorporation in 2007. ISV has also registered the name Surveyors Victoria in 2023.

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.

Role

ISV is the peak professional association for land (cadastral) surveyors in Victoria. The institution promotes best practice, professional growth and continuing professional development (CPD). 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 fulfill 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.

Membership

ISV members are primarily land surveyors, but other professional surveyors are also members including engineering, mining and geodetic surveyors and academics in the scientific fields associated with surveying. Many members are Licensed Surveyors, registered by SRBV to practice cadastral surveying in the state of Victoria. The Minister appoints two Licensed Surveyors to the SRBV who are nominated by the professional body representing the majority of Licensed Surveyors, as stipulated under section 47 of the Surveying Act 2004. ISV represents the significant majority of Licensed Surveyors in Victoria.

The highest level of membership of ISV is Fellow and Honorary Fellow. Eminent Victoria surveyors from government, academe and the private sector have been appointed to these grades. Many past holders of the position of Surveyor General of Victoria achieved Fellow or Honorary Fellow status due to their respective contributions to ISV (VIS) and the surveying profession.

Crest

File:ISV Crest.jpg

The Crest of the Institution of Surveyors Victoria

The crest was originally registered by The Institution of Surveyors NSW Inc in 1924, and was adopted by ISV in 1952. The crest bears a motto in Greek, which ISV reports to mean “Let no one without skill in geometry enter”.

Original crest of the Victorian Institute of Surveyors

The original crest of the Victorian Institute of Surveyors was created in 1874 and used on formal documents, such as membership certificates. The Latin motto was adapted from a section of Lucretius’ poem De Rerum Natura (The Nature of Things) Volume IV, lines 514 to 516, and is generally understood as a warning that reasoning based on false senses is akin to a house made in a faulty fashion or built to false calculations.