Students help Defence tally assets

Pricing houses, offices and blocks of land are usually the bread and butter for most trainee valuers but not Karl Boron.

The University of Queensland business student has been valuing a number of different properties such as peanut and cane farms and a rifle range for his internship with the Australian Valuation Office.

Mr Boron and fellow UQ business management students, Claudine Reinecke and Ross Farwell (dual commerce degree), helped the AVO value Department of Defence property assets — the single biggest valuation in the country worth $10 billion.

Mr Boron, 21, from Wellington Point, was sent to Townsville to value a range of Defence properties while Ms Reinecke and Mr Farwell, both from Toowong, worked from Brisbane.

While in Townsville for two weeks, Mr Boron said he also valued military depots and grazing properties as well as the houses and flats.

He would travel days at a time to reach remote properties but said he enjoyed the variety of work.

“Under the pressure of job deadlines, temperamental local residents and unforgiving country drivers, I learnt to be efficient and discreet,” Mr Boron said.

“The drivers up there, particularly the cane farmers, don’t stop for anyone.

“If you’re trying to look at places off the side of the highway and you want to slow down they’ll just ram up the back of you.

“I also learnt safe four-wheel-driving skills as well as the need to stay focused for long periods under changing work loads.”

At one stop at a Millaa Millaa hotel, Mr Boron and his co-worker AVO Townsville manager Michael Becker were told they didn’t serve food in February.

“I don’t know why. We were wondering what happened in March.”

While in Townsville, he also did some asset testing for Centrelink.

The UQ trio will continue to work as part-time AVO valuers.

Media: Mr Boron (details removed by request) or Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (3365 2619)