Murray & Associates Celebrates 100 Years

Murray & Associates is the longest serving surveying and town planning consultancy in Queensland and has a very long and proud history. The company Murray & Associates (QLD) Pty Ltd was formed by the associates of Mr James Frederick Hawke Murray (known as JFH Murray) following his death in 1995. The company is directly descended by Mr James Nicholas Murray’s (known as JN Murray) survey practice which commenced operations in 1913 when JN Murray established a survey practice in Rockhampton. Mr Frederick Mark Murray (Mark Murray), a Director of the present company, is the third generation Murray to become a licensed surveyor and continue a line of direct involvement with this profession. In 2009, Jack Thomas Murray (son of Mark) joined the firm as a Surveyor representing an unprecedented fourth generation of the Murray family involved in the surveying business.
JN Murray commenced his surveying career in 1910 and was licensed in 1913. Prior to commencing practise he accepted a governmental appointment in New Guinea where he surveyed areas around the mouth of the Fly River, which coincidently, was not too far from the area where Mark Murray worked for two years whilst employed as a Senior Surveyor on the OK-Tedi project between 1981 and 1983. During World War 1 JN Murray landed at Gallipoli and being the only licensed surveyor there, carried out topographical and detail surveys and many of his original records are still held by the Murray family. These field notes detail the various tunnels, trench set outs, firing lines and topographical features of the peninsular. During this time JN Murray was wounded and hospitalised to Australia suffering from deafness and the effects of mustard gas which remained with him for the rest of his life. JN Murray’s practise was involved throughout Central Queensland carrying out surveys in Blackwater, Mt Morgan, Emerald, Clermont, Charters Towers and many other towns and rural properties in Central Queensland.
JN Murray’s son Mr Fred Murray commenced articles with his father in 1937 and both surveyors were employed surveying airports and carrying out many topographical surveys for military mapping purposes throughout North Queensland during the war years. Following World War II JFH Murray commenced practise on the Sunshine Coast in Nambour and a short time later the Central Queensland operations of JN Murray and the practises of JFH Murray merged giving the practises the opportunity to compete for larger projects. Over the next three decades JFH Murray’s practice became one of the largest surveying practises in Queensland – J. F. H. Murray & Associates. JFH Murray whilst still owner of the surveying practise became the Mayor of the Maroochy Shire Council and retired from that position after nine years of service and passed away some three years later.
The company Murray & Associates (QLD) Pty Ltd was formed following the death of JFH Murray and at that time five of the company surveyors had been employed continuously by J. F. H. Murray & Associates in excess of 35 years. Directors at the time, Mark Murray, John Campbell and the late Barry Andrews headed field parties which carried out the original lease work for Utah Development Company on their first coal mining lease at Blackwater and carried out much of the surveying for all the leases held by that company in the Central Queensland area as well as carrying out many engineering projects. The company has continued its involvement with the Central Queensland mining industry following the purchase of those mines by BHP Coal Pty Ltd
The Central Queensland office for Murray & Associates (QLD) Pty Ltd was originally established at Rubyvale in the late 1970’s and later moved to Emerald where the practice has been successfully operating for the last 30 years. This Central Queensland office is managed by Mark Murray who has been continually involved with the mining industry since commencing articles in 1963.

Craig Andrews (the son of the recently passed Barry Andrews), Andrew Campbell (the son of recently retired Director John Campbell), and Jack Murray (son of present Director Mark Murray) have all joined the company and continued the tradition and foundation created by their Fathers. Andrew and Craig are now Directors of the company. Present Director Ian Smith who commenced employment with the company in 1991 has also provided over 20 years of exemplary service for the Company.

Murray & Associates currently operates from six major offices throughout Southern, Central and Western Queensland. In 2003 the company introduced its first qualified Town Planner and now Director Blake Bell who has evolved the Town Planning section of the company with five dedicated and skilled Town Planners operating throughout Queensland. The company presently employs 60 full time employees and the long and proud tradition of the Company continues…