During that 100 year period PHL Surveyors have worked extensively in the development of the surrounding irrigation farms into the most modern farming layouts in Australia, and enabled the urban expansion through multiple large and small subdivisions and many other significant developments.

Gary Polkinghorne, John Harrison and Alan Longhurst head the business of 20 staff across two offices in Griffith and Bungendore. They feel the 100 year achievement is something of which all the current and former Directors and staff should be proud.

"We have a fantastic team and the business has continued to be successful because we all enjoy working together to provide our clients with a great service. Certainly there's been ups and downs but it feels pretty special," Mr Harrison who has been a director of the company for 20 years said.

Harold Chauncy started the business in 1920 in the Rankins Springs area and since then there have been only nine directors, three of which are from the Polkinghorne family.

"My dad (Clive Polkinghorne) and brother Brett were also partners. Brett and I started working here in our school holidays when we were about 12 years old painting pegs in the back shed, so we have been part of the business for around 50 years ," Mr Polkinghorne said.

In the past 20 years PHL has been celebrated for its excellence and significant contribution to infrastructure projects in the region.

"We've picked up major awards in the industry for the quality of our projects and our business, so that's always been pretty satisfying," Mr Polkinghorne said.

The company has seen Griffith grow, stall and then boom with devastating droughts and enormous advancements in technology proving constant challenges they feel proud to have weathered and adapted to.

"The biggest change in surveying in the last 20 years has been the availability and affordability of GPS instruments. We have seen survey instrument technology progress from 'a chain and compass', through to 'theodolites and levels', and now to the continual emergence of more and more accurate GPS technology," Mr Harrison explained.

"It is now possible for one surveyor with GPS equipment to do the same irrigation survey work in one day that took six men using conventional survey equipment.

Showing no signs of slowing down with Griffith continuing to expand, PHL are just looking forward to getting on with the job.

"Our clients are our biggest focus and we want to continue to do everything we can for them. We have lots of young enthusiastic members in our team and they will be the ones that will start us heading towards the next 100 years," Mr Polkinghorne said.

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