Frank Peacocke
Certified Practising Valuer (CPV)
What is your role at Herron Todd White?
I am a senior valuer at our Darwin office and also a Director. I undertake a wide range of valuation work from your typical residential dwelling in Darwin or Alice Springs, to million hectare cattle stations in areas like the Territory Gulf, Barkly Tablelands or remote Western Kimberley region. I also value large commercial/residential developments, industrial and aquaculture. Along with my co-Directors Terry Roth and Robin Gardiner, we oversee our team of nine valuers and three admin staff. I am also a mentor for one of our junior valuers in the Herron Todd White Emerging Leaders' Program..
When did you start with Herron Todd White?
My illustrious career with Herron Todd White began in 2002 when Robin Gardiner who opened the Darwin office two years prior, invited me up from Sydney. I've been living the green and yellow dream ever since.
Why did you want to be a Valuer?
Like many school leavers, I really had no idea what might have been involved in being a property valuer. But I knew I liked a good mix of office and outdoor work and I liked to travel. Property is everywhere and obviously takes on many different forms. If I was to value it, then I would get out and about and travel to see it - so that's the direction I took. I was also a country lad and had spent many years working on farming properties and sheep/cattle stations and I didn't want to lose this connection to the land. So I set my eye on the specialised area of rural valuation, with a focus (more from a personal interest point of view) on large scale rural cattle stations in the Top End/Kimberley. It's now a large component of what I do and I love it!
What attracted you to Herron Todd White?
During my university days, I was receiving the Herron Todd White Month in Review in the mail and was regularly using this excellent source of information in my assignments. I often called up the Herron Todd White valuers for more insight into their story and also to get a feel for just what they did. They were always very keen to assist and I always seemed to be speaking with a good style of person - Herron Todd White was always on my radar after that. Herron Todd White were always held in high regard by the business people and property owners I knew. Most importantly however, they were an independent specialist firm, with good, smart people working as valuers, and some were doing the type of work I wanted to do. With Herron Todd White, I could clearly see the career path I wanted to take - it was just a matter of getting the experience and moving on down that path.
What is the culture like in your Herron Todd White office?
Like most Herron Todd White offices, our Darwin office definitely has a "work hard, play hard" culture. We are a very busy office which means that everyone has to pull their weight and communicate effectively to get the jobs done efficiently so everyone makes a good dollar. This is something we have had to really nail down and it has been difficult because our firm has been growing so fast (from two to nine valuers in just five years). However, we have recruited well and it is awesome to see what some good minds in a balanced, confident and happy team can achieve. Our social club kitty is regularly filled and then emptied for the spoils of an afternoon's fishing or relaxed Top End booze up! Fond memories and a headache are often the result, but more importantly it builds on the comradeship that already exists. Our staff have a genuine respect for their line of work and for the firm they work for.
What is your greatest business achievement?
Building our business up to be Darwin's biggest and best valuation practice (obviously with the assistance of company Directors Terry Roth and Robin Gardiner).
What is the most memorable valuation you have done and why?
So many valuations I have done are memorable for so many different reasons. The valuation might have been memorable because the valuation task was just so challenging (with many sleepless nights spent in contemplation); it might have been memorable because the thing you were valuing (let's call it a $1 billion development) would (if my figures stacked) significantly change the nature of my city for ever; it might be memorable because the helicopter I was flying in during a station inspection was attacked by a saltwater crocodile after the pilot decided to taunt it with the skids (under no instruction from me). Overall, I think that I'm lucky enough to have visited some of the most remote and beautiful parts of northern Australia in the course of my work and they have all been memorable - I can't split them. |