More new starters at Plant Assessor!

The Plant Assessor team is still growing. Get to know a little about our new starters!

Darryn Drury – Developer

Background: I was born in the Royal Newcastle Hospital and went to Avondale Primary and high school in Cooranbong. I am the middle child with two brothers and have lived most of my life in the Hunter, apart from a stint of 10 years living on the Gold Coast.

Education: I went to Avondale Primary & High, year of 1995 as well as Griffith University between 2010 and 2013.

Career: Straight out of school I worked at Sanitarium Health Foods. I spent a year in Bourke as a youth worker, 2 to 3 years working in sales at an electrical wholesaler (I hated sales) and have spent the last 10 years working as a software developer.

Last job: I was working as a Software Developer at Kip McGrath before joining the Plant Assessor team.

Outside work: I am married with two daughters, 12 and 14, who like to drive me crazy. On the weekends, I mix my time between family, working around the house, playing guitar, music/AV tech at my local church, and plenty of relaxing. I enjoy fishing, playing guitar, mountain biking, basketball, cricket, and most other sports. The newest members of my family are two miniature foxies who have way too much energy.

Dillon McIntosh – UX Designer

Background: I was born up in the Manning Valley, went to school there until half way through year 10 when my family moved down to Newcastle. I completed my HSC at Lambton High before moving to Sydney to study design. I have a younger sister, Maddison, who had my niece, Willow-Mae, with her partner a couple of years ago. I played hockey most of my teenage life, making my parents travel to various NSW country towns over the years for tournaments. I stopped playing when I moved to Sydney and then couldn’t play when I had a motorbike accident. I have only just recently returned to playing after about 6 years off.

Education: I attended Taree High until mid year 10 in 2010 where I moved to Newcastle and completed my schooling at Lambton High. I then attended the Creative Arts Technical College (CATC) at The Rocks in Sydney, completing my Diploma in Graphic Design.

Career: My first job after graduating from CATC was for a marketing agency in Mona Vale. I then joined the team of a Lake Macquarie based marketing agency and moved back to the area. I have spent the last 8 or so years as a UI/UX Designer working for many agencies and at a startup as a Product Designer.

Last job: My previous role was at a place called EngineRoom. It is a hybrid in the sense that it is a marketing agency that also has a product. My role there was to work with clients on their website’s UI and UX.

Outside work: I live with my girlfriend and our 2 cats, and hopefully a dog as well soon. Lately I spend my weekends fixing up our house/yard, trying to get it dog ready, but am often working on my cars with my Dad. I like to game, watch shows and work on personal creative projects. I try to travel often even if it’s just a small trip away for the weekend or an overseas holiday. I have played hockey in the winter for the last 2 years but am thinking about taking up golf next year. I also like to spend sunny afternoons fishing with my girlfriend.

Nathan Harrod – Professional Services Consultant

Background: I was born and went to school in Singleton. I enjoyed playing sports such as cricket, golf and AFL when growing up, particularly through high school. I am the oldest of three boys. The highlight of any moving around was spending three years living at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast while working for Telstra from 2015 to 2018. We have just purchased our long term family home in Hunterview (a suburb of Singleton), we moved in January 2022.

Education: I went to Singleton High School. When I finished high school, I realised uni probably wasn’t for me, even though my HSC results were better than I expected given I could have studied far more at the time (looking back and reflecting). I have completed a trade Certificate III in Telecommunications and Certificate IV in People Management. These studies led to me being a qualified Field Technician with Telstra, then progressing onto a Field Team Manager where I worked for over twelve years.

Career: My first job while in high school was an attendant at the local BP Service Station. I met plenty of interesting characters while I was working there, particularly on night shift when all the local establishments closed around midnight.

Last job: My last job was Site Supervisor at AGL Macquarie (Bayswater and Liddell Power Stations) as a contractor. I worked with a varied crew, generally 4 – 8 staff onsite most days, with days scattered in the office looking after administration of the contract. I enjoyed building the relationship between a small business and a large corporation such as AGL.

Outside work: I am married with three boys aged 9, 7 and 4. Most weekends are spent with the kids getting them to events. I do love the opportunity to go fishing, whether it be with friends or the entire family. Port Macquarie is also a favourite family holiday destination when we get the chance. Generally we get up there every twelve months or so. If you are a tomato lover, I highly recommend you take the time to get out to Ricardoes Tomatoes at Blackmans Point, just north of Port Macquarie.