The original duties for the Surveyor General was to measure and determine land grants for settlers in New South Wales.
The Surveyor General is the leader and regulator of the land and mining surveying profession and plays a key advocacy role in the spatial industry in NSW Mitchell was responsible for the massacre of Aboriginal Australians on 27 May 1836.
The subsequent public enquiry in Sydney resulted in only a minor reprimand of Mitchell for his actions.
[3] It was reported that Mitchell, after being followed for several days by Indigenous people, armed his men (against New South Wales Government orders) and organised an unprovoked ambush of them.
While he was acquitted by the enquiry, the incident tarnished his reputation for the rest of his career.