Crane dismantled as hospital hits major milestone

Knight Sabre, as the crane was christened, has finished its job in Roma. But its dismantling is an important step.

TAKEN DOWN: The tower crane on the Roma Hospital site has been removed, in a major milestone of construction. Picture: Amanda Campbell

THE crew at the Roma Hospital Redevelopment farewelled the tower crane, which had been standing tall above Roma since January.

Knight Sabre, as the machine had been christened, was dismantled piece by piece on Saturday, but part of it will always remain in town as a reminder of its service.

It has lifted almost all of the roof, facade, structural steel and inside machinery in to place, and has been instrumental in transforming the site.

"Knight Sabre, as our crane has been fondly called, has played an important role in getting us to this exciting point of the project,” Watpac project manager Brett Rosenthal said.

"The roof for the hospital and services building are now complete, and delivery and installation of major plant and machinery, such as chillers and heat pumps, have been craned into the building.

"The structural steel is also largely complete, and the scaffold has progressively been removed so residents will now be able to see large portions of the façade, which shows how

the building has taken shape.”

While the crane itself is no longer a part of the Roma skyline, a piece of Knight Sabre will remain in town.

Its distinctive flag will remain, and will be presented to St John's student Sydney Bentley, who won the locally-run competition to name the crane.

"I think it's entirely appropriate for this little piece of Roma history to remain here and with the person who helped make the history,” South West Hospital and Health Service chief executive Linda Patat said.

With the crane now gone, internal works, including flooring, painting, fit-out and power connections are being pushed through.

The bulk of that work is expected to be done by September, and the overall building has a projected finish date of mid-2020.

Originally published as Crane dismantled as hospital hits major milestone