Roofie,
I worked on the Sydney harbour bridge for over ten years from the early nineties until 2001.
We couldn't wear hard hats due to the wind and the danger that would have meant to the public or harnesses
for that matter as they were restrictive to our movements and more of a danger to oneself. Particularly when we
were carrying planks for erecting work platforms on the underside of the bridge. Besides that, there was basically
nothing to attach one to as the underside is predominantly vertical flat steel panels.
Loved working on that bridge, my footy teams name was everywhere you looked and was so proud of that fact.
Dorman Long Middlesbrough.
Over the years after covering almost every inch of that bridge, I came across a couple of girders with the name
Skinningrove. Very rare indeed but was excited to see them and another reminder of home.
Harry and Scuba mentioned small world on this thread and I, sadly, had an experience that only came to light
several years later.
On my very first day on the bridge I was given the freedom to wander around the bridge and make myself known
to other employees and check out the varying work positions and procedures.
I went up the arch to the south east crane and was chatting to the operator when we noticed a young schoolboy
climbing up the safety fence. The operator was yelling out for him to stop and get off to no avail as the traffic and
train noise drowned him out. We at that time had no idea of his plans.
To our horror, the kid managed to scale over the three strands of barbed wire and threw himself off.
Several years later my wife came home from school and told me the unbelievable.
A teacher new to the school had asked my wife if her husband was a teacher also, like her partner.
My wife said no, he's a crane operator on the SHB.
The woman broke down in tears, my wife had no idea what the hell was going on or what she had said to make
the lady so distraught.
It turned out that it was her son that took his own life on my first day on the job.
Naturally my wife has kept that a secret from her.
That poor lady to this day blames herself and husband as it was them that put the kid under so much pressure
to do well in his final year of high school which obviously was way too much for him.
Small world or what?
Sorry didn't mean to put a downer on the thread.
Love and best wishes from Oz.
Stay safe.
UTB