Three magnificent tower cranes provided patients, staff and visitors with a sense of awe and wonder as they presided over the campus skyline the past year.
After completing their jobs in the respective areas of the North and South Inpatient Blocks, Wychwood (Crane 1) and Phoenix (Crane 2) left the campus in the summer. Their names are a nod to West Park’s history. For more info on the naming of the cranes, click here.
Now, after 18 months helping to build the Outpatient Block, Thunderbird (Crane 3) will be leaving the construction site on Friday, December 10.
Crane 3 is endearingly named Thunderbird after First Nations elder Shannon Thunderbird, whose husband was a West Park patient and presided over the Tree and Land Blessing Ceremony prior to construction.
On behalf of West Park’s patients and staff, we would like to acknowledge Thunderbird’s diligent service to build the new West Park. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors!
Recap of Thunderbird’s time at West Park:
Arrival and departure:
August 10, 2020 to December 10, 2021
Most notable accomplishment:
Helped build three levels of underground parking and six-floors above ground
Most favourite items to lift:
Rebar, structural steel and formwork
Least favourite item to lift:
Porta potties
Heaviest items to lift:
Precast and mechanical equipment
Favourite weather condition:
Overcast
Least favourite weather condition:
High winds and any type of precipitation falling from the sky
Most memorable moment:
Lifting the final steel beam to the rooftop, which represented the structural completion of the new hospital
Most satisfying moment:
Training a crane apprentice from the Hammer Heads program, under the Community Benefits initiative that aims to provide training and employment opportunities for underrepresented or disadvantaged groups
Final words
It's been a pleasure working on the West Park campus. I wish the new West Park facility will support every step of a patient’s journey to a better quality of life for generations to come!