Con Popov Memorial Award

Robert Way: Robert's in Memoriam

Bob Parker

Bob moved to Sydney where his first experience of crane driving was on a truck-mounted Cranvel. He says that his first ‘real’ crane experience was with a Northwest crawler crane.

Bob worked as a rigger as well as crane driver in the days when there was no demarcation, one had to be a jack-of-all-trades, and a lot of work was still done with hand winches, stiff leg derricks and the like. One of Bob’s first jobs was building the Channel 2 tower with Johns & Waygood – he later built the Channel 7 tower. 

Bob later commenced a long association with Frank Maros and moved to Brisbane in the late 1950’s with Wally Attard and Frank Maros jnr to set up Maros Constructions. By this time he had added estimating to his crane driving and rigging skills. Maros completed major jobs all over Queensland – one of the first was Sundale, but others included Weipa, Gladstone, and the western freeway.

Bob continued at Maros, becoming involved in setting up the crane hirers association in Queensland, and later working on the organising committee for the first national conference at Broadbeach in 1979. Bob left Maros for a brief time with International Rigging before moving to Brambles where he worked, in various management roles.

He gave a lot of time to the crane industry, serving as the Queensland president and national president at various times, as well as being involved in various industry committees where his experience and views were highly valued.

Bob was involved in industrial matters, and was well regarded in the Industrial Court as a person who could see both the worker and the management's perspective, having worked in both areas himself.

Bob was responsible for safety and quality issues for the whole of Brambles Queensland. While cranes were one of Bob's passions, his family always came first.  Sadly, Bob passed away in 2020.

Allan Mcpherson

Allan McPherson has seen the industry from all sides – as an operator, as a supervisor and manager, and as an owner. 

Allan entered the crane industry as a driver for O’Connor Cranes, after leaving the army, and worked his way up the ladder to depot manager. The fleet at that time was a mixture of older pin jib cranes with a smattering of newer P&H and BHB hydraulic cranes.

O’Connor Cranes was acquired by Bellway in the mid-1970’s and Allan became the crane manager, turning the fleet into a modern collection of all-hydraulic machines up to 50t. When Bellway was acquired by United,  Brian Sharp was general manager and Allan became the crane manager. In 1989 United sold its crane operations to Brambles and Brian Sharp, Frank Legena and Allan combined to form Uniway.

Allan's activities within the industry were not confined to the companies he worked in. He was president of the WA Crane Hirers Association for many years. He has represented the crane industry in dealings with Main Roads and Worksafe. Some of the most significant achievements were: 24 hour travel for oversize cranes; industry self-regulation in working near power lines; and 12t axle loadings without a limit to the number of axles. Crane hirers looked upon Western Australia with envy and that was largely attributable to the energy of Allan and his colleagues, and the receptiveness of the local authorities.

Allan is happy to share his crane knowledge, and those in the industry can attest to his help in troubleshooting problems and sourcing parts. His knowledge of lifting methods is also well-regarded. Although retired in an official capacity, Allan still works hard, serving on the CICA WA Branch executive.  He is a deserved winner of this award.

Brain Hann

Brian Hain first learnt about cranes at Ultimo Technical college, and obtained his crane drivers licence near the end of his apprenticeship. His first job in the industry was with Gillespies Cranes, which operated in partnership with Morrie Hutton. In his four years at the company, Brian was the youngest crane driver on staff, and drove the biggest crane in the fleet.

When the partnership with Gillespies dissolved, Brian joined Hutton when he formed Central Crane Services, and became involved in construction of a 10t crane on a Mack carrier. When this business closed Brian moved into sales at Contracting Plant, selling Austin-Western, Lima, Steelweld and CAP cranes.

After a stint as commercial manager at Silverwater Plant Hire, Brian joined Coles Cranes, where he was transferred to Brisbane, becoming state manager. He then operated Allcranes Sales & Service for 6 years.

After buying and selling used cranes for a time, Brian and a partner formed Franna Cranes, and contributed to that crane’s success. He developed a reputation for being in touch with the market and always had a positive outlook, even when the market appeared flat.

Brian's energies were also devoted to the industry and he served as his state’s representative for CICA, including a term as national president. He was a member of the standards committee, and served on many other committees,  pushing strongly for the increased axle loadings enjoyed today.

With the sale of his company Brian enjoyed some quality time with his extended family. Sadly Brian passed away in 2001.

John Gillespie: John's in Memoriam

Jeff Brundell

Jeff Brundell's exposure to cranes came relatively late in his career. He joined Harnischfeger in 1982 as Sales Manager for the Kobelco range, which was to be introduced into Australia. These were initially marketed as P&H Kobelco. Jeff worked with the Cranex division of Blackwood Hodge, which was set up to handle the Kobelco excavator and wheel loader range, and P&H cranes. 

In 1986 the local manufacture of P&H cranes and assembly was closed down, and Evans Deakin replaced Blackwood Hodge as dealer. In the ensuing restructure in late 1987, Jeff took on the full sales and marketing role, and gained major exposure to cranes. 

In mid-1988 Evans Deakin relinquished its dealership and closed down its construction equipment division. Harnischfeger sold its construction machinery division to a management buyout consortium known as Century II. Kobe Steel terminated its arrangement for Harnischfeger to distribute its excavators and wheel loaders, but licensing arrangements provided for Kobelco to supply Century II with cranes for about three years.

Jeff became General Manager of Century II, Mitsubishi was appointed as a trading house for Kobelco products, and Morgan Equipment was appointed as dealer for the full Kobelco line, so that Kobelco cranes could be purchased through two sources. A small number of Kobelco cranes was sold by Century II, but it took on the drawings and spare parts to support Clarke, Lima, and Austin Western products and expand the sales business.

Two years later PPM bought Century II, however the Kobelco product was no longer available, and the PPM product of the time was technically unsuited to the local market - so the business survived on parts and service until it made an arrangement with IHI to market its crawler cranes.

In 1994 Terex Cranes bought PPM worldwide, and Jeff remained as Managing Director. Not long after Terex bought Franna and moved its Australian headquarters to Brisbane, our Jeff moved to Potain, and when Manitowoc bought Potain and Grove in late 2001, he became Managing Director of the combined Australian operation.

Meritorious survival in a hazard-strewn path through a troubled crane industry over a number of years, was not reason alone for Jeff to be given this award. He was also active in the Australian Crane Marketers Association, or ACMA, soon after he became exposed to cranes, through to the time when ACMA and CICA came together in 1990.

Jeff's involvement in CICA saw him serve as National President, during which time CICA introduced CraneSafe in Victoria and then rolled it out to other states. He was active in liaison with the National Road Transport Commission, and lobbied strongly in Canberra in the early 1990’s when the high tariffs on imported cranes were lowered to a more modest level.

Hugh Morris

Hugh Morris – A Legacy in Construction and Cranes

Hugh Morris began his career in the late 1960s with the family building company. In 1973, he purchased an LS20 Capcrane and founded Conmor Cranes (from CONstruction MORris). His first challenge—securing steady work—led Conmor to register with the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works, gaining contracts in sewerage infrastructure. By 1985, Hugh had left the family business to focus solely on crane hire.

Growth & Innovation

In 1987, he launched Conmor Precast Erectors, completing major projects like:

National Tennis Centre (Rod Laver Arena)
The Glen Shopping Centre
Southgate Sheraton Hotel (then Australia’s tallest load-bearing precast structure)

In 1991, Hugh expanded by acquiring Walter Wright Pty Ltd and O’Neil Mobile Cranes, growing Conmor’s fleet to 30+ cranes. By the late 1990s, Conmor peaked at 40 cranes during the CityLink project.

In 2001, he co-founded Heavy Lift Cranes Australia Pty Ltd and reacquired Brambles Cranes' Latrobe Valley operations. In 2003, Boom Logistics acquired Conmor Cranes, retaining all staff.

Key Achievements

Imported Australia’s first 140t mobile crane (Grove TM1500).
Led Rod Laver Arena’s precast erection contract.
Managed up to nine precast erection crews in the 1980s.
Oversaw CityLink’s Church Street Bridge Project, coordinating six cranes (up to 250t).

Industry Contributions

Hugh served as VCA President, represented CICA, and contributed to key industry standards, including Codes of Practice for Precast & Bridge Beam Erection.

Remembering Hugh

Hugh Morris passed away in April 2019, remembered as a pioneer and gentleman who shaped the crane industry and left a lasting legacy.

Kevin Wheeler

Danny Black

Danny Black joined Franna Cranes Pty Ltd fresh out of the University of Queensland as a young design engineer in 1989. Danny holds a Bachelor of Engineering in the field of Mechanical Engineering and his interest in crane equipment was evident as he became involved in research and development of Pick and Carry 4WD Franna Cranes under the watchful eyes of Brian Hain.

In 1991 Danny was promoted to the position of engineering manager where he was in charge of the early design team with successful new models evolving from 10 tonnes capacity to 12, 14, 18, 20 and 25 tonnes capacity.  As Franna was also a distributor of large imported cranes, Danny gained a lot of experience and by the early age of 30, Danny was an accomplished chief design engineer.

USA based Terex Corporation purchased Franna Cranes in 1999 and introduced more imported Rough Terrain, large Hydraulic and Crawler Cranes, Danny continued his employment as engineering manager under the new ownership until being appointed the General Manager for the Terex Cranes Australian operations in 2009, the position he still holds today.

Danny has represented CICA on the Australian Standards committee since 2000. In 2003 Danny was appointed Vice President Marketer on the Executive Committee for the Crane Industry Association of Queensland (CIAQ). In addition, Danny joined the CICA Board in 2005, and has served as CICA Vice President  and also CICA President.

Without doubt, one of the most accomplished Cranes Engineers in Australia today, Danny’s engineering knowledge in the Crane Industry is far and wide and he is often consulted by his peers. This award recognises Danny's career and personal contribution to the design and improving standards of the Australian crane industry. 

Paul Heeks

Nick Morris
From 2009 to 2013 Nick was a Director on the CICA National Board.  In 2013, Nick won the Bill Shaw Memorial Award for installation of operating control towers on the HMAS Canberra.  The following year, 2014, Nick won an Excellence Award for a wind guidance note that is still used today by many members and regulators in industry.  In 2016 and 2017, Nick co-presented technical material at CICA National Conferences.  From 2017 to 2022 Nick was the CICA Vic/Tas Branch Chair and in 2021 Nick presented at the South Australia Industry Day on Ground Preparation.  Nick presented to over 400 attendees of a Federal Safety Commissioner webinar on ground preparation.  The video recording of this presentation can be viewed by industry on the Federal Safety Commission website.

Anthony Grosser
Anthony began working on and with cranes at Brambles 25 years ago.  Anthony was one of the first CraneSafe assessors in 2003 and inspected cranes for over 10 years.  In 2011 he joined the CAWA executive committee and served as president for 10 years until this year.  During his time as chair he has gone from running his own business to becoming the Managing Director for Tadano in Australia to starting MCT Equipment where he is the Magni Telehandler Dealer while still supporting the crane industry with maintenance and major inspections for cranes.  MCT Equipment won the Business News RISE Award for Startup of the Year in 2023.  In 2024, MCT innovated with Magni Equipment to create the LIFTR elevated work box attachment for underground mining.  The first to be OEM approved. 

 His leadership has been instrumental in pushing for CICA to meet with industry leaders such as BHP, Rio Tinto and Tier One builders in support of CrewSafe and to implement the Cert III in Mobile Crane Operations in WA that was enshrined in legislation. This initiative will leave a long lasting legacy in WA which will continue to produce better and more qualified operators for our members.