Marr Contracting

27/05/2026

THEN & NOW

From helping to build an icon to dismantling one. Back in the mid 1950s, we supported the er****on of Sydney's original ABN-2 ABC TV tower. Then in 2021, with Sydney in a full COVID lockdown, we worked with Mirvac to dismantle the TCN-TX tower.

(1) 1950s: Marr crew & No.10 Lorain at work during the er****on of the ABN-2 tower, installed to support the beginning of television broadcasting in Australia.

(2) 2021: Our M1280D heavy lift luffing crane used to lift larger sections & layers of the TCN-TX tower weighing up to 60T.
📷 Mirvac.

(3) 1950s: No.10 Lorain crawler crane erecting the ABN-2 tower.

(4) 2021: Our M310D installed on 193m of heavy-duty tower sections, removing the first section of the TCN-TX tower.
📷 Murray Harris.

 

13/05/2026

WHAT GOES UP, COMES DOWN

Over the past 100 years, we’ve worked on the construction of some of Sydney’s most iconic buildings and structures. We’ve also helped to safely dismantle those that need to come down. One of our favourite projects ever was working on the dismantle of the former TCN-9 TX transmission tower.

Built in 1965, the 233-metre-high lattice tower was one of Sydney's most recognisable landmarks for more than 50 years until it was decommissioned in 2021. When Mirvac gained approval to redevelop the site into a new residential community in 2017, they knew they needed a different way of thinking about how to bring the tower down and assembled a team of experts including Marr, and Kordia to come up with a solution.

After exploring alternatives including using gin poles or helicopters, Mirvac decided on using a crane but because the decommissioned tower was not able to accommodate lateral supports, the challenge from a cranage point-of-view was to find a way to get the crane hook height above 233m without expensive and complicated temporary structures to support the crane.

The answer was a unique approach using our tower system and guy wires to laterally support the tower crane. The solution evolved to a freestanding M310D on 193m of heavy-duty tower sections (which gave an underhook height of 248m) attached to a single set of stayed guywires anchored into the bedrock. To reduce the number of lifts required (from 90 to just 36), we also designed a solution for swapping out the 16T capacity M310D used to remove the top parts of the tower with a 150T capacity M1280D to remove the larger sections of the tower weighing up to 60T lower down.

(1) Switch-over: After completing the lighter lifts at maximum height, the M310D was climbed down to its original freestanding height of 117m where it was replaced by the M1280D.
📷 Glen Brown.

(2) Crane install, courtesy of Mirvac.

(3-5) Postcards from our riggers.
📷 Mark Pawlutschenko.

23/04/2026

From the archives: SYDNEY 1964

E.A. Marr mobile cranes supported the City of Sydney in repairs to the ANZAC Obelisk on Anzac Parade, Moore Park.

Today, as an Australian-owned business, ANZAC Day is an important reminder of the sacrifices made by those who have lost their lives or loved ones to war. We honour the courage of people, including those in our business, who have bravely served for their country.

Lest We Forget.

📷 City of Sydney Archives (A-00046279)

25/03/2026

MEET ANDY DONKIN
Marr’s Appointed Person – Lifting Operations / Site Manager on the HS2 Old Oak Common Station site.

With a background in steel er****on and major infrastructure, Andy’s career has been built on years of hands-on experience across the steel and construction industries.

Andy joined Marr’s UK-based team in 2024, attracted by a new challenge and the opportunity to work with “the most ridiculously large tower cranes” on the planet.

Understanding the risks that come with lifting operations, he’s proud Marr is the first business in the UK to adopt The Buddie System (TBS) across its cranes at HS2 Old Oak Common.

“The Buddie System is a simple, potentially life-saving solution that fills a critical gap where loss of communication has too often led to accidents and injuries,” says Andy.

24/03/2026

THEN & NOW

(1) SYDNEY (1940s): E.A. Marr & Son & E.A. Marr (Contracting) team photo with our founder, Gordon Robert Marr pictured standing 2nd the left.

(2) TÜRKIYE (2020): Marr’s crew working on construction of the 1915Canakkale Bridge. 📷Filmgenetik

(3) SYDNEY (2025): Marr crew and . 📷 Jonathan Cohen Photography

20/03/2026

Four years on, working on the construction of the world's longest span suspension bridge, remains a project of a lifetime for our crew.

– 2 'world firsts' including the heaviest lift at height (155m @ 318m)
– 8 x 160-tonne lifts
– 36 x 150-tonne+ lifts
– 208 x 100-tonne+ lifts
– daily commutes to the worksite 1km offshore on the Canakkale Strait (The Dardenelles)
- 1 x Covid-19 pandemic

📷 (1-3) & (4) Jason ‘Jasper’ Gerethy

10/03/2026

Marr has become the first business in the UK to implement THE BUDDIE SYSTEM (TBS), a new crane safety technology, on the High Speed Two Limited (HS2 Ltd) Old Oak Common station site in London.

Developed by crane industry professionals, Gary Panagiotidis and Jade Harris, The Buddie System is a wireless instant safety alert device designed for crane operators and dogmen / slinger signallers. The world-first technology allows ground crew to immediately signal crane operators to stop if something goes wrong, helping to reduce the risk of incidents caused by miscommunication or radio failure.

“The Buddie System is brilliant. I’ve been in the construction industry for more than 38 years and haven’t come across anything else like it. It’s a simple, potentially life-saving solution that fills a critical gap where loss of communication has too often led to accidents and injuries,” says Andy Donkin, Marr’s Appointed Person – Lifting Operations on the HS2 Old Oak Common site.

“Innovation is part of Marr’s DNA, and The Buddie System is a demonstration of innovative technology that supports our commitment to safety by providing another layer of control to reduce risk. As leaders in our sector, it was important to us that the technology was designed by industry professionals who’ve worked at the frontline of construction projects and understand the real risks of crane and lifting operations,” said Marr’s incoming Head of HSEQ-Global, Nicole Lawler.

After first introducing the Australian-developed technology on projects in Sydney and rolling it out across our Australian fleet in 2025, Marr’s crane crew working with the Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture are now the first to implement the system in the UK.

Read the full story: https://www.marr.com.au/news/marr-contracting-implements-world-first-crane-safety-tech-the-buddie-system-on-hs2-old-oak-common/

01/12/2025

MEET THE TEAM: Chris Pehar joined Marr as a Rigger/Dogman in 2023 and became the first new starter to become a trainee Crane Operator through Marr’s Internal Competency Evaluation (ICE) – our internal evaluation by a subject matter expert to determine their competency to operate a Marr tower crane – as a trainee Operator.

Now a trainee Operator on our heavy lift fleet including the M2480D, Chris is part of our crew working on one of Sydney's biggest infrastructure projects. At this time of the year, he is also a part-time Secret Santa bringing joy and a helping hand to his local community in Western Sydney.

Inspired by their favourite Christmas movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, over the past few years Chris and his partner, Susan, have gone all-out to light up their home and raise money for charities that are close to their hearts. This year they are supporting the Make-A-Wish Australia, INIT for Autism and Huxley’s Helping Hand – Westmead Children’s Hospital Toy Drive.

Adorned with more than 15,000 Christmas lights, Santa’s chair photo booth (with free photos for visitors), a North Pole Express Mailbox, an indoor window Wonderland, ‘little treasures’ and more, Chris and Susan’s home transforms into Santa’s Depot – Glenmore Park attracting hundreds of visitors every year.

Why they do it? “The answer is simple — we love it. Christmas fills homes with happiness, brings families together, and reminds us of what truly matters. But it is also about those who cannot be with loved ones, the elderly, children in hospital, and families doing it tough,” Chris said.

With the youngest of their four children recently being diagnosed with Autism, Chris and Susan also know how difficult it can be for families who need support that is often not readily available.

Find out more about visiting Santa's Depot - Glenmore Park or making a donation via their page on TikTok or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Santas-Depot-Glenmore-Park/61581188250744/

26/11/2025

It's month and an opportunity to talk about a difficult topic, especially for a male-dominated industry like ours.

While both men and women experience domestic violence, the statistics reveal that women and girls are more frequently victims of severe forms of intimate partner violence.

According to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 840 million women globally – almost 1 in 3 – have been subjected to physical and/ or sexual abuse by an intimate partner.

That's not OK.

What's more, the key warning signs of abuse are not always obvious to the victim or those around them. Knowing what those signs are could help protect your partner, mother, daughter, friend or colleague - so we dip our hard hats to YSL Beauty for their 'Abuse is Not Love' campaign launched earlier this year.

Help stop gender-based violence by speaking up if you spot it – or reaching out for help if you, or someone you know, needs it.

Where to get help for free, confidential support 24/7:

In Australia:
1800RESPECT Australia: Call 1800 737 732 or SMS: 0458 737 732
MensLine Australia: 1300 879 978
MATES in Construction: 1300 642 111
Lifeline: 13 11 14

In the UK:
Refuge National Domestic Abuse Helpline
Call: 0808 2000 247

Or search for local support services near you.

Find out more about the early warning signs of abuse here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBnKDL57i7Y&t=2s

This International Women's Day, YSL Beauty presents ‘Don't Call It Love’, a thought-provoking global campaign as part of our ‘Abuse Is Not Love’ program. Did...

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