Marr Contracting

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...

23/10/2025

18/09/2025

MEET OUR TEAM – Marr Tower Crane Operators/ Dogmen, Mario D’Ilario and Steve Mailath understand the risks that come with lifting operations on construction sites.

“We work in a high-risk environment where safety has to be our #1 priority. People’s lives are in our hands every day and even on the safest of sites, things can go wrong – and often in a split second,” says Mario.

That’s why Marr has become the first business to implement The Buddie System’s world-first crane safety technology.

With up to 30% of crane incidents* on construction sites involving radio issues or miscommunication between operators and ground crews, The Buddie System has real potential to prevent injuries and fatalities on construction sites.

“The Buddie System is a great initiative because on a lot of these jobs, as a driver I’m working in the blind and I can’t always see down to where my dogman is. So, in the event that something goes wrong or that the radio cuts out, he [the dogman] can pull on The Buddie System and alert me to stop the crane,” says Steve.

It's like a jet ski kill switch for dogmen – and one simple pull could save lives.

FIND OUT MORE: https://www.marr.com.au/the-buddie-system/



* Source: Crane Accident Statistics Statistics: Market Data Report 2025

15/09/2025

Marr Contracting (Marr) has become the first business in the world to implement new crane safety technology, The Buddie System, on two Sydney construction projects.

Marr crane crews working with Parklife Metro D&C Joint Venture on construction of the new Sydney Metro Airport Terminal Station, and with Richard Crookes Constructions on the Sydney House mixed-use development (former City Tattersall’s Club site) in the Sydney CBD were the first to trial the system in a live environment.

“Safety is always our number one priority and with The Buddie System we have an innovative solution to a common safety issue on construction sites,” said Marr’s Managing Director, Simon Marr.

The Buddie System is designed for crane operators and dogmen / slinger signallers to reduce the risk of accidents caused by two-way radio issues or miscommunication between crane crews. And with up to 30 percent of crane accidents involving miscommunication between operators and ground crews, The Buddie System has real potential to prevent injuries and fatalities on construction sites.

“What we love about it is its simplicity and the fact that it was designed by people who’ve worked on the tools and understand the real risks of crane and lifting operations,” says Marr’s Operations Manager, Erin Doyle.

Find out more: https://www.marr.com.au/news/marr-contracting-implements-world-first-safety-tech-the-buddie-system/

10/09/2025

RUOK? It's a question that can change, or even save, a life. Not just on ? Day but every day.

Research highlights that su***de rates amongst males working in the construction industry are twice as high as for male workers in other sectors. Construction workers are also six times more likely to die by su***de than from an accident at work. That's something we need to talk about.

It's a high-stress industry with high expectations, long working hours, a lot of responsibility and unique pressures that can take a toll on mental health.

So, looking out for each other and asking, "RUOK?" is just as important as, "Are you clipped on?" And if you need help, reach out for support.

For more information about where to get help or support someone going through a tough time visit: https://www.ruok.org.au/

***deprevention

02/09/2025

Meet our Service Delivery Manager, Kym Allen.

At Marr we don’t just hire cranes, we design cranage solutions. We also provide post-installation services including specialist tower crane crew, ancillary equipment and engineering expertise.

Since originally joining Marr as Workforce Allocator responsible for managing our crane crew, Kym’s role has expanded as part of our commitment to continually improving our processes and service offering.

Kym now oversees all services provided to our clients during the operational period of our cranes working on project sites. This includes crane crew, servicing, call outs, inspections, ancillary equipment and lift planning.

With a Bachelor of (Mechanical) from Deakin University, Kym brings extensive experience in supervising high-risk work across the construction and manufacturing sectors.

Find out more about Marr’s post-installation services at: https://lnkd.in/gRYGcNr4