IN FOCUS / FRANNA PICK AND CARRY
With a positive approach, Brolga Cranes has continued to grow with the purchase of two 25t Frannas.
TAKING FLIGHT WITH FRANNAS Paul Olsen, owner and director of Brolga Cranes had a vision of starting his own crane business, but getting support from the banks proved difficult. With support from the local business community, he managed to finance his first Franna and he recently took delivery of two more. PAUL OLSEN STARTED IN THE CRANES and rigging sector in the early 2000s. He worked at the Comalco aluminium refinery in Gladstone and when this project was completed, he moved across the Lamsons Australia. He was operating the 4100 and 4600 Manitowocs and this is where his career in crane operations really began. “I realised I wanted to operate cranes and I was keen to learn and gather as much experience as quickly as I could and see where it took me. The journey took me around Australia three or four times and included working 2.4 kms underground, offshore and in the Pilbara in outback of Western Australia. “Over the years I have been in positions where I have been operating massive capacity cranes like the Sarens Australia 1350t on the Liebherr LR 11350 and beside Sarens key operator Duncan Donohue. I worked with Universal Cranes Heavy Lift working 36 / CAL September 2021
on the Clarence River bridge operating their 750 lifting 200t bridge girders from barges. I moved to Boom Logistics as their heavy lift operator on the new LG 1750 on the Coopers Gap windfarm. This field of heavy lift operations took me to many places in Australia, but it also took me away from my family, I have two young children, they needed their dad and I needed them,” he said. Olsen began researching the market to see where there might be an opportunity to get something started locally. “I knew it would work if I had more control of the outcomes and where I could be close to my family. My research revealed I could register an Indigenous business and as I looked into this further, I found there were a number of high-profile indigenous crane businesses. When I looked into Queensland, I saw there wasn’t one and I registered Brolga Cranes.
Olsen explains the background to the name of Brolga Cranes. “With the company name I wanted something that was traditional, native and Indigenous to Australia and the Brolga Crane fitted these requirements. The company was registered in August 2019, and it was also registered on Supply Nation which is the Indigenous Business Portal,” he said. The designs on the Franna are very distinctive and eye catching. Olsen confirms he commissioned a high-profile indigenous artist for the artwork. “We wanted a distinctively indigenous look to the cranes and so we reached out to a young indigenous artist in Bundaberg called Chern’ee Sutton. She is responsible for the design on the new $2 coin which is just in circulation. The coin design commemorates the indigenous men and women who have served in the www.cranesandlifting.com.au
