Dedicated to the Hard Hats, ..for holding it all together.
**** frost on the green grass There's a cold moon in the sky The estuary waters black and calm Where golden ripples lie. Dawn's horizon lightens up Bright stars begin to dim Hard Hats all arrive for work And with frozen breath...log in.
Work boots crunching on the stone The men disperse to trucks, The diesel motors roar to life Their departures forming rucks. Swarming in the morning light Each to his own job's task, Bridge building work underway As dawn's first sunbeams bask.
Amazing the complexity That building bridges has, Amazing how voraciously It eats up time and gas. The planning and design work The funding of supply, Those organizational matters And the labour standing bye.
Digging, lifting, shoving, shifting Moving this to there, A logistical nightmare For the novice, unaware. Steel and timber by the ton Concrete pours en mass, Gravel, sand and aggregate And reservoirs of gas.
Procurement of supply ensures A smooth transitional flow Of successive small procedures To make the project mesh and grow. Day after day the massive trucks Carting tons of sand Are authorized by gate men To unload on to land Where motorway construction Is steadfastly taking place And progressing at A gradual and steady building pace.
From concept to completion A million multitasks, Which involves a caste of thousands And a schedule which asks, That the finished installation Be completed by the time Of the Rugby World Cup kickoff, Our global status on the line.
Like ants the Hard Hats swarm about Each does his little bit And gradually, over time, The bridge emerges from the pit. It emergeth like a phoenix In a drab and sombre gown But on completion, shines like fire To be the nation's most re known.
The Manukau Harbour Crossing A project for the Gods, Of massive lengths of concrete And miles of reinforcing rods. Of an eternity of effort From everyone involved And an asset for New Zealand And a beauty to behold.
Marshalg @theGate MHX Mangere Bridge 14th March 2009
Please view the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzQZ-M90Zig