b'A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWNTight-knit crewThe job description was simply get it upand get moving. Dean Pouwhare became part of the Dixon &We were climbing steel in nothing but a Haddon rigging crew. But he didnt start there.pair of shorts and a pair of volley shoes and At Mikes invitation, Dean joined the companythats about itno harnesses, no nothing. as a crane driver in 1993. The pair goes wayWed stand a column up then climb it to back to when Mike was a cadet for Deansunhook the crane and sit up there waiting father at Wilkins & Davies.for the beam. We rode the beams up on the Dean, a mechanic by trade, had beencranes and walked on everything, no matter driving cranes all over the country, eventhe height. serving a stint on the Balder heavy lift bargeAnd they used minimal tools. But weIt was one hand for youon the Mui B project. Later, wanting aput up unbelievable structures with hardlyand one hand for the boss; change, he went on to join Dixon & Haddonsanything, says Dean, who is now Operations rigging crew under Tau Morgan. Manager for D&H Steel. one hand was always holding Tau recognised Deans talent and it wasntOn site, they were known as the D&H Hiab,you up there, the other hand long before he was Taus leading hand. Itas in the mobile crane. Yakub Kadir joinedwas doing the work, andwas a small, close-knit crew: Tau, Dean andDixon & Haddon in 1987 and started with the former Clearwater Construction carpentersoutside crew before going on to work with thats how it was. Ina Taikakara, Teau Arakua and Shane Weller.Jim Denham in the workshop. In his DEAN POUWHAREDean loved it. early days, Yakub recalls the rigging team He has fond memories of racing all aroundhaving to carry everything on their shoulders. the country in Taus red BMW, and when theyTwo storeys up, three storeys up, carryingwerent working the red BMW sat at the pub. 150 to 200 PFC channels, we used to tie the It was also a cowboy era. Riggers wererope and pull it up by hand, no cranes.riggersthey were all ratbags, smiles Dean.We would climb up a ladder or the scaffolding. They worked hard and drank hard, and they There was no health and safety at the time;never really went home, sunrise to sunset. it was unknown.60'