Hospital contract lures key builder
ONE of Australia’s oldest privately owned builders, Woollam Constructions, is expanding to Townsville.
The company, which has traded for more than 130 years, has been contracted to design and construct a 60- bed mental health hospital at a former State Government building in Wills Street in Townsville’s CBD.
Woollam Townsville
has appointed construction in- dustry professional Gary Inness as its North Queensland manager
Mr Inness said the company would open a new office at 511 Flinders St shortly and aimed to win more work in the city, particularly in the aged care and health sectors.
Woollam is gutting the former Transport Department building and converting the four- level concrete and concrete block building into the Townsville Private Hospital for Health Care Australia.
Mr Inness said the building required major work and had to meet new standards to withstand earthquakes.
“We have completely gutted the building. It’s major refurbishment,” Mr Inness said.
A ground floor portion of the work is set to be handed to the client at the end of the month, with the remaining work expected to be completed in October.
Woollam is famed for constructing some of Queensland’s landmark buildings including Brisbane’s Breakfast Creek Hotel and the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach.
It has been active in regional Queensland, particularly in its former home base of Mackay and at Townsville, where it developed the James Cook University Medical School.
The company, now based in Brisbane, has built schools, hospitals and airport terminals around Australia.
Woollam is led by manag- ing director Craig Percival and director George Bogiatzis.
Mr Inness will head Woollam’s North Queensland branch and help the company to develop more opportunities in north and central Queensland.
Mr Inness has more than 40 years of construction and infrastructure experience in civil engineering and project management and, most recently, was North Queensland manager for Abigroup Contractors, bought out by Lend Lease.