TRANSCRIPT: INTERVIEW WITH DAVID BLAKEMORE, UNSW MEDICAL SCHOOL WAGGA WAGGA PROJECT MANAGER, 15 APRIL 2024
Subjects: UNSW MEDICAL SCHOOL WAGGA WAGGA TOPPING OUT CEREMONY DAY
E&OE
STARTS: 11:18
MICHAEL McCORMACK
I am with David Blakemore, the project manager for the Rural Medical School UNSW. It's a proud day for not only that university, not only Lipman, but also the entire community because today marks the point, the highest point indeed, of this construction. David, a proud day for you and your team.
DAVID BLAKEMORE
Absolutely, the team has done a great job to get us to this point. We’ve hit the highest constructural point now, so we're looking to get stuck into the internal fit-out and hand the job over to UNSW.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
And we're talking five stories, if you count the underground car park as a level.
DAVID BLAKEMORE
That's correct. Yeah, absolutely. So, we've got three operating staff levels, the car park and obviously the plant area.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
And this is going to make such a difference for rural health because doctors will be able to train from start to finish in this facility. But for you, it's also about a construction project, for you, it's about creating jobs in this phase and for you, it must be a pretty proud project to work on and then, of course, later on, to look back and say, “we did that, we built that”.
DAVID BLAKEMORE
Oh, absolutely. I think you talk to most people in construction and you'll see they love seeing the end product and they're really proud of what they've done. I know Lipman is really focused on engaging with local contractors and suppliers, which we’ve been successful with. We’ve got a great crew that are working on it within our own staff and we're really looking forward to handing something over to the community that's really going to service the whole of the region.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
And you worked closely in liaison with the UNSW administrative team and they have been great too, haven’t they?
DAVID BLAKEMORE
They've been great, they've been really supportive and they've been really engaged. They come to the site, occasionally do some site walks. So, they’re really looking forward to it coming online.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Locals are pretty excited about this.
DAVID BLAKEMORE
Absolutely.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
And they should be. So, the big question is: When’s it going to be finished? When do the doors open?
DAVID BLAKEMORE
We're looking to hand over in September, so that'll give them a good few months to tune the building, ready to receive students for the new school year.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Thank you for doing what you're doing. This has been a very special project for Wagga Wagga and the Riverina, the entire Murrumbidgee Valley. So, thank you on behalf of the community. Not only are you going to help create more doctors for the bush, but you're also going to build a building which is going to be pretty special on the landscape, particularly the health precinct here in Wagga Wagga. Thank you so much, David; and to you and your team.
ENDS: 11:21