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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Steve Evans

Memorial's 'Name the Crane' competition underway - but don't call it Craney McCraneface

Name this crane. The second one comes next week. Picture supplied

Local children are being invited to come up with names for the two huge cranes at the Australian War Memorial.

One of the giant contraptions is already there, towering over the construction site, and the other is due to arrive next week.

It will be 66.6 metres high and able to lift 24 tonnes.

"We are asking local primary school-aged students to help us name the two tower cranes that will be used to build the Memorial's new Anzac Hall and the C.E.W Bean Building and Research Centre," the AWM said.

Some entries have already come in from schools across Australia which have close associations with the military.

These include: "Teddy", "ANZAC", "Mavrik" and "Save Grandpa".

But now the competition is being opened to all primary schools, particularly those in Canberra.

Competitions to name big pieces of equipment have a habit of going wrong. Think of the attempt by a British government agency to ask the public to vote on a name for a new polar research ship.

The winner was Boaty McBoatface.

The agency got round the embarrassment by naming a yellow submarine Boaty McBoatface instead.

The War Memorial avoids this problem by insisting that a "panel" (presumably of reliable staff) - and not voters - will choose the final names from a shortlist from names sent in by children.

So Craney McCraneface will not get a look in.

The Memorial organisers say: "To enter the competition, entrants must:

  • Name the two cranes
  • Colour in the entry sheet, and
  • Tell us why you chose your names, in 25 words or less.
  • Entrants can enter as an individual or group."

The first prize is a tour of the AWM's warehouse where a multitude of planes are kept, away from public view.

The winner will also get a $100 voucher to spend in the memorials' shop. Second prize is a $50 voucher.

The new crane will tower over the site. Picture supplied

Entrance forms are on the memorial's website, and can be emailed in or posted.

Building of the $550 million project is now well underway, both at the back where the old Anzac hall has been demolished and work on its replacement begun, and at the front looking down Anzac Parade towards Lake Burley Griffin.

The memorial's management argues that the old premises were too small for all the entries stored behind the scenes so a bigger space - 7000 square metres bigger - is needed "to tell stories of recent conflicts and peacekeeping operations".

If all goes to schedule, the new south entry and the Bean Building will be finished by the end of 2024, and Anzac Hall by the end of 2025. Interior work, though, will not be done until 2028.

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