The 64-year-old started in construction in 1975, laying concrete on the Dunedin Hospital ward and administration block, and he is due to retire later this year after completing the concrete foundations for the new Dunedin hospital.
‘‘I was 15 on my first day. I was a bit overawed by it all. It was a big project for the day.
‘‘I never thought in my lifetime that I’d be working on another new hospital in Dunedin.’’
Mr Ellison said he had since worked on many major construction projects, including Forsyth Barr Stadium and high-rises in Australia.
‘‘The biggest one I worked on was 48 storeys.
‘‘Working up the top of that on a windy day — not good.’’
One of the biggest changes he had seen over the years was in site health and safety.
‘‘The health and safety was there, but it was pretty basic back in the day. Just a lot more relaxed.’’
Some ‘‘very close mates’’ had died in falls from high places on construction sites early in his career, so messages around health and safety had really stuck with him.
Another thing that had changed was the construction of concrete walls, which were now often built in pre-cast slabs off-site and brought to construction zones on the back of trucks, instead of built on site.
The recipe for concrete had also changed. When he started out, concrete was made using a concrete mixer, with a mixture of cement, sand and water.
Now, chemicals were mixed in as well, to make it stronger and more durable.
He said the concrete being poured at the new hospital had hydrogel waterproofing agents added, which aimed to make the foundations waterproof.
‘‘There’s a lot more technology in concrete now — different mixtures for strength and workability and pumpability.’’
While his colleagues told him he still looked pretty youthful for a 64-year-old, he felt older some days, he said.
‘‘I wake up in the morning with a few more aches and pains each day, especially in the winter.
‘‘I can retire at the end of this year if I want, but I might go a bit longer — just see how the body handles it.’’
He said he still loved the job — mainly because of the people he works with.
‘‘They’re my extended family, because sometimes you spend more time with them than you do at home, especially on these big jobs.
‘‘It’s not just about work. It’s about our private lives. If someone’s got a problem, you try and help them through that. We’re very close.’’
The other part of the job that he loved was seeing their work come to fruition and being able to say ‘‘I helped build that’’.
Mr Ellison said when he finally did retire, he was looking forward to travelling and more time with family in Australia.
However, it was unlikely that his construction skills would be gathering dust.
‘‘There will be DIY jobs around home that I’ll finally have time to do.
‘‘My wife’s got a list.’’
