“Do you know what these are?” he asks.
“Intramedullary rods. Do you know where they used to be?” He taps his thighs. “In here.”
Six months into one of his first major construction jobs in Australia, Andrew – AKA ‘Holmsie’ – was in a serious site accident.
“I got crushed under three tonnes of steel. I had eight breaks in my left femur and a massive spiral rotation on the right. Fortuitously, if you smash both your femurs you’re less likely to end up with a limp.” He grins. “In my case, I ended up slightly taller.”
Holmsie spent six hours in surgery, three days in intensive care, and five weeks in hospital before flying back to New Zealand.
“They ream all the marrow out of your femurs, like cleaning a drainpipe. Then they tap the intramedullary rods down and lock them in place,” he says. “Years later they yank them out, and the marrow grows back.”
Holmsie went on to have a career that survived the Global Financial Crisis, and includes success stories like the Otago Regional Corrections Facility, earthquake rebuilds, and the Forsyth Barr Stadium.
But first, he had to learn how to walk again.
“I went to the physio pool and finned slowly through the water to build up muscle. I wasn’t allowed to stand up and bear weight for 12 weeks.”
Now an award-winning leader in the field, Holmsie’s taking the lessons he’s learnt from past projects into our new hospital.
“It’s great that we’re getting early and practical clinical input from the Project Management Office. We’ve got a good, united team – and this project will be something that transforms the region.”
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