Crane driver's work high on thrills

Standing high above the ground on the edge of Kings Park, Cosimo Zannino has a breathtaking view of the city.

But to get it he had to clamber about 50m up a crane ladder and out on to the narrow boom.

Most of us would baulk at the prospect but Mr Zannino, who has worked for Tom's Cranes for 41 years, did not flinch.

The veteran rigger, who said he was "only 69 1/2 years old," took an opposite view. "People pay a lot of money to get up in the air to have a look," he said.

"I say to the boys all the time, 'We get the best views in Perth and we get paid for it'."

Mr Zannino said the crane in question, which was working on a project on Mounts Bay Road, was "a small one" and he had worked as high as 270m.

On that occasion they had gone up to work using the "man cage" rather than climbing up steps. "It was beautiful," he said. "Some of the boys wanted to take photos."

While he admitted that in his early days there were a few nerves, he was now used to what the job entailed and made sure he used the safety harness.

The crane Mr Zannino climbed up was one of about eight visible from Kings Park. Tom Martinazzo, managing director of Tom's Cranes, said he had enough work with about 18-20 cranes in use around the city.