After receiving almost 250 imaginative entries from children aged 2 to 12 across the local area, the Ryde Hospital Redevelopment’s ‘Name the Crane’ competition has revealed the two tower crane names!
Local children name the two tower cranes
The two tower cranes supporting the delivery of the $526.8 million Ryde Hospital Redevelopment will officially be known as ‘ICU Up There’ and ‘Blue Gum Giant’, thanks to the creativity of two local children.
Layla Bahry, aged 9, chose 'ICU Up There', "because it's at a hospital and it's always up. So it's like saying "I see you up there!". Where Sloane Hanrahan, aged 4 chose 'Blue Gum Giant', "because it's got a great view over the Blue Gum Forest and it's tall like a giant".
The competition was open to children who live locally, attend a local school or daycare or who are connected to a Ryde Hospital staff member. The hundreds of highly creative and imaginative entries were received from children aged 2 to 12 from across the local area.
Celebrating with our community
Northern Sydney Local Health District Chief Executive Anthony Schembri, A/General Manager Ryde Hospital Jenny McConnell, along with project team members, hospital staff and guests joined the winners and runners-up of the competition along with their families for the announcement, acknowledging the outstanding creativity shown by local children and the importance of community involvement in the redevelopment.
“Congratulations to our winners and finalists as we celebrate this really special occasion. Our Ryde Hospital Redevelopment is progressing well. Our tower cranes will be doing the heavy lifting for this exciting phase of construction.”
- Anthony Schembri, Chief Executive, Northern Sydney Local Health District
Meet the winners and runners up
Layla Bahry, 9, with ICU Up There and Sloane Hanrahan, 4, with Blue Gum Giant, have named the two tower cranes that will build the new Acute Services Building (ASB) - the centrepiece of the Ryde Hospital Redevelopment.
Layla chose a very clever play on words, while Sloane has represented the hospital’s 3.8ha Blue Gum High Forest, located adjacent to the hospital redevelopment.
Alongside our winners, eight imaginative runner-ups impressed with names like Mr Teapot, Dr Lift-a-Lot, and Taylor Lift. Explore our 10 finalists below and discover the stories behind their creative entries.
The winners of the Ryde Hospital Redevelopment’s Name the Crane competition were announced, and the cranes were officially named at the hospital construction site on Wednesday 3 December 2025.
| Crane name | Meaning | Entrant | Age | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICU Up There | I named the crane "ICU Up There" because it's at a hospital and it's always up. So it's like saying "I see you up there!" | Layla Bahry | 9 | Winner |
| Blue Gum Giant | Because it's got a great view over the Blue Gum Forest and it's tall like a giant | Sloane Hanrahan | 4 | Winner |
| Taylor lift | The biggest thing happening at Ryde, named like the biggest star in the world | Sahana Hurley | 11 | Runner-up |
| Denny the Crane | Denny is a nickname for Denistone, where the crane lives. | Noah Davis | 6 | Runner-up |
| Dr. Lifty | I call it Dr. Lifty because he lifts stuff and helps build the hospital for sick people. | Samuel Choong | 11 | Runner-up |
| The Healinator | He doesn’t demolish, he heals! | Olivia Nasseri | 6 | Runner-up |
| Mr Teapot | The crane looks like a 'T ‘shape and the crane book looks like its pouring tea. | Alannah Miu | 3 | Runner-up |
| Dr. Lift-a-Lot | Because it's funny and related to hospitals | Stefanie Boey | 11 | Runner-up |
| Dr Fix | I chose Dr Fix because it is a hospital and they fix people in hospital. | Ada Searle | 7 | Runner-up |
| Mighty Rydey | Tower crane is strong to lift stuff to build where I live. | Micaela Zhu | 5 | Runner-up |
A milestone for the project
“The arrival of the tower cranes marks a major step forward for the project, and they will be key to supporting the work that will be taking place over the next two years. We’re thrilled to have received such a big response from the community, who submitted hundreds of names for the cranes.”
- Marcus Haines, Project Director, Health Infrastructure
The competition winners and runners-up and their families joined the project team for an afternoon of fun and adventure, touring the project site and getting a behind-the-scenes look at the ongoing construction. Throughout the visit, the children were introduced to some of our project leaders, viewed a cool crane display, and learned more about what it takes to bring a hospital redevelopment to life!
The winning names will be proudly displayed on the cranes while they help to construct the new 7-storey building. The ASB will provide an expanded emergency, intensive care, medical imaging, operating theatres, and adding a paediatric short-stay unit and purpose-built ambulatory care centre, allowing the people of Ryde to access the care they need, close to home.
Construction of the state-of-the-art Acute Services Building is due for completion in late 2027, with the hospital’s main entrance and landscaping works to follow in 2028.
Gallery
The Ryde Hospital Redevelopment names their cranes
Questions?
Email the project team at rydehospitalredev@health.nsw.gov.au
Stay up to date
Register your email address to stay up to date on the Ryde Hospital Redevelopment.