MCKNIGHTS Electrical has finished one of the most challenging jobs in its more than 80 years of existence.
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The Ballarat born company, still with its head office in Ballarat, has prepared all the electrical work for the light towers at Simmonds Stadium in Geelong, ahead of its first night game on June 1.
The project is worth $2.5 million and uses 500 individual lights across four towers.
McKnights Electrical owner Wes McKnight said there was a trial of the lights during the week, where all the lights worked successfully.
“The hardest thing about this project was there was no room to move with the completion date – the date for the first game was set two years ago,” he said.
“We started in December – somehow we were able to finish on time. This isn’t our biggest ever project, but the amount of work and the complexity of the work in the short space of time made it one of the most challenging.”
The towers stand at 85 metres, 50 metres above the height of the grand stand itself.
“It dominates the skyline as you drive into Geelong,” Mr McKnight said.
The first ever night match at Simmonds Stadium will be June 1, already sold out for when Geelong takes on Greater Western Sydney.
But for Mr McKnight, the project was also rewarding as a Geelong supporter.
“My grandfather, that founded the company, was a big Geelong fan, he always took us down to see games.
“I’ve been a supporter since I was young. My grandfather would have loved to watch them.
“At the end of the day it has been work but being a Geelong supporter has added a bit of romance to it.”
Mr McKnight said it was a unique project to work on and he did not know if the company would have the opportunity to undertake something similar again.
“It was definitely a unique project, I don’t know whether we’ll do something like this again,” he said.
nicole.cairns@fairfaxmedia.com.au