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History
In July 1978 a number of interested State crane industry identities entertained the idea of a National Crane Hire Seminar to present a national image of the industry. At that time a number of separate State Crane Associations were in existence and representatives from these Associations including Bill Shaw, Don McConnell, John Black and Robert Way planned the first conference for August 1979.

In December 1978 these crane men were joined by Bob Parker, Doug Shell and Garry Davis of Queensland and NSW respectively and a program was formulated for the crane hire conference with the venue being the Broadbeach Hotel at the Gold Coast.

The initial moves towards a national crane organization occurred on 19 October 1979 in Perth at a meeting of the Crane Hire Conference Committee and on the motion of John Black and seconded by Bob Parker a national body of hirers was formed titled the Crane Industry Council of Australia with the objective of providing one voice on matters of mutual concern to the Australian mobile crane industry. This forum continues to provide the opportunity for owners, marketers and end users to come together through conferences and seminars organized and managed by Council Officers.

It is to be noted that this Council did not extend its coverage to marketing and manufacturing companies at that time and in fact representatives of that sector of the industry moved independently to form a separate organization to represent their interests and so the Australian Crane Marketers Association was born.

It is fair to say that the success of the 1979 crane hire conference was partly due to the able support of marketing companies and the sponsorship provided by them.

March 1980 saw the initially elected Office Bearers of the Council take the responsibilities of Council activities.

They were:

Chairman Bill Shaw, also representing Victoria
Vice Chairman Bob Parker, also representing Queensland

The Committee consisted of:

John Black Western Australia
Garry Rundell South Australia
Doug Shell New South Wales

At this time the first crane journal produced for the hire industry by Robin Brampton of Beaconsfield Press Pty. Ltd. went to print under the name of Crane Australia and this quarterly published magazine continued until 1985 when taken over by Thomson Publications Pty. Ltd. under the title of Crane World.

In mid 1980 a Secretariat was established under the direction of Norman Jones who remained associated with the Council until his retirement at the end of 1998.

The Constitution of the Council was formulated and adopted in January 1981 and the objectives then stated were inter alia:

Generally to foster liaison between crane manufacturers,
government authorities and allied bodies, crane owners and
hirers within Australia in advancement of the industry.
Operations of the Council shall not have jurisdiction over any
state matters or matters of an industrial nature.

These original objectives continued until 20 March 1984 when the Council was incorporated as a public company limited by guarantee.

CICA objectives were amended in 1990 following the decision to amalgamate the marketing organization with the Council. The decision was taken unanimously in order to further bolster the image of a coordinated crane industry providing a united front in matters requiring government lobbying. By agreement between the parties the merger, which took place on 21 June 1990, resulted in setting the following objectives:

"To promote, advise, encourage, co-ordinate and liaise on the activities of the Australian crane industry in concert with owners, hirers, manufacturers and distributors so as to establish and develop an efficient and stable crane industry."

CICA Presidents

1979 Bill Shaw
July 1982 - 1984 Doug Shell
July 1984 - 1986 Bob Parker
July 1986 - 1988 Kevin Wheeler
July 1988 - August 1992 John Gillespie
August 1992 - August 1994 Bob Parker
August 1994 - August 1996 Jeff Brundell
August 1996 - August 1998 Brian Hain
August 1998 - August 2000 John Gillespie
August 2000 - September 2002 Tony Bartlett
August 2002 – September 2004 Jeff Brundell
September 2004 - John Gillespie

In February 1999 the Secretariat was relocated to Melbourne and in March 2002 an independent office was established at Glen Waverley (Melbourne).

The Crane Log Book and the Crane Safety Manual referred to above are both available for purchase from the Secretariat at a discount price to CICA and State Crane Association members.

Con Popov

Previous Con Popov Memorial Award recipients are as follows:

1998 Robert Way
1999 Bob Parker
2000 Allan McPherson
2001 Brian Hain
2002 John Gillespie
2003 Jeff Brundell
2006 Hugh Morris
2008 Kevin Wheeler

Mission Statement

The Mission Statement was formally adopted by the Council Executive in November 2000:

To be the authority for the lifting industry in Australia
To develop and promote a safe and effective crane and lifting industry
To strive to achieve uniformity in standards and regulations
throughout Australia.

The Future

CICA has an impressive record of achievement so far with a number of important ongoing issues on its agenda:

Lobbying of relevant state/federal governments and authorities on standards and regulations affecting the Australian crane industry
Organization of crane industry conferences and overseas delegations
Importation of second hand cranes and crane safety standards review
Industry training
Publication of a log book for daily maintenance checks
Review of the Australian edition of the Crane Safety Manual
Publication of an industry newsletter

CICA today has established a position where it is recognised by government and the public sector as the official spokesman on all national matters affecting the Australian crane industry.