Summer Farrelly petitions positive change from tragedy

Ernie Harriman was cycling through his Bundaberg neighbourhood, catching up with friends and checking in with family when he was hit and killed at a notorious intersection, galvanising his family into action. This is the story of their fight:

On December 16, 2021, the Tantitha community was shocked to hear one of its own had been lost at the hands of a tragic accident at the intersection Tantitha and Gooburrum Roads.

Eighty-nine-year-old Ernie Harriman was cycling through his neighbourhood, catching up with friends and checking in with family when his bicycle was hit by a car at the Gooburrum intersection.

As family and friends grieved the loss of the beloved gentleman, grandchild Summer Farrelly began their fight.

“It was previously said in the community that the intersection was already a dangerous spot, it was an accident waiting to happen” they said.

“People didn’t even know there was a crossing unless you were walking or riding your bike.”

At the bottom of a crest, in a 80km/h zone with no signage indicating a crossing was even present, the site was also known for constant speeding, with a different speed limit for each side of the road.

The official response from the Bundaberg Council confirming the safety audit and what would be assessed.

Previous expansions of the road had not considered the narrow bike path, which was now only half a metre away from the busy road.

Young Mx Farrelly wrote all of these issues down and approached the one person they thought might be able to help bring about change, Burnett MP Stephen Bennett.

“We didn’t know where to start, or what the process was so we reached out to Stephen for help,” Mx Farrelly said.

They and their family had worked alongside Mr Bennett in the past, as he had supported Mx Farrelly’s advocacy for the autistic community.

Mr Bennett said that after hearing the observations they made about the tragedy and knowing it was a council road, he approached local councillor Jason Bartels and the two met with Mx Farrelly and their mother Cynthia.

“We agreed there was a need to formally go to the Bundaberg council to seek a safety upgrade,” he said.

Summer Farrelly stands in front of the three new signs and roadside chevrons that were added to the intersection following the safety audit.

In the 10 months following the accident, Mx Farrelly and their family worked with Mr Bennett and Mr Bartels to push the council into auditing the safety of the site.

“I can be a bit annoying when I want, so we pushed a lot,” Mx Farrelly said.

“We do wonder if we didn’t nudge if it would have went as fast.”

Mx Farrelly made several suggestions for the dangerous site, including improved signage and chevrons alongside the bike path.

On September 13, 2022, they received an email from the council announcing an investigative safety audit would take place.

Every suggestion made by Mx Farrelly was actioned, and new signage added to the site.

“When I said to the community ‘hey I am going to talk to the council about this’ I was met with a ‘don’t bother, change is never going to happen’ mentality,” Mx Farrelly said.

“It’s amazing that there has been a positive change, a lot of people said ‘don’t get your hopes up’ but now the road is going to be safer.”

Mx Farrelly and their family hope the changes will keep people in the community safe, and are glad the loss of their beloved family member wasn’t in vain.