The future of the Dreamworld following the start of the inquest into the disaster
“Why didn’t you stop the ride?” It was the cry made seconds after the most devastating theme park incident in the country. One which marked a turning point in the happiest place on the Gold Coast.
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“WHY didn’t you stop the ride?”
It was the cry made seconds after the most devastating theme park incident in the country.
One which marked a turning point in the happiest place on the Gold Coast.
The distraught partner of Kate Goodchild, David Turner, had just witnessed the horrific and terrifying disaster on the Thunder River Rapids Ride which killed his partner and three other people.
From that point, Mr Turner and the families of the other three victims — Luke Dorsett, Roozi Araghi and Cindy Low — would never be the same.
Ms Goodchild and Mr Turner were travelling with their two children Ebony, 12, and baby, Evie, for the trip of a lifetime on the Gold Coast.
Alongside them was Ms Goodchild’s brother Mr Dorsett and his partner, Mr Araghi.
All had come to the Gold Coast for a holiday packed with fun.
Now their families have spent the past two weeks on the Gold Coast dredging up memories of the horrific events of October 25, 2016.
The disaster occurred after a pump stopped working on the Thunder River Rapids Ride, causing water levels to drop and a raft to become stuck near the conveyor belt.
That raft was hit by another carrying Mr Dorsett, his sister Ms Goodchild, her daughter Ebony, 12, Mr Araghi, Ms Low and her son, Kieran, 10.
The four adults were killed. The children escaped the raft uninjured.
Eighteen months later the families have been put through a harrowing two weeks of inquest hearings into their loved-ones’ deaths which have included a barrage of claims about Dreamworld’s safety practices.
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Ms Goodchild and Mr Dorsett’s parents, Shayne Goodchild and Kim Dorsett, have sat every day in the back of courtroom 17 listening to upsetting evidence about that fatal day.
Matthew Low, Ms Low’s husband, has also fronted court every day.
The shocking details proved too much for Ms Goodchild’s partner, David Turner, who chose not to return to the courtroom after the first week.
Mr Araghi’s brother attended the last two days of the hearings.
After the first week Mr Turner and Mr Goodchild released a damning statement saying they held Dreamworld “totally responsible” for the disaster.
“We hold Dreamworld totally responsible for this tragic event that could have so easily been avoided. It has throttled our family,” they said.
Earlier in the week they asked their lawyer Steven Whybrow to reassure the two ride operators they did not hold the pair responsible.
Yesterday they chose to remain silent.
The inquest has finished its first two weeks and was adjourned to October 8. A third two-week session will be held from November 12 to 23.
Counsel assisting the coroner Ken Fleming warned yesterday it was too early to draw conclusions.
In October the inquest will continue to hear from Dreamworld employees, including middle and upper management.
Ardent Leisure group safety manager Angus Hutchings, who is in charge of safety at the park and all Ardent Leisure properties, is expected to take the stand.
It is unclear if Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson will give evidence.
Mr Fleming said the first two weeks were about establishing what happened on the day while the second block is expected to be about how management operated.
The final block in November will ask why Workplace Health and Safety allowed Dreamworld nine months worth of extensions of registration on all their rides at the park when mandatory inspections had not taken place.
The return to the inquest will keep churning up memories for the families who so brutally lost their loved ones.
The inquiry has also seen a parade of Dreamworld staff, many of whom still work at the park or the neighbouring WhiteWater World, share their recollections of the day.
Dreamworld has provided them with counselling, but ride operators are still waiting for much talked about emergency scenario training.
A spokeswoman for Dreamworld said emergency scenario training had been taking place for ride operators.
None of the five ride operators who took the stand said they have ever received emergency scenario training.
One staff member said the only people from Dreamworld who had talked to her about the incident was the theme park’s legal team.
“We apologise to our former and current Dreamworld staff who have also been affected by this tragedy, some of whom have endured significant time as witnesses reliving the accident. We thank them for doing their best to assist the coroner,” a Dreamworld spokeswoman said yesterday.
DREAMWORLD IGNORED 17 YEARS OF WARNINGS
While the Gold Coast tries to keep the family at the forefront, the city, and the city’s vital tourism industry is hurting, especially with the constant reminders of the tragedy.
Theme parks are the second largest reason domestic tourists visit the Gold Coast, according to the November 2017 Gold Coast Australian Travel Survey.
Visitor numbers have improved since Dreamworld reopened in December 2016, but slowly, forcing Ardent to book a $25 million impairment in its first-half results.
The company said attendance had improved by 42 per cent between December and January.
Dreamworld’s next big test will come this week with the June school holidays getting into swing.
Numbers in the past week have been low but the park has been trying to put on a brave face, posting on social media about tigers and fairy floss while the inquest was taking place.
The public, however, appears to have made up their mind.
“Dreamworld seems quite sad and dark. Although it was very quiet when we went, it has no spark,” one reviewer wrote on TripAdvisor just six days ago.
Another reviewer was happy to see the tigers but also pointed out: “It's a bit disappointing how quiet Dreamworld is now. The queues are a lot smaller these day. There is an eerie quietness across the park.”
In the past two weeks about 15 reviews have been posted on the site, most noting how quiet the park was.
In early 2017 the park’s revenue had dropped $6 million and signs of recovery have been slow.
Prior to the accident shares traded above $2.70, while in the past 12 months they have rarely breached the $2 mark.
JUNIOR OPERATOR ALLEGEDLY TOLD NOT TO GIVE A POLICE STATEMENT
Ardent Leisure has committed to keeping the park going with no talks of a sale taking place.
“This Coronial Inquest is not yet completed, Dreamworld remains committed to participating in it and learning all we can to ensure that such tragic accidents are not repeated,” Dreamworld said in a statement.
The shock revelations from the inquest led one insider to say Dreamworld sounded like a “Faulty Towers type operation”.
Just down the M1, MovieWorld and its owner Village Roadshow are feeling the pinch from the tragedy.
Village Roadshow Theme Parks chief operating officer Bikash Randhawa said following the disaster they saw “significant impact on our attendance and ticket sales”.
“We were not alone in feeling the impact, with hotels and tourism operators across the coast seeing a decline in business,” he said.
Season passes are up for renewal at the end of the financial year and Mr Randhawa said the theme parks are returning to normal sales.
But he warned that while the parks are returning to normal, the industry cannot do it on its own.
“Given the many thousands of businesses that benefit from Gold Coast tourism, we need the support of the relevant tourism bodies, such as Gold Coast Tourism and Tourism & Events Queensland in marketing and large scale campaigns to promote a Gold Coast Theme Park holiday,” he said.
“We do believe it will take time for the community and the marketplace to fully recover from the tragedy.”
It is not clear what support the theme park industry will get from Gold Coast Tourism, who are yet to outline a strategy.
Gold Coast Tourism chair Paul Donovan declined to comment on the body’s plan going forward after the incident.
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“All I will say is I feel so bad for all the relatives of the people who lost their lives and the staff, who are going through a lot of pain,” he said.
Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate said the families of the four people killed would remain his focus and that of all councillors throughout the inquest.
“Our reputation as a fun loving, family friendly city will recover over time,” he said.
“I stress that right now, this is about the families and those lost.”
Cr Tate, however, said it was his belief that the city’s place as Australia's theme park capital would be a strong part of the city’s future.
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