Dreamworld owner Ardent leisure announced the Thunder River Rapids ride will be demolished
DREAMWORLD is still unable to announce when the theme park will reopen. CEO Craig Davidson says an extensive review is under way but it was not known how long it would take.
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DREAMWORLD is still unable to announce when the theme park will reopen.
CEO Craig Davidson has just addressed a media pack outside the Coomera park and said an extensive review was under way but it was not known how long it would take.
The Thunder River Rapids ride, which claimed four lives, will be decommissioned.
The flower memorial on the lawn will be respectfully removed by the Red Cross on Monday and will be moved to a permanent memorial inside the park.
“Our thoughts remain firmly with the families who have lost their loved ones,” Mr Davidson said.
“From today we will begin to move towards the reopening of Dreamworld.”
“No ride will open at Dreamworld without a methodical mechanical and operational review process overseen by no less than four separate organisations.
“Dreamworld is well progressed with its internal review of all rides at the park.
“This includes reviewing all existing ride operations, procedures and policies.”
DREAMWORLD’S Thunder River Rapids will never reopen, with the theme park’s owners opting to demolish the 30-year-old ride on which four people died last month.
Ardent Leisure chief executive Deborah Thomas this morning announced in a statement the ride would be permanently closed.
“Out of respect for the memories of Cindy Low, Roozbeh Araghi, Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett and their deeply affected families, the ride will be permanently decommissioned. The closure of the ride is the only respectful and appropriate course of action,” she said.
Ms Thomas also announced that Pitt and Sherry, an independent expert engineering firm would lead an external review of all Dreamworld and WhiteWater World rides and related systems.
The review has already begun.
Ms Thomas said park staff would continue to work with safety officials.
“No ride at Dreamworld will operate until the Workplace Health and Safety audit has been completed and unless it passes the multi-level internal review process,” she said.
Ms Thomas said as soon as possible the families would be invited to help create a “fitting and permanent” memorial to their loved ones.
Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson is expected to make an announcement at the park today.
It comes as a Dreamworld disaster family support fund has quadrupled just a week after its launch.
Ten local organisations kickstarted the GIVIT Gold Coast Appeal with a collective $100,000 pledge.
The Gold Coast Titans, Mantra Group, Hot Tomato, Bond University, Gold Coast Airport, Star Entertainment Group, City of Gold Coast, Ramsay Health and the Gold Coast Bulletin all chipped in $10,000 each to give the fund a healthy start.
Since then donations, mainly from locals including many who wish to remain anonymous, have seen the fund climb past $200,000.
The fund’s independent Distribution Committee member Catherine O’Sullivan, the Bond University Pro-Vice Chancellor, yesterday said extra donations since and the pledge by Ardent Leisure CEO Deborah Thomas to donate her entire $167,500 bonus would see the fund surpass $400,000.
One hundred per cent of the money donated is to be distributed to the affected families. Canberra trio of mother Kate Goodchild, 32, her brother Luke Dorsett, 35, his partner Roozi Araghi, 38, were killed in the Thunder River Rapids ride incident along with Sydney visitor Cindy Low, 42.
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