Dreamworld tragedy: How our Gold Coast rallied together

IF there is one thing to come from the Dreamworld tragedy it’s a renewed faith in mankind. Since news broke of four tourists losing their lives, the Coast community has rallied together ...

Police detectives are seen behind one of the rafts from the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld

EACH day when the detectives investigating the Dreamworld tragedy gather for their daily briefing, they collectively take a moment to reflect on why they do what they do.

“It’s for the families,” Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said of the responsibility that comes with investigating another person’s death.

“That’s discussed every day when we do our briefings and the reason we do that is to keep everyone’s minds focused.

Victims of the Dreamworld tragedy Kate Goodchild Luke Dorsett Roozi Araghi and Cindy Low.

“It is never just another job. It’s for the families of the victims and, in this case, the community expectation that people should be able to go to a place like Dreamworld in a safe manner.

“Even though this happened outside the scope of a homicide, we still see it as our duty to stand up and ensure the families get an accurate picture of what happened so they can get an understanding of what’s occurred and hopefully some closure.”

Almost three weeks after four people were killed while riding the Thunder River Rapids Ride, the tragedy remains the focus of countless lives.

Siblings Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett were farewelled at a touching funeral in Canberra on Monday. Two days later Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson confirmed the 30-year-old ride will be demolished.

Police and inspectors from other agencies at the Dreamworld site. Photo: David Clark

Devastated staff are increasingly making their way back to the theme park to prepare for its eventual reopening.

Then there are the police, those hardworking souls who this week handed the accident scene back to Dreamworld and have started the massive task of analysing their findings for the State Coroner.

“As detectives, what we do on a daily basis comes with a lot of pressure,” said Thompson, who heads the Gold Coast’s Northern Crime Group.

“However, we were certainly aware doing this job of the affinity the public holds for Dreamworld and the expectations they would place upon us to put a full and accurate brief to the Coroner.” The scale of the police investigation has been immense.

Ava and Hamish Henderson at the Dreamworld front gate which became a focal point for the grieving community.

Led by Coomera CIB, about 30 detectives worked on the case for the first fortnight, with support from multiple agencies including the State Crime Command and Forensic Crash Unit.

There was also a critical link with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.

“We used a lot of their resources such as engineers and specialists in machinery to do expert analysis for us,” Thompson said.

“These people died on a ride that has a significant amount of engineering facets and we have had to test each one of them … which brought a technical aspect we don’t normally tackle.

“We needed to ensure that, as police, we received the proper expert advice into how each piece of those technical aspects functioned together.”

Unlike an episode of CSI, this will be a lengthy process.

Michael Bemrose from the Gold Coast at the memorial site out the front of Dreamworld.

There will be further witness interviews. Technical data continues to be collated. It will be several months before police deliver their brief to the Coroner.

One thing is guaranteed though.

“What we do is deal with facts,” Thompson said.

“Our investigators are trained to take heed of what’s being said in the media but not let that cloud our judgment and create a tunnel vision. We’re there to follow where the investigation takes us and not get sidetracked by the white noise that sometimes gets created.

“We’re about facts. It’s not our job to deal with emotions.”

But what about their own emotions? Surely, like the rest of us, this particular tragedy has hit hard?

Flowers at a memorial at the front of Dreamworld on November 9.

“I don’t think there would be an investigator or forensic police officer who has worked on this that could say they’ve never been to Dreamworld or even on that ride,” Thompson said.

“We’re all professional and we do put that aside, but it is certainly something that hit close to home. It’s in the back of your mind that we’ve all be there.”

That personal connection with Dreamworld has also sparked an outpouring of community grief like few other tragedies to touch the Gold Coast.

“I think it’s a very positive thing, particularly for the people closest to the tragedy who are going to be experiencing the deepest grief,” clinical psychologist Paul Bowden said of the floral memorial and candlelit vigils held at Dreamworld since that devastating Tuesday.

The husband and son of Cindy Low, Matthew and Kieran (left), depart with other mourners after her funeral at the Palmdale Hillside Chapel on the Central Coast, on November 3.

“Being able to see there is support from people they don’t even know is a very reassuring thing. It’s also good that people aren’t hiding their grief behind closed doors. Times have changed and this is a way they can deal with their emotions in a healthy way and turn it into an experience.”

Why this tragedy though? What was different about Dreamworld that saw dedicated crisis phone lines set up and the Red Cross head to the theme park to offer support for grieving strangers?

“Everyone can connect with it,” said Bowden, the director of Robina’s Go Psychology.

“When you’ve experienced something it brings it closer and whether you’re a child or elderly, we’ve all been to a theme park. To think it could have been any of us is going to bring a range of emotions to the surface.

Investigators at Dreamworld. Image: Channel 7

“Compared to other traumatic events we see almost weekly, this one is also unique. Some activities are risky and we get used to accidents happening, but this was not expected or anticipated by anyone and that will inevitably cause a different emotional impact.”

Bowden is not only a psychologist. He’s also a father of two young daughters and knows first-hand how news travels fast in the modern world.

“My immediate reaction was to protect them from the tragedy but we quickly found out it was pretty big news, even by the time they got home from school,” he said.

“From there I just let them talk about how they felt hearing about the accident. The biggest thing is to make sure they know it’s normal to feel sad or scared, and then to help them think about it differently so they can move on at their own pace.

Coroner James McDougall at Dreamworld. Pics Adam Head

“Some people will wear the scars forever, particularly those personally connected, but most people will be back attending Dreamworld and I think that’s important.

“This was a unique and random accident that has a minute risk of happening again and we can’t let these things get in the way of living.”

Bob East would surely appreciate that sentiment.

As Mantra Group chief executive and Tourism Queensland chairman, he knows the crucial role a successful Dreamworld plays in the local tourism landscape but is also aware that recent events are extremely raw.

“Our focus is on helping everyone through this process,” East said.

Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson leaves after addressing the media on November 9.

“The tourism industry is quite good at pulling together and are a pretty passionate group of people and our focus, as always, will be on doing our jobs with passion. Obviously there’s a time and place to discuss how we continue to engage with our customer base, but there’s a real sensitivity needed. We’ve all got personal friends in the industry impacted by this. “Our thoughts are first and foremost with the people who were killed and their families, but we also feel for our colleagues in the industry.”

Those colleagues include Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson, who told Coast Weekend his staff had been deeply touched by the outpouring of support and grief from the Gold Coast community since the dream became a nightmare.

“As more and more of our staff members return to work, our spirits are lifting and we are thankful for the encouragement offered by so many of our passholders, partners, business leaders and the broader Gold Coast community,” he said.

“I am extremely proud of our Dreamworld family, the way our team has banded together to grieve and support each other through this difficult time … (and) our thoughts and hearts remain firmly with the families affected by the Dreamworld tragedy.”

Of course those families ultimately want answers and while they will have to wait to have them, they can be assured the men and women searching for them are equally desperate to know how the unthinkable could unfold in their own back yard.

“I don’t think anyone ever thought this could happen,” Detective Inspector Thompson said.

“How it occurred won’t be known until after the assessment of all the technicalities but it’s certainly been investigated by a group of people who have grown up with Dreamworld being part of their lives.”