1979 Sydney Ghost Train fire
Memorial plaque at Luna Park Sydney in remembrance of those who died in the fire
Date9 June 1979 (1979-06-09)
VenueLuna Park Sydney
LocationMilsons Point, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates33°50′54″S 151°12′35″E / 33.848343°S 151.209756°E / -33.848343; 151.209756
TypeFire
CauseCause disputed:
  • Electrical fault (June 1979 NSW Police investigation)
  • Inconclusive, probable ignition of flammable litter by patron's discarded cigarette or match (September 1979 NSW Coroner's Court)
  • Arson (2021 TV documentary)
Casualties
7 killed

The Sydney Ghost Train fire at Luna Park Sydney in Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia killed seven people (six children and one adult) on 9 June 1979. Inadequate fire-fighting measures and low staffing caused the fire to completely destroy the amusement park's ghost train. The ride is believed to have been first constructed in 1931 and transported between Milsons Point and Glenelg, South Australia, during 1934 and 1935.[1]

The fire was originally blamed on electrical faults, but arson by known figures has also been claimed. The exact cause of the fire could not be determined by a coronial inquiry. The coroner also ruled that, while the actions of Luna Park's management and staff before and during the fire (in particular their decision not to follow advice on the installation of a fire sprinkler system in the ride) breached their duty of care, charges of criminal negligence should not be laid. The case was reopened in 1987 but no new findings were made, although the original police investigation and coronial inquiry were criticised.

A memorial garden was installed by Luna Park in 1995, but its fixtures were lost during the park's 2003 redevelopment. In replacement, a plaque listing those killed was installed at the site of the ride, but a promised mural to surround the plaque was never painted. In 2007, North Sydney Council created a separate memorial park, which included a sculpture by Michael Leunig.

Ride

The Ghost Train was designed and constructed in 1931 at Luna Park Glenelg, then later transported to Sydney with many others where it formed the basis for the new Luna Park there. Architectural plans of the Ghost Train are held at the State Library of New South Wales.[2]

The looped recording that attracted guests to the ride promised "the creepiest spine-tingling ride of your life", adding:

You'll shiver and quake... in the Ghost Train!

Cars would enter through a door reading "Hell's Doorway." Many twists and turns in pitch black then followed, yanking passengers along a 180-metre electric track. Most of the ride was pitch black. The ride was lined with dancing skeletons, an ape monster, a dragon's head, Dracula in a graveyard and a skeleton in a box. The ride also featured a fake fireplace which, according to witnesses, is where the actual fire originated.[3]

Fire

Fire broke out inside the ride at approximately 10:15 pm. Due to a combination of low water pressure, under-staffing within the park, and inadequate coverage of the Ghost Train by the park's fire hose system, the fire completely consumed the ride.[4][5] It took an hour to bring the fire under control, but it was extinguished before any significant damage could be done to the adjacent River Caves and Big Dipper.[5][6]

Around thirty-five people were believed to have been on the ride when thick smoke began to escape from the tunnel doors.[6] Ride staff raised the alarm and began to pull people from the ride as their cars exited the tunnel.[6] It was initially thought that everybody had escaped the fire, but in the following hours, the bodies of seven people were found inside the ride: John Godson and his two children, Damien and Craig, and four Waverley College students, Jonathan Billings, Richard Carroll, Michael Johnson, and Seamus Rahilly.[5][6] At the time of the fire, investigating police speculated that the seven had climbed out of their cars and unsuccessfully tried to find their way out of the tunnel; had they stayed in the cars, they might have survived.[6] Other evacuated passengers reported seeing empty cars exit the tunnel on fire. When asked individually what chance the victims had of survival, each put it at "zero".[7]

Investigation

Luna Park was shut down immediately after the incident for a federal investigation.[4][6] An inquest was held in the Coroner's Court of New South Wales from 13 to 29 August 1979 in the Sydney suburb of Glebe before coroner Kevin Sidney Anderson.[8] Anderson issued his findings on 3 September 1979.[8] He found that "[T]he cause of the fire cannot conclusively be stated", and accepted expert testimony that the ride's permanent wiring and attractions were unlikely to be the source of ignition – but could not be completely excluded.[8] Having heard from witnesses that ride patrons often ignored no smoking signs and "had the habit of discarding food wrapping and other litter", Anderson stated that while "[t]he most probable cause of the fire was ignition of flammable litter by a cigarette or match... discarded by a person riding on the train", he reiterated that "how the fire was ignited, the evidence adduced does not allow me to say".[8]

Anderson's inquiry examined issues beyond the source of ignition. He found that Luna Park's management had failed to develop an adequate fire suppression program despite recommendations by North Sydney Council and the fire department eighteen months earlier.[4] Anderson's report stated that while the park's owners and management had failed in their duty of care towards patrons, the failure was not "that high degree of negligence necessary to support a charge of criminal negligence".[9] The Government of New South Wales called for new tenders to operate the park on 31 July 1979.[10]

Before the fire, a Sydney design consultant stated that he had advised Luna Park management to install a sprinkler system in the Ghost Train in December 1977, following an inspection of the park for potential renovations.[6] The recommendation was not followed.[4][6]

In 1987, a government inquiry by the National Crime Authority reopened an investigation into the fire.[11] No new evidence was presented, but it was found that the police investigation into the incident had been inadequate, and the coronial inquiry ineffective.[11]

Despite claims ranging from faulty wiring to sabotage in an attempt to have the park closed down and demolished, the cause of the fire has never been established.[11]

In May 2007, Anne Buckingham, a niece of Sydney underworld figure Abe Saffron, claimed in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald that her uncle was responsible for the fire.[12] Saffron had been associated with seven other arson attacks in the two years following the Ghost Train fire, although he had repeatedly denied involvement with the Ghost Train fire.[5][12] Buckingham claimed the attack was part of a plan for Saffron to gain control of Luna Park's lease, although she stated her belief that the seven deaths were not intended.[12]

Former park artist Martin Sharp claimed that Saffron had approached Luna Park's owner, Ted Hopkins, several years before the fire, offering to buy the park.[5] In 1985, it was claimed by NSW MP Michael John Hatton that Saffron had beneficial ownership of the park, resulting in an inquiry which concluded that although people related to Saffron were involved in supplying pinball and arcade games to Luna Park, Saffron himself was not linked to the ownership of the park.[5]

Buckingham later denied she made the comments attributed to her and demanded the story not be published, although the Herald claims her original statements were recorded on tape during a face-to-face interview.[12] The NSW Attorney General has stated the coronial inquiry could be reopened, but that it would require the submission of new evidence to the police.[13]

Memorials

In 1995, a memorial was dedicated to the seven victims of the 1979 fire, with a tree planted next to an antique bench displaying the names of the victims.[14] During the 2003 redevelopment, the tree was removed and the bench lost.[14] Park director Warwick Doughty asserted that the memorial and events had little relevance, although North Sydney mayor Genia McCaffery, among others, disagreed and campaigned for the memorial to be reinstated.[14] In 2004, a plaque listing the names of the victims was placed on an external wall of the Big Top Sydney, which was constructed on the site of the Ghost Train.[15][16] The plaque was intended to be the centrepiece of a mural painted by Sharp,[16] but this has never been painted.

North Sydney Council opened a memorial park at Lavender Bay on 25 August 2007.[17] The Art Barton Park, named after former Park Artist Arthur Barton, includes a bronze sculpture designed by Michael Leunig dedicated to the victims.[17]

The Chapel at Waverley College features a plaque memorializing its four students who perished in the fire, with the photo and name of each boy.

Street of Dreams

In January 1979, Sharp brought musician Tiny Tim to Australia to set the world record for the longest non-stop professional singing marathon during a show at Luna Park. When the Ghost Train fire occurred five months later, Sharp became convinced that the two events were somehow linked. He then began to document what he perceived as the many synchronicities and theological connections between Tiny Tim's performance and the fire, while also gathering evidence that the fire had been deliberately lit, for a new documentary to be entitled Street of Dreams.

Sharp worked on the film obsessively for many years and never completed it in his lifetime. In 1988, a rough cut ("The Brighton Cut") was compiled for film festival screenings, but Sharp still considered this version a work in progress and not a final product. Street of Dreams remains unfinished and has never been officially released in any form, though the Brighton Cut has surfaced online as a low-quality bootleg.

Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire

In March 2021, Australia's national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), screened a three-part investigative series by journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire.[18][19] The series investigated potential – but unconfirmed – evidence around the fire and the personalities involved, and interviewed surviving family of the fire's victims, along with many judicial figures and police investigators of the time, and some former park staff. Witnesses were interviewed, including three who rode the Ghost Train just minutes earlier. These first witnesses believed the artificial fire display (using coloured lights and a fan to make flapping strips of material look like flames) seemed to include actual flames, but did not immediately recognize the severity of the threat and thus did not notify ride operators when they disembarked. Other witnesses who entered the Ghost Train soon after the first batch, smelled smoke straightaway and saw an uncontained fire spreading rapidly within the narrow confines of the ride. The latter witnesses frantically tried to warn one of the ride operators to stop any further cars from entering the ride just as he was permitting the final few cars to proceed into the ride, joining others that were already inside.

The program also brought to light much of Sharp's personal collection of files and taped interviews gathered during his own investigation of the incident over the years. In a 2010 discussion of his artwork for the park’s restoration in the early 1970s, Sharp revealed that the fire and the circumstances surrounding it had exerted a profound effect on his spiritual outlook.[20] Much of this had been documented in Sharp's unfinished Street of Dreams film project, although the EXPOSED documentary did not mention this - nor how Sharp's fixation on Tiny Tim and various theological elements played a role in his view of the fire.

The television investigation concluded that a web of criminality connecting Saffron, former NSW Premier Neville Wran, former High Court Justice Lionel Murphy and organised crime boss Jack Rooklyn was behind the incident, with Saffron allegedly ordering the setting of the fire by an outlaw motorcycle club so he could gain control of the lease on the crown land (public land protected by the government of New South Wales ) on which Luna Park stood. The unproven "fresh claims of foul play and a cover-up" in the television program led to a call by Jodi McKay, then-leader of the NSW official opposition, for the government to instigate a new coronial inquiry or Royal Commission into the case.[21]

There was strident criticism of the programme's allegations against the late premier Wran by former premiers Carr and Unsworth, former prime minister Turnbull, former ABC managing director David Hill, and former editor Milton Cockburn and journalist Troy Bramston of the Sydney Morning Herald.[22]

This resulted in the ABC Board establishing an enquiry into the programme by professor Rodney Tiffin and journalist Chris Masters which criticised the overstatement as to the strength of the programme’s allegations against Wran, whilst concluding that overall "the program makers uncovered much suspicious evidence around arson being the cause of the fire, exposed the incompetence of the police investigation, reported on the inadequacies of earlier investigations, revealed the way policy making by the NSW government benefited Saffron, and the corrupt circle of influence around Saffron. They mounted a compelling case for a new investigation."[23]

Subsequent investigations

In April 2021, following the release of Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire and the subsequent public outcry, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that "relevant agencies in NSW are considering [a fresh inquest]".[24] At the request of New South Wales state coroner Teresa O’Sullivan,[25] the NSW Police Force reopened their investigation and its homicide division established Strike Force Sedgeman to conduct the review. A reward of AUD $1 million for 'fresh and significant information' has been offered to encourage witnesses to come forward. As of November 11, 2023, the reward is still active.[26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Our History | Luna Park Sydney". www.lunaparksydney.com. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "Series 01: Architectural plans and drawings of rides and buildings at Luna Park (North Sydney, New South Wales), Luna Park (St Kilda, Victoria) and Luna Park (Glenelg, South Australia); and plans of buildings and rides at Royal Agricultural Society Showground, Moore Park, New South Wales, ca. 1926-1979 / Call Number PXD 1086". State Library of New South Wales Catalogue. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  3. ↑ Meldrum-Hanna, Caro (16 March 2021). "Accident or arson?". ABC. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Marshall, Sam (2005). Luna Park - Just for fun (2nd ed.). Sydney, Australia: Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd. p. 110. ISBN 0-646-44807-2.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McClymont, Kate (26 May 2007). "Haunting questions won't go away". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 13. Retrieved 7 June 2007. - Note that the online version differs from print article; different title (Haunting questions linger) and first three paragraphs missing.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Birnbauer, Bill (11 July 1979). "Seven die at fun fair: Electrical fault suspected in ghost train fire". The Age. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  7. ↑ "Seven die at fun fair: Suddenly fire and smoke make the mock horror real". The Age. 11 June 1979. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Anderson, Kevin Sidney (Coroner) (3 September 1979). Luna Park Fire Inquiry Before Coroner Sitting Alone (PDF) (Report). Coroner's Court of New South Wales. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Marshall, Sam (2005). Luna Park - Just for fun (2nd ed.). Sydney, Australia: Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd. pp. 110–111. ISBN 0-646-44807-2.
  10. ↑ Marshall, Sam (2005). Luna Park - Just for fun (2nd ed.). Sydney, Australia: Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd. p. 111. ISBN 0-646-44807-2.
  11. 1 2 3 Gregory J. Read (director) (1996). Spirits of the Carnival - The Quest for Fun (Documentary, Videotape). Sydney: Paper Bark Films (production), Total Film & Television (distribution). Scene occurring 42:00 to 43:30
  12. 1 2 3 4 McClymont, Kate (26 May 2007). "Niece links Abe Saffron to Luna Park deaths". The Sydney Morning Herald. pp. 1, 13. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
  13. ↑ Australian Associated Press (31 May 2007). "Fun park fire inquest could be reopened". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 Nicholls, Sean (14 July 2003). "Ghost Train memorial tree haunts developers". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
  15. ↑ Marshall, Sam (2005). Luna Park - Just for fun (2nd ed.). Sydney, Australia: Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd. p. 152. ISBN 0-646-44807-2.
  16. 1 2 Nicholls, Sean (29 March 2004). "Tragic day at fun park recalled". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
  17. 1 2 Khoury, Andre (29 August 2007). "Memorial honours for victims". Mosman Daily. Cumberland Newspapers. Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
  18. ↑ EXPOSED: The Ghost Train Fire. March 2021.
  19. ↑ "Former NSW police officers claim Sydney underworld figure Abe Saffron orchestrated the Luna Park Ghost Train fire". www.abc.net.au. 30 March 2021.
  20. ↑ Rachael Kohn, Martin Sharp (7 March 2010). The Spiritual Vision of Martin Sharp (Audio and Transcript). Radio National. The Spirit of Things. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  21. ↑ Meldrum-Hanna, Caro; Begley, Patrick; Balendra, Jaya; Karagic, Dunja (31 March 2021) [30 March 2021]. "'Deeply disturbed': NSW Opposition leader calls for new inquiry into the deadly Luna Park Ghost Train fire". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023.
  22. ↑ Milton Cockburn and Troy Bramston. The ABC's Luna Park Fire Conspiracy Beatup, Sydney Institute 20 August 2021.
  23. ↑ Tiffen, Rodney; Masters, Chris (August 2021). ABC Editorial Review 25 | Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "NSW Premier 'considering' new inquest into Luna Park Ghost Train fire that killed seven people". ABC News. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  25. ↑ Coade, Melissa (12 April 2021). "NSW coroner officially requests review of historic Luna Park fire". The Mandarin. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  26. ↑ "Luna Park Fire - NSW Police Public Site". www.police.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.