HEARTACHE THAT MAY NEVER HEAL
THE scars left by the harrowing events in Devonport on December 16, 2021, will never fully heal for many Tasmanians.
Families and friends still struggle to speak of their grief and more than 170 first responders are receiving ongoing mental health support, with 12 still not back at work.
A year ago today, students at Hillcrest Primary School were capping off another year.
To mark the occasion, a school fair was organised. Spirits were high as the sun beat down on what was a warm northern Tasmanian day.
Precisely what happened next remains the subject of a coroner’s investigation but what is known is that six young souls were lost – and the nation’s heart was broken.
Just after 10am, police were called to the school.
“Police and emergency services are responding to an incident at Hillcrest Primary School involving a jumping castle and a wind event that has caused injuries,” local media were informed by a police dispatch shortly after.
By 5pm, it was confirmed four children had died.
“Nine grade 6 Hillcrest Primary School students fell from a height of around 10 metres after a significant local wind event caused a jumping castle and several inflatable zorb balls to lift into the air about 10am,” police confirmed that evening.
Two girls and two boys died and another five suffered critical or serious injuries and were hospitalised.
Darren Hine, the police commissioner at the time, made his way to the small port city in the hours after the incident. Later, he broke the devastating news to the nation.
“On a day where these children were meant to be celebrating their last day at primary school, instead we are all mourning their loss,” he said.
“Our hearts are breaking for the families and loved ones, schoolmates and teachers of those children taken too soon.”
Later that evening, it was confirmed a fifth child had succumbed to their injuries.
That Sunday, promising young basketballer Chace Harrison was the last of the six children to die from injuries. The other victims were Addison Stewart, Zane Mellor, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah JayneMaree Jones and Peter Dodt.
A COMMUNITY RALLIES
Within hours, Devonport woman Zoe Smith kicked off what would become a multimilliondollar recovery drive – desperate to help in whatever way she could upon hearing of the tragedy that had rocked her town.
Just 18 at the time, Ms Smith started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the victims and their families. Donations flooded in. “I don’t know of, or are related to, any of the affected children, but this is something close to my heart, and it was something simple I could do,” she wrote on the page in the hours after tragedy struck.
In total, $2.2m has been donated – much of that collected or sparked by Ms Smith’s crowd-funding efforts. The Hillcrest Public Community Fund also raised $805,594.35 after donations from individuals, businesses and community organisations.
Tasmania’s State Recovery Adviser Craig Limkin told the Mercury the families most directly affected received the majority share of the donations with the remainder going back into the community.
In March 2022, the community gathered for a sellout pre-season AFL match to raise money for the families affected by the heartbreaking incident.
Richmond and Hawthorn clashed at Devonport Oval with a focus on remembering the six young lives.
Georgie Burt was in the crowd that day and said her son, Zane, would be watching on “in spirit”.
“I am in awe of how many people came out,” she said.
Annette Rockliff was Devonport City Council’s mayor at the time. During her final mayor’s address upon departure from office in November 2022, she detailed the community’s long road to recovery.
“The tragedy absolutely rocked our close-knit community, and it will for a long time to come,” she said.
“While it’s still difficult to process for me, it’s important that we all continue to support one another as best we can or to seek help for ourselves or for those around us.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff grew up in the farming community of Sassafras, south of
Devonport, and he has represented the local electorate of Braddon since 2002.
He, like so many others, struggles to put the region’s pain into words.
“As a member of our community, a father and a local MP, it is almost impossible to put into words the depth of feeling we have all experienced, and continue to, following this devastating tragedy,” he said.
“The loss of such cherished young children sent shockwaves throughout the entire nation.
“While the heartache remains, I could not be prouder of the way Tasmanians have come together as one and wrapped their arms around everyone so utterly devastated to provide such love, support and care.”
FIRST RESPONDERS
The sheer magnitude of the impact the tragedy had on first responders was made evident earlier this week.
Matthew Richman, the director of wellbeing support for Ambulance Tasmania and the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management, said 174 members of the state’s emergency services had been receiving ongoing care after the incident.
About a dozen had not returned to work.
“I think it’s fair to say that Hillcrest, as we saw the flowers that were left at the scene, that it was a really impressive, inspirational event for the entire community,” he said.
“All the emergency responders are part of that community, and the tragedy was felt very strongly.”
PROBE CONTINUES
The mammoth task of piecing together exactly what happened that awful day in December 2021 is ongoing, with an inquest expected to be held in the first half of 2023.
Coroner Olivia McTaggart describes the Hillcrest Primary School tragedy investigation as “intensive” and “complex”, with counsel assisting, Leigh Mackey, telling the families during a coronial update the event was a result of a suspected “mini tornado, a wind devil or similar”.
Video interviews with students, affidavits from witnesses, emergency responders and the forensic team, triple-0 transcripts, body camera footage, weather bureau data and expert preliminary weather reports have so far been collected.