Two weeks of anguish for families

DREAMWORLD TRAGEDY Loved ones hear horrific details aired

“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 lovedones’ deaths which have included a barrage of claims about Dreamworld’s safety practices.

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. 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