west gate bridge collapse deaths
Every year a memorial service is held for the 35 workers who lost their lives when a span of the West Gate Bridge collapsed at 11.50am on this day in 1970. Only a few weeks before, Ian and Jack had assured the men the bridge was safe after a similar bridge at Milford Haven, Wales, had collapsed and killed four men. Jack and Ian looked down and saw flakes of rust peeling off the steel. Pat and the kids were in bed when Bob left for work. The Bridge The West Gate Bridge is a steel box girder cable-stayed bridge in Melbourne, Victoria. Neg: CK15048. Eighteen men are injured, eight of them seriously. Location: Hyde Street, Under the West Gate Bridge, Spotswood. The inscription reads: Construction workers employed on West Gate Bridge erected. The whole 2,000-to… The children - Alan, Philip, Steven and little Vicki - would get up soon for work or for school. Now, as he was leaving for work, he knew he must have imagined it and he didn’t want Doris to worry. While many people have heard of the West Gate Bridge collapse, very few have heard the detailed stories of what really happened that terrible day in 1970 and the fallout on the familes of the workers who died needlessly. Meanwhile, they way they went on about ‘their bridge’ to their wives and friends you’d swear they were the only two building it. and dedicated this memorial to their 35 workmates who were killed when a span of the bridge collapsed during construction at 11.50 am on 15th October 1970. Watson recalls it all vividly. They were on the job early, so they took an early lunch in one of the huts below the span. At 11.50am on October 15 1970, a span of the West Gate Bridge, then under construction, collapsed. Jack, 42, the resident engineer for the bridge designers, Freeman Fox and Partners, had been sent out from London. When: October 15 1970. Only yesterday they’d all laughed when they felt the span move. She started running. Now this span was giving trouble. An actual telerecording of ABC Melbourne news on the night of the Westgate Bridge disaster. On 15 October 1970, the under-construction West Gate Bridge, connecting Melbourne’s affluent eastern suburbs with its working-class west, collapsed. It will be the 51st anniversary of the collapse that claimed 35 lives, 18 workers survived, some of those workers returned to work on the rebuild of the bridge. The Royal Commission Just before lunch on 15 October 1970, the West Gate Bridge suddenly groaned. Jack Grist and Fred Upsdell had been mates since they met in Middlesex, England, more than 20 years ago. Some ‘rode’ the bridge down and, miraculously, survived. It wasn’t until two days later that they were able to identify Bill Harburn’s body. © 2021 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Here's a look back at the 10 deadliest incidents in the last half century. While many people have heard of the West Gate Bridge collapse, very few have heard the detailed stories of what really happened that terrible day in 1970 and the fallout on the familes of the workers who died needlessly. It was the scene of Australia's worst industrial accident when part of the bridge collapsed in October 1970, killing 35 men and injuring 18 others. They are part of the psychogeography of the city, even those who have no memorials. Ian and Jack walked a few steps towards each other when suddenly the bridge groaned. Thirty-five … West Gate Bridge plays a central role to two tragedies, one real (the bridge span collapse in 1975) and one fictitious (drunk driver causing the death of a passenger). Jack Grist and Fred Upsdell were buried alongside each other. All rights reserved. An eerie pinging noise filled the air. Bill, 47, was a proud man. 75 Years Ago, A Deadly Day On The Golden Gate Constructing the iconic bridge was a coveted job in Depression-era San Francisco. It was Australia’s worst construction disaster. Thirty five people died and, as with most failures, a creeping barrage of poor decision making dominated events. He didn’t want to disturb the house. But right now he had to get to his other pride and joy, the bridge. A storm of rust flakes peeled off weathered steel. He had to reassure her ‘Don’t worry, love,’ he said, ‘It must have been the wind that caused it to shake yesterday.’ Victor, a Maltese steel rigger, had worried all evening about the shudder he felt run through the bridge that day. Two bodies can be seen among the wreckage and at least 12 and possibly 17 are unaccounted for. Thirty-five construction workers were killed and 18 injured, and it remains Australia's worst industrial accident to this day. 1970. Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge collapse left scene of carnage and 35 dead in 1970 horror. His colleague Jack Hindshaw was there. ‘She must be having growing pains’ someone said. Survivors and their families have marked the anniversary of the collapse of Melbourne's West Gate Bridge that claimed 35 lives 37 years ago. ... One man, Charlie Sant, feels death is inevitable so he sits on a box and waits, as if in a trance. On October 15, 1970, it collapsed. Bob West’s mates often ribbed him about the early start he was making towards a big family. They waved a greeting to each other. The work was … There have been a number of deadly bridge collapses through the years. On migrating they had become neighbours at Altona, not far from the West Gate Bridge. But it wouldn’t be long before the bridge was finished and they could both get on with a spot of fishing. He was dead less than five hours later. This was an avoidable tragedy that killed 35 men, widowed 28 women, and left 88 children without fathers. national; victoria; Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge collapse left scene of carnage and 35 dead in 1970 horror. 2000 tonnes of steel fell 45 metres - 35 workers were killed, 17 were injured. ‘He loved that damned bridge’, Mavis said later. An eerie pinging noise filled the air. Victims of West Gate Bridge remembered Skip to … Maybe they too would represent Australia. A minute's silence will then honour the 35 workers killed when the West Gate Bridge collapsed 50 years ago, in Australia's deadliest industrial accident. On the morning of 15 October, Ian Miller walked on to the span he and the men had just recently put in place on top of the huge 155ft concrete piers on the west side of the River Yarra. The police already had barricades up but she didn’t notice them. This was an avoidable tragedy that killed 35 men, widowed 28 … Perhaps soon, when he got his tax rebate cheque, the Housing Commission would let him have a house instead of the Collingwood flat he and his pretty wife, Pat, and the kids had to live in. The bridge loomed up in front of her She could see it was broken. So, he told Doris. At 11:50am today, building sites around Victoria will grind to a halt and cranes will sound their horns. Family members, friends, co-workers and trade unionists gathered at the Memorial plaque under the bridge to mark the 32nd anniversary of the worst industrial disaster in Victoria. Thirty-five people died. ‘She must be having growing pains’ someone said. Last Tuesday marked the latest construction death in WA – when a glass canopy collapsed at a construction site at Curtin University, killing a young apprentice and injuring several others. PICTURE SPECIAL: It was a scene of carnage when part of the West Gate Bridge collapsed … It includes the existing West Gate Bridge Memorial and Sculpture, and the memorial for six who died in the Spotswood Yarra Sewer Tunnel collapse of 12 April 1895 (Good Friday). He’d see them when he got home from the bridge later, probably kick a football with the boys around the backyard of their home in Hayes St., Highett. Map of this walk Suddenly she saw Victor’s shirt and arm jutting out from under a blanket. Westgate Bridge collapse. A keen sportsman, he’d captained the Australian Soccer team once since he migrated from England in 1954, and he was still considered a handy player with his home side, Sandringham. The failure during construction of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, Australia in 1970 was one of world’s worst bridge collapses. Others were working on and inside the span when it fell. Extract from ‘West Gate’ by Bill Hitchings. A 112-metre section of the West Gate Bridge collapsed during construction on October 15, 1970, which killed 35 construction workers and injured 18 others. Nobody knows how many men still lie under the tangled mess of concrete and rubble. Only yesterday they’d all laughed when they felt the span move. She ducked under a policeman’s outstretched arm and ran blindly towards the ambulances into which they were loading the dead and injured. They became even closer when Jack’s daughter, Yvonne, married Fred’s son, Gerald.Jack, 54, went on to become a foreman on the bridge and Fred, 66, took a job as storeman because he couldn’t stand the thought of retiring. The bolts were turning blue. Over the past three years, academics Sarah Gregson from the University of New South Wales and Elizabeth Humphrys from University of Technology Sydney have been researching the disaster. Only a few weeks before, Ian and Jack had assured the men the bridge was safe after a similar bridge at Milford Haven, Wales, had collapsed and killed … The West Gate Bridge disaster death toll stands at 32. West Gate Bridge collapse. 2000 tonnes of steel fell 45 metres - 35 workers were killed, 17 were injured. On 15 October 1970, the under-construction West Gate Bridge, connecting Melbourne’s affluent eastern suburbs with its working-class west, collapsed. Our comrades who lost their lives were: Jack called for Fred on the morning of 15 October 1970. Work began on the bridge on 22 April 1968, and the bridge was opened on 15 November 1978 at a cost of AU$ 202 million. The author has great affinity with the landscape, western suburbs layout and the working class. There have been many improvements in large public infrastructure projects, and safety, since the West Gate Bridge collapse 50 years ago, but there are also now worrying signs for many of Australia’s other older bridges. Where: Varra River, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 50 years on there are still many people who do not understand how this could happen. Tommy Watson speaks of the inferno, the death and the regret as if it all happened yesterday. Bob liked his mates. Tommy Watson remembers the West Gate bridge collapse 50 years on. Death toll: 35 construction workers were killed and there were numerous injuries. Read more at Monash Lens. The bridge fell away beneath their feet. Credit: Jason South On October 15, 1970, Watson was a young, 23-year old rigger working the job of a lifetime building the iconic bridge linking Melbourne's western suburbs to the city. He’d tried to speak to his mates about it, but he’d been afraid they’d call him a coward. Social welfare and those impacted by the West Gate disaster March 6, 2021 My research collaborator Sarah Gregson and I recently published an article about the impact of the collapse of the West Gate Bridge on the families of those killed, focussing on how the main social welfare agency dealt with the widows. Some ‘rode’ the bridge down and, miraculously, survived. Half a century on from one of the country’s worst industrial disasters, Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge collapse still haunts those who witnessed it. For its 50th anniversary, they shared their research with Walkley-nominated cartoonist Sam Wallman to create a visual retelling of the story of the collapse, Thu 15 Oct 2020 03.02 BST Last week also marked the 50th anniversary of the West Gate Bridge collapse in Melbourne that took the lives of 35 construction workers and engineers. At 11.50am on October 15 1970, a span of the West Gate Bridge, then under construction, collapsed. The commemoration will begin at 11.30am at the West Gate Memorial site beneath the bridge in Douglas Parade Spotswood. Many of those who perished were on lunch break beneath the structure in workers' huts, which were crushed by the falling span. If you remember the West Gate Bridge collapse, or would like to share a story about the bridge, please leave a comment or email me. Last modified on Thu 15 Oct 2020 03.51 BST, Your support powers our independent journalism, Available for everyone, funded by readers. Rescuers later found their bodies only inches apart. Two years into construction of the bridge, at 11:50 am on 15 October 1970, the 112-metre (367-foot) span between piers10 and 11 collapsed and fell 50 metres (164 feet) to the ground and water below. Engineer Robin Jones was one of a small team overseeing construction of the West Gate Bridge, the most ambitious engineering project in Australia at the time. Nearly every skyscraper, every bridge, every factory must be haunted by its unnamed dead. It was still dark when Bill Harburn slipped out of bed from beside his wife, Mavis, and started to get ready for work. Jack, 42, the resident engineer for the bridge designers, Freeman Fox and Partners, had been sent out from London. The collapse of the Westgate Bridge took 35 lives. It would be a fine, cool day so they should be able to get a lot done. Realistic characters with a typical mix of nationalities who live in Melbourne's west. On the 15th October 1970 Australia witnessed a tragedy that is still our worst industrial disaster to date. Victor Gerada had to wake his wife before he went to work. Only 24, and he already had three kids with one on the way. Just before 11 o’clock Doris heard the sirens. The failure during construction of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, Australia in 1970 was one of world’s worst bridge collapses. The West Gate Bridge collapse was ‘the most tragic industrial accident in the history of Victoria’. A 112-metre section of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne weighing up to 2,000-tonnes collapsed into the Yarra River during construction on October 15, … Two of the boys played with him in the team. Copyright © 2020, West Gate Bridge Memorial Commitee. Fifty years ago the steel on the West Gate Bridge turned blue from stress, the bolts snapped like gunfire and a section crashed to earth with a deafening roar.