An inquest in Tasmania has heard how a freak dust devil lifted a jumping castle up to 16 metres into the air, killing six children at Hillcrest Primary School in 2021.
The inquiry will examine whether safety rules for inflatable amusement devices, including their anchoring and operation in windy conditions, are sufficient to prevent another tragedy.
Zane Mellor, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Peter Dodt, all aged 12, and Addison Stewart and Chace Hamilton, both 11, died when the jumping castle and several inflatable Zorb balls were swept into the air during the school’s Christmas celebrations.
Three other children were seriously injured in the incident, which lasted between 15 and 30 seconds, the Coroner’s Court of Tasmania heard.
The inquest began after separate criminal proceedings concluded. Rosemary Anne Gamble, whose business supplied the jumping castle, was found not guilty last June of failing in her work health and safety duty.
A class action has since been launched on behalf of injured children, families and witnesses, with claims seeking to hold the state, as operator of the school, responsible for the consequences of the tragedy.
Inquest to examine inflatable safety rules
Maree Norton SC, counsel assisting the coroner, said the inquiry would critically assess whether existing safeguards were adequate.
“We’ll look at the appropriateness of Australian standards in respect of land borne inflatable devices, specifically amusement rides and devices more generally, to manage wind-based safety risks,” she told the court.
The inquiry will also consider regulatory practices, including the role of WorkSafe Tasmania, and whether recommendations are needed to prevent deaths or serious injuries involving jumping castles and Zorb balls.
The court heard that 16 December 2021 had begun as a clear, hot and almost windless day, with Hillcrest Primary holding its “Big Day In” celebrations.
Year Five and Six pupils took turns using a brightly coloured jumping castle and a Zorb ball arena supplied by Taz-Zorb. The attractions were supervised by Ms Gamble and helpers.
At about 10am, the conditions changed suddenly. Witnesses described dust, leaves and grass being drawn into a rotating column resembling a whirlwind or mini tornado.
Teacher Stephen Fenn said the gust initially appeared unusual before rapidly intensifying.
“The gust was like a whirlwind motion, going around and lifting debris off the ground, such as grass and dust,” he said. “Within seconds it had increased in energy and then started lifting everything off the ground.”
A meteorological expert, Dr Nicholas Earl Jones, later classified the event as a dust devil formed when a sea-breeze front met super-heated dry ground. He described it as an event of “enormous force for Tasmania” that was “extremely unlikely, or even unprecedented” and “virtually impossible to predict”.
The jumping castle, which had seven children on it, was torn from the ground, spun into the air and travelled about 60 metres across the oval. Several witnesses saw it bounce, rise again and crash near the eastern boundary.
The Zorb arena was also pulled free. Operator Robert Monty told the court that a Zorb ball he was holding to help children in and out was “ripped from his hands up into the air without any notice”.
The court heard the castle had been secured with four pegs, despite eight being available. The Zorb arena had been fastened at six of its 32 anchor points.
The forecast that morning had predicted only light winds, while Ms Gamble’s practice was not to operate the equipment when winds were expected to exceed 25km/h.
Georgie Burt, the mother of Zane Mellor, told the inquest that it had been her son’s final day at school. She said she had considered keeping him at home but decided he should attend the celebrations.
Ms Burt also criticised the response from the school and Tasmania’s Department of Education, alleging that she was not contacted by the principal and that claims families had been spoken to were “a lie”.
“All our families want is transparency. That’s all we want,” she said.
Lawyers for the state said the department would co-operate with the inquiry and assured families that the impact of the incident would never be forgotten.
The inquest is continuing.
