1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: Jonesy and Amanda's. 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 2: I was up late last night watching TV. I was 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 2: watching the ABC that investigative peace on behind the Ghost 4 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 2: Train fire at Luna Park in nineteen seventy nine. 5 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: What a heart thing. We were in the drop zone 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: of being that age one. 7 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and June nineteen seventy nine, seven people perished. 8 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: Six they all kids. 9 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 2: Is one adult, four mates and a dad and his 10 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 2: two sons. So the four mates, they got on the 11 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 2: carriage to go in to the ghost train and they 12 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 2: talked to the one survived from there was five mates 13 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 2: that were there, one boy who was snatched from the 14 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 2: train before it went into the inferno. That the attendants 15 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 2: to know because by that stage they didn't know the 16 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 2: thing was on fire, so they were just loading people 17 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 2: into their deaths. 18 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 1: And so the attendants say something. 19 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 2: People saying the thing's on fire. But it was so 20 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 2: typical of the seventies from eyewitnesses, and I never I 21 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 2: remember because I was such a big Lunar Park fan 22 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 2: and we'd been to Lunar Park. We'd go quite regularly 23 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 2: and the big deal for us as kids was to 24 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 2: go to Lunar Park by yourself. And we never got 25 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 2: to that stage. I was twelve and I remember my 26 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 2: dad saying to me, well, when you're a high school mate, 27 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 2: we'll see how it goes and maybe you can go 28 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 2: with your mates to Luna Park. And so these guys, 29 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,559 Speaker 2: this group of friends from Waverley College, there was four 30 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 2: and the one survivor. It was just it's such a 31 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 2: visceral flashback for someone of our age. 32 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: It was your first you'd go there to go on 33 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: the ride to see if you're a girl, it was 34 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: to see boys. It was your first safe bit of 35 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: independence because it was seen to be sae. 36 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 2: Everyone knew it in Sydney. Everyone knew Lunar Park. You 37 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 2: all knew and you'd been there with your mum and dad, so, 38 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 2: as you say, you were very familiar with it. But 39 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 2: I didn't realize that on that ride there were thirty 40 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 2: seven people, that's including the deceased. People were saved on 41 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 2: that ride and the heroics from the ride operator and 42 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 2: also back in the seventies, people didn't say anything about anything. 43 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 2: There's a couple of eyewitness accounts where they remember in 44 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 2: the ride there was a fake fire, so they went 45 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 2: past this lady put a hand out and that fake 46 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 2: fire was on fire. 47 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: Was it an electrical fire? 48 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 2: Well, that's what they said. That's the other thing. Everyone 49 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 2: just said, Ah, the wiring was dodgy, but that wasn't 50 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 2: the case. And that's what this investigative piece is to 51 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 2: find out actually what happened. 52 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: What might it have been. 53 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 2: Well, there's a lot of stories about arson could have 54 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 2: been arson because you look at it, it's pretty much 55 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 2: prime real estate, a theme park in the way of 56 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:43,959 Speaker 2: real estate. And you do remember the bad old days 57 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 2: of the seventies, brown paper bag deals being done. See, 58 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 2: it opened up a lot of stuff for me just 59 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 2: watching it, because I remember dad having a beer with 60 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 2: my neighbors. And at first when it happened, that was 61 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 2: all the talk about the wiring, so called dodgy wirrying. 62 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 2: Then later on they going, yeah, but you know they 63 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 2: want to put some higher rise is there? And the 64 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 2: word is that someone a lot of side speaking this 65 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 2: someone had set it on fire. So you imagine that 66 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 2: and I hope they get to the bottom of it 67 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 2: because I think of that poor mum that lost her 68 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 2: husband and her two sons. You know, she's come from 69 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 2: Warren Country, New South Wales for a trip to Sydney. 70 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 2: She goes to buy an ice cream and family and 71 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 2: she's got one ticket left. The boys go on the 72 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 2: ride and she doesn't know why she didn't go on 73 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 2: the ride. Imagine that. 74 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: But would you want to survive? Wow? I think of that? 75 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: That mad Now how old is he who lost four 76 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: seventy fifty four? Wow? 77 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 2: And just you there for the time of your life. 78 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: She's sliding doors. You know, it's like the River Rapperds 79 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: ride at dream World. The familiarity of that ride, the 80 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: comfort of dream World, or the promise of family holidays. 81 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: There's the tragedy and there's that bigger picture of the 82 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: sliding doors. It could have been any of us. But 83 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: the tragedy spins on the head of a place that 84 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: should be fun. 85 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 2: Imagine how maddening it would be to with the River 86 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 2: Rapids arrived. That was a human you know, that was 87 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 2: a human what do you call it? 88 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: A human era? 89 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 2: Human error? This could have been Arson. Imagine that. 90 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: So this is investigations on being. 91 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 2: This is in the ABC are putting this investigative piece 92 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 2: together and a lot of people are asking questions. They 93 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 2: wrapped it up pretty quick in nine and nothing to 94 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 2: see here. It was electrical fault and that's it. So 95 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 2: they wrapped it up so quickly and we all just accepted. 96 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:31,720 Speaker 1: It makes your heart heavy, doesn't it. 97 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 2: It does with join Z and Amanda