Dreamworld tragedy: agony and anger
Amid the shock and heartache of the Oct. 25 Dreamworld tragedy, in which four people died on the Thunder River Rapids ride at the Gold Coast theme park, loved ones are asking how a day of fun could end in grief.
Siblings Kate Goodchild, 32, and Luke Dorsett, 35, Luke’s partner Roozi Araghi, 38, and New Zealand expat Cindy Low, 42, were all killed after a raft on the ride flipped backwards.
Kate’s daughter Ebony, 12, and Cindy’s son Kieran, 10, survived.
Kate and Luke’s mother, Kim Dorsett, is “waiting for answers,” her best friend, Sandra Brookfield tells WHO. “It will all come out.”
Kim’s family had come from Canberra to the Gold Coast for a wedding, and had visited Dreamworld for Ebony. Kim, who had decided to stay in the rented apartment that day, was told of the deaths in a phone call. She then turned to her best friend.
“Her words were, ‘The kids are dead. I’ve just been told the kids have drowned at Dreamworld,’” recalls Brookfield, her voice breaking.
“Ebony’s saying things like, ‘Who’s going to do my hair? Who’s going to take me to school?’ This little girl is in shock.”
As police continue to investigate the tragedy ahead of a coronial inquiry, Dreamworld, which is operated by Ardent Leisure, has commenced a “systematic and methodical park-wide safety review,” said Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson, adding “there is no timeframe or decision with regard to the park’s re-opening.”
The tragedy, said Ardent CEO Deborah Thomas “has devastated families and our community. We need to rebuild.”