On 9 June 1979, a tragic accident took place in the Sydney Ghost Train at Luna Park Sydney, which took the lives of seven people, six were children and one was an adult. Luna Park Sydney is in Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia. According to The Lineup, the Ghost Train has been a major attraction in the amusement park since 1935.
On that fateful night, some people in the park got a whiff of smoke from inside of the ride. However, they dismissed it since the Ghost Train’s usual attendant was not on duty. Soon, black clouds rose and it was certain that something was seriously not right. Gradually, the fire consumed the entire ride.
Later, rescuers discovered the remains of seven bodies. Jonathan Billings, Richard Carroll, Michael Johnson, and Seamus Rahilly were 13 at the time of their passing. Along with these children, John Godson and his children, Craig and Damien, lost their lives in this tragedy. Craig was four while Damian was six.
Netflix recently released a three-episode documentary titled Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire, which narrates the story of the heartbreaking incident.
According to IMDb, the synopsis of Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire reads, “Exposing the truths behind the mystery of the Ghost Train Fire at Sydney’s iconic Luna Park, Caro Meldrum-Hanna returns for a ground-breaking three-part investigation.”
What caused the Luna Park Ghost Train fire?
To this day, the exact cause of the fire is not known. However, during the investigation, detectives did learn that Luna Park knew that the ride was a fire hazard.
The Lineup says that some theories suggested that the fire was either caused by a cigarette or faulty wiring. Furthermore, there are even theories that the tragedy took place because of arson.
On 9 June 1979, there was a worker at Luna Park food stand named Kathy Dewar. She said, “For me, there were actually two tragedies. First, there was the fire itself. The second tragedy for me was the failed investigation … not having the truth come out. There was so much buried, so many facts distorted and hidden. I am definitely prepared at this point in my life to give a statement to the police.”
She concluded her statement by saying, “And I really resent the fact that I was not given the opportunity to do that at the time. Anyone who was at the park that evening should have been interviewed by the police and whatever observations they had, what experiences they had, should have been documented and recorded.”
Two survivors of the tragedy, Jenny Godson and Jason Holman, revisited the park on the 35th anniversary of the disaster. Godson was the wife of John Godson and mother of Craig and Damien. Jonathan Billings, Richard Carroll, Michael Johnson, and Seamus Rahilly were friends with Holman.
Furthermore, the two survivors formed a bond, fueled by grief. Godson commented on her relationship with Holman by saying, “We’re very close. It’s like there’s some kind of web that joins us together.”
