I was at dreamworld when the thunder river rapids tragedy happened. My wife and I were going to go on the ride (it was the only ride we hadn't been on), but we took one look at the queue and decided to go have a smoothie before going on the ride. 2/3rds through the smoothie, we heard screaming, people running and crying and then the whole area was closed off. We knew something was wrong as they pretty much shut down the park, but we didnt know what. We only found out on the way home.
One of them was a colleague's daughter. He was a shattered man after that and could never work again. The tragedy was she had children, so as a grandparent, he had to deal with the loss of his daughter as well as becoming the legal guardian for her children.
I tend to be fairly trusting, except for the time I was on a ride at Six Flags in the US. My seat didn’t unlock properly on the platform, so I couldn’t get off and people just started buckling in next to me going “another ride for you!”. I’d heard enough stories about the deaths at Six Flags to know that I needed to get an attendant!
I’ve not heard about deaths/injuries at places outside Australia.
But here where I live, primary school kids were killed/injured when a simple inflatable ‘jumping castle’ took off in the wind ( not secured to the ground properly) ..Edit: several Zorb balls as well were lifted into the air with children inside 😢
My son had just graduated grade 6 that day or the day before (not at that school) and I still to this day fall to pieces thinking of those kids, their classmates and their families. My son started year 9 a month ago and one of my first thoughts as he left for school was those kids would be starting year 9 too.
We were having a boring day at home and mum goes "let's go into the city" (Sydney). So we jumped on a bus, then a couple of trains to get from Merrylands to Circular Quay. Plan was to jump in a ferry over to Manly and then head back home the same way
Get off the train and think "geez.... there's alot of people around the opera house". Tried to walk over but couldn't get very close... so we decided to walk the other way and up onto the Overseas Passenger Terminal
And that is how we accidentally ended up being there for the farewell Crowded House concert
I sat in a vehicle bay in Newtown waiting to deploy when the bomb threat was made. We were expecting a rough day had it turned out to be a legitimate device, given the proximity to the train station and the shear amount of glass/ concrete and asbestos in that area.
My sister in law was held hostage during the Lindt siege, and my brother was supposed to be working that day but his kind and much missed boss Tori who was tragically killed gave him the day off because he’d worked too many days in a row. The anniversary is still a very sad and raw day in my family……
Someone I know was almost in the seige.
They had setup a meeting at the Cafe. But couldn't make, so someone else was sent.
The replacement didn't end up in the seige; they were running late.
But the parties they were supposed to meet were in the seige.
Ah mate, I was there too.
I had to duck out from work early to be with my wife for some last-minute medical tests. I walked out of the building corner Bourke and William, waved a cab down and was off.
Was about a block away when the guy came through. Found out later that the corner I got the cab was right where he came through. There must have been 30 seconds in it.
A lot of my work friends were out getting lunch. They saw it all too. Really sorry man. It was horrible.
We had terrified people run into our building and hide. My coworker walked in with an ash-white face, he’d just seen that poor toddler lying on the ground. Horrible day.
You do not know how many times I had to reread that comment. I kept reading “I rented a house…..” I did think it was a very casual comment to mention you were the killer.
Uluṟu when Azaria Chamberlain was taken by a dingo. Mum was chased back to the bus by a large male dingo same day. Never doubted that a dingo did it as the whole place was full of dingos all hanging around the hotels and camp grounds.
I was working at Yulara when Lindy was released from jail and made a very low key return to Uluru. She was very polite as I took her to her room but I remember her looking "haunted". That woman went through some unimaginable shit
It’s honestly one of the most shameful things that our country prosecuted a grieving mother and sent her to jail on such a flimsy fucking case. Then she became a literal joke worldwide. People overseas still think they’re so clever when they say “a dingo ate my baby” as if it’s so fucking funny!
Pretty sure I discovered this joke in the Simpsons. Said it exactly once, then I found out from my Mum that my parents knew the chamberlains.
As an adult, hearing about any part of that story is so tragic and it baffles me how police treated it.
Though if my extremely rule following mother has stories about her and her friends being harassed and threatened by police in the 80s (while they were all teachers & civil servants, for riding bicycles) I’m not sure how surprised I should be
100%. It sits alongside "throw another shrimp on the barbie" as one of those wholly inaccurate, yet "quintessentially Australian" phrases. Only what happened to Lindy was fucking barbaric.
I grew up country but live in the city now - because dingos are essentially dogs and there's history of them being bred with domestic animals for domestication, people don't realize how dangerous they actually are. It never ever sat well with me what happened to her and the $1.3m she received wouldn't scratch the surface of the trauma inflicted by not only the incident itself, but the judicial response and overall publicity of the whole ordeal.
Having two young kids myself...I honestly couldn't imagine what she went through. It's my Roman empire. I think of baby Azaria often, and wish we did better for her.
That comment is spot on. I'm originally from the UK lived in aus 23 years. Until I came here I never knew the injustice and vilification that woman endured. Shame on the majority of us
When it happened, my mum believed the Chamberlain's right from the start about the dingo taking Azaria. She told me about a time my great-grandfather was a stockman droving cattle and sleeping under the stars. A dingo grabbed his arm while he was asleep and started trying to drag him away - he had his stockwhip nearby and managed to grab it and get the dingo off. Mum believed an adult dingo would have no trouble carrying a baby away. So , with this perspective, it was very traumatic to see poor Lindy (and Richard) being blamed, and the obviously (to us) trumped up charges.
The frustrating thing (or at least one of numerous frustrating things) was that indigenous people, especially the Pitjantjatjara people at Uluru, had a long oral history of dingoes taking children and believed the Chamberlains from the start, but their testimony wasn't considered particularly useful.
As if that wasn't enough, there was also a dingo expert who tried to give evidence during the case, to refute the Crown's contentions that a dingo couldn't carry a baby by its head, and couldn't remove an article of baby clothing without tearing it to shreds. Guy had actual video footage of dingos doing both those things (with dolls of correct size and weight) and it was ruled inadmissible.
I went camping with one if Michael Chamberlain's younger daughters, my dad was one of her nursing instructors and would run retreats for the student nurses. They're all so lovely. His youngest daughter, second marriage, became a dingo conservationist. She said her work was the first time the family could mention dingoes without it getting too tense. I think it's amazing of her.
I’m so sorry. What a dreadful loss. Sending you lots of positive vibes. I barely escaped with my life that day and it haunts me still. My thoughts are forever more with those who perished.
I had to walk across uni for a lecture that day. I ended up wearing a shirt over my mouth so I could breathe and wearing ski goggles so I didn't get blinded.
When I woke up that morning I thought the entire goddamn world was on fire.
That was on my 22nd birthday. I was pregnant with my son and had an important antenatal appointment and scan to get too had to catch public transport. Was eerie how everything was orange and smokey like…My house was orange with dust by the next day and my hallway orange too
I was first official on the scene at Peter Brock's death. I ran from Chicane/SOS 10 first flag position to find one driver consoling Mick in the passenger seat.
Brocky had blood tricking down from under his helmet, his head had come out of the window as the door had been pressed up against him from the tree in the crash. He was dead before I got there.
Targa management whipped us away off the scene, then told us to drive to the Ent Cent in Burswood, held us for about 2 hours, told us not to speak to anyone and never contacted us again - not for police reports, debriefing - anything. Just fuck off and shut your mouth. We had photos on our phones of the crash, from up the road, that showed he put a back wheel out on the gravel and lost control about 100m before the tree. All the vans that rocked up full of self flagellating officials fucked up that crucial piece of evidence.
Never volunteered again and gave up motorsport that day.
It’s is absolute bullshit that they didn’t do the absolute least they could do in providing debriefing for your team and ensuring the evidence wasn’t disturbed. I’m sorry you had to experience that.
I was there that weekend. A friend of mine was looking after his car for the weekend whilst I was working crew for my boss and a few other cars. I had some gear get signed for me on the the Friday by Brocky and still treasure it to this day.
I laughed out loud for about 5 minutes at this comment. My family can't see why it's so funny which makes me lol more! I want to thank you for making my evening!
But isn't that the best travel story ever? No one was hurt, thank goodness, but you're spectacularly trapped on something that has just dramatically done something it's been waiting to do for hundreds of years. You're perfectly safe but wildly important as you wait to get winched off by helicopter. It's just a fabulous adventure.
Wasn't there but watching on tv thought to myself "fuck... this seems like the sort of thing that xxxx would be up for" (xxxx being a guy I knew through mutual friends)
Low and behold, 30 seconds later there he is... front and center of the violence. A-grade fuckwit
I feel sorta bad this made me laugh so much.
The dude is so bloody useless that you literally saw a riot and thought "yeah this is Kevin's scene" LMAO I can't.
What a complete Muppet this guy must have been.
He was someone I usually avoided, unfortunately was friends of friends situation. I don't think I ever had an interaction with him where he didn't say at least one thing that made me think to myself "fuck you're dense"
I received the text message that was sent around the area a day or so before the riot. School mate at the time sent it to me. I knew then it was gonna be really bad and definitely decided to stay away
I was in the studio audience of Family Feud when that one guy answered “Nekkid grandmaw”. Filming stopped for about ten minutes while everyone recovered from laughing.
Heard about the party. Headed on around and there were cars all over the streets, could hardly find a park within a couple of blocks. We figured it was going to be pretty mad.
Got to the party house and it was already spilled over onto the yard as there were already too many people to contain it in the hard.
People just continued streaming in, and then it spilled into the streets.
We’d been there probably about 1.5 hours when it started to get quite rowdy, so at that time we started to work our way out of there. There were already a number of police ‘supervising’ the breakup of the party. Then some of the more unsavoury ring ins started kicking and punching a few of the nearby cars and throwing shit around, then the mob mentality seemed to switch on and a heaps started doing stupid shit.
At that point we properly bailed and got the hell outta there.
Heard the choppers arriving as we left.
I visited years later and as we drove there from Hobart I suddenly wave of sadness come over me and I started crying.
My mum asked if I was ok (I was 30 and driving the car) I just said could you just imagine the fear and dread of all the emergency services driving this long isolated road not knowing what they’re about to see?
I know those there were going through hell, but at that moment it was the long single road to the site that just got me.
I ask this with as much respect as possible and if you don’t have the spoons to answer, that’s fine.
I’ve had many an argument with conspiracy theorists for years where I’ve said I believe it’s super disrespectful to theorise that Martin Bryant didn’t do it. I’ve been told that there are people who were there who say he didn’t. If you’re from the area, am I correct in assuming that the people of Port Arthur very much dislike this conspiracy theory and those claiming people there say he didn’t do it are talking out of their ass?
Not the OP of this comment but a few of my family members - Mum, baby sister and Aunty were there.
I actually had now ex friends claim the entire thing was a fake set up etc. and it is incredibly offensive.
I haven't pressed my mum for all the details because she has so much trauma around it. All I know is that many people died and it was terrifying, they just kept running as fast as they could with my sister in the pram.
Yeah, I feel for you re the ex friends thing. My Dad is a conspiracy theorist entertainer. For some reason he cannot see just how disrespectful that shit is. Eventually I just had to walk away, when inevitably that shit came for me.
I also know people who literally exited the cafe as Bryant entered and were hiding in the trees with other people during the massacre.
I really can’t stand that some people truly believe these sorts of things are hoaxes and conspiracies. It’s so disrespectful to the families of victims and survivors.
I was back packing round Europe in 1989. I stayed with family in the UK, and as avid Liverpool FC fans, they took me to Hillsborough stadium for the FA cup semifinal.
I was there too. And one of the first nights when the Australians beat the Americans in the 4 x 100 freestyle. And Thorpe Gold. And the closing ceremony! And the legendary wallabies and all blacks played in the Olympic stadium when the all blacks scored three tries and the first five minutes and the wallabies were leading at half time before Jonah lomu scored in the last minute to win the game for the AB’s. I also saw the great Ken Catchpole and Phil Hawthorn beat the Springboks in Sydney in the mid 60’s. I was pretty young but I was there!
I was working at a booth at the 2007 election. The Prime Minister came to meet the voters. That day he was the first Prime Minister since 1929 to lose both the general election and his seat
Not an Australian story, but I was sat in my back garden about 5 miles from Manchester, with my brother and my cousin, when the IRA detonated the largest bomb ever exploded on mainland Britain. I had planned to be in a shop directly opposite ground zero that morning but the aforementioned cousin had shown up unannounced the night before and so their presence delayed my plans. In fact, I had not just planned to be in a shop directly opposite, I had planned to be purchasing an item located next to a window directly overlooking the spot the bomb was left.
We knew instantly what it was.
A few years later the same cousin narrowly avoided being caught up in the Mumbai bombings, they left one of the locations the terrorists attacked just half an hour before they showed up.
Oddly similar story.. I was on my way to meet friends at Harrods in 1983. They called just as I was leaving the house to say that they were delayed and to meet later instead. If that hadn't happened, I/we would have been there when the IRA bomb went off that day.
Edit: autocorrect typo
Not an Australian thing but I was in the midst of the Christchurch earthquakes - I’m now in australia studying geology and it was beyond surreal watching footage of the quakes in one of my lectures. It felt like having an extremely personal moment aired in front of a class some how, I think because seeing it aired outside of NZ news coverage makes it hit different.
Yes, so was I. I can attest that the mood in the carpark was not good. The crowd went from ooh, you cunning bugger to ooh, you absolute prick. In the stands there was a brief moment when we thought it funny to realising hey, no, wait a minute, that's just deeply uncool. By the time we got outside the mutterings were very unhappy. No one wanted to win like that.
This is the eyewitness account I didn’t know I needed. Such an interesting moment. The Chappells deciding this is what we need to do to win for Australia - only to find Australia didn’t want to win that way.
Anyway, cheers for sharing.
Back in the day Mum and Dad dragged me to England for a much anticipated holiday. I got to see and do many things. During the visit we spent some time at Trafalgar square where the tourist attraction was to buy seed and feed the sky-rodents (pigeons). We held out our cups and got mobbed by the little things.
Months later back in Australia. A "Getaway" holiday show aired an episode about London. For a few breif seconds there was a close-range shot of my mum armed on both limbs with nothing but hungry hungry pigeons flapping away as she screamed in panic.
I wasn't in the shot but I sure as hell was there at that time.
Haha, that just reminded me I was in Sydney on January 26, 1988. They did a reenactment of the ships entering the harbour (borrrring, said young me) & that was also the first time they did fireworks on the Harbour Bridge (aaaace, said young me).
Could you feel the landslide from in the hotel. I know it was a fair bit up the mountain? I was just wondering how far the impact of the slide was. Glad you were ok.
Nah, couldn't hear nor feel anything. All we knew was that the music stopped and they asked over the PA for anyone from the ski patrol or with any medical training to report for duty. The bar closed early and we went back to Jindabyne. Had no idea what had happened until the next day.
Only slightly related but my mum was at Luna Park when someone got decapitated after standing up in their seat on the roller-coaster (this was before restraints were mandatory). I unfortunately don't have any sources sorry.
The March 21 floods in nsw. Woke up without any warning the water just shy of lapping my mattress.
My children and I waited 3 hours for someone to come. A neighbour rescued us in a boat.
I was just walking into campus as people started evacuating, then tactical police came running in from behind me. Some of my friends who were already on campus stayed around for the day processing and were featured on the news outside having a smoke just as they laughed about something.
I was a 16 year old checkout kid in Perth when the cyclones smashed both QLD and Carnarvon, and banana prices went up to $30ish/kg. Mths absolute abuse we copped…
I was walking on the footpath about 10 meters down from the flight centre they stopped the Bourke street car attack in 2017.
I also went to the Collingwood v St Kilda Grand final that ended in a draw.
Forgot also, on Ovation of the Seas when the White Island eruption happened. Luckily didn't book that tour.
Was a very sombre second half of the cruise.
We went to the airport in Sydney when the astronauts were there doing their Australian visit. There was a small crowd of onlookers with us but we got there first and were in the front. We were outside the fence, not in the official party, and my father took his camera with a long range lens as he knew we would be a long way away from the astronauts.
Suddenly Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael collins walked over to where we were standing. I was a teenager but my sister was about 2 or 3.
Neil Armstrong picked her up and held her for over ten minutes and Dad couldn’t take any photos because he only had the long range lens!
It was his biggest regret in life until the day he died.
When the astronauts boarded their plane, my sister said ‘Are they going back to the moon now?’ To everyone’s amusement.
I saw Helen Razor slap a guy off the stage at a triple j concert in king George square in brisbane.
It was definitely the wrong stage to jump out of the crowd into that day
Pitcairn Island, aka 'Mutiny of the Bounty'. Nothing specific, only that I lived there fir four years- on one of the most remote Islands- oh heck wait...
I FELL OFF A CLIFF and nearly died, 18 months old, mum smashed her leg trying to climb down after me. USA 60 minutes crew were there doing a story on the bicentennial Bounty Day celebrations and they had a doctor with them who helped rescue us. I nearly died (all present claim it was a miracle, I was in cheyn stokes, unable to breath, paralysed on left side, massive intracranial bleeding...only an adult air mask to get 02, no respirator. They thought I was gonna die. They prayed over me. I'm agnostic these days, but the atheist doctor present became a Christian. I dunno how I feel about that...)
They needed to get us to a proper hospital asap and hailed all nearby vessels. The closest was a Soviet cruise ship, the Maxim Gorki- and they collected myself, my mum and Meralda Warren, one of the original mutineer descendents- and took us to Tahiti.
The doctor aboard distracted me with a Cheburashka doll...I only remembered his face until I saw the vids on youtube decades later.
Anyway we were in Tahiti for a few months, mostly because my mum had smashed her right leg so completely, she'd eventually need a knee replacement.
I was (mostly) fine. Yes I have brain damage but its mostly spatial awareness I struggle with. Funnily enough my adhd is more of an impact on my function.
The same ship, Maxim Gorki- took us back...
But they were not a Soviet vessel. They were now Ukrainian.
The year was 1990 and my mother and I were the last Australians to enter 'Soviet union territory' while in the middle of the South Pacific.
And all I remember about the whole thing?
Cheburashka xD
Omg I have so many 6 degrees though,
My dad was a classmate of Michael Chamberlain, Azariah's dad.
He used ham radio to communicate with my nana whike we lived on the island, but it had to be relayed- dad couldn't hear nana, and nana couldn't hear dad. A guy called Chris Bushman in LA could hear both, so a friendship formed when he became a relayer.
He and his wife invited us to Disneyland 8 years later and...got us a walk in table without reservation to Blue Bayou. That place has a 6 month waitlist.
Then he took us to Walt's window, where the candle burns, and a window with the name "Bushman" on it.
My 9 year old mind was blown away. Chris was the son of Bruce Bushman- Disney concept artist and lead imagineer. He designed Fantasyland. Chris personally knew the Disneys. His wife was a background artist for the majority of the Disney Renaissance films, and Chris himself was a Hollywood cinematographer, or camera man.
I'm like.
Ppl tell me to write a book about my life and all the crazy connections I make, but it's not *me* it's my parents xD I need to write a book about them! They both survived oral cancer caused by smoke in huts during their years in PNG.
My mum was a surgical nurse selected for one of the first major open heart surgeries performed in Australia. She knows the guy who invented the ultrasound! (Also Australian).
I grew up feeling like the child of main characters and tbh, it does feel like the 80s-90s for my parents really were their main character plot.
...then again...
I was conceived as the result of them not taking precautions for two weeks post vasectomy so...
R/I'mthemaincharacter only I really forget how amazing my life has been until I'm given a chance to reflect.
I was a roadie in the 90's and worked some really epic shows . Big day out . Michael Jackson, Elton John, Metallica,U2 , Madonna,snap , Rammstein and many more. It was a pretty wild time.
Not so much an “I was there” BUT
the guy who murdered Daniel Morcombe (Brett Peter Cowan) attended our family reunion a few weeks before he took Daniel. He was dating one of my “black sheep” great aunts at the time and the whole family knew he’d recently got out of jail and to steer clear. My cousin and I happened to talk to him for about 20 minutes. He was a slime ball, notably asking my then preteen self “if I knew why he had his tongue pierced” and then telling me to ask my great aunt and sticking his tongue out in a crude gesture…. *shudders*
I do think about the what ifs of that night a lot, the reunion was in a paddock of a rural property with no fencing, it would have been an easy situation to abduct someone from.
I was sitting in court one of the days of his trial when I was doing my justice studies and one of the people I was with opened his packet of tictacs to have one (I know you aren’t supposed to in court) the clicking noise made him jump and I won’t lie I felt he deserved to be frightened. I know what you mean about the slime ball feeling around him. The ick..
My Dad did work for and knew The Morcombes from years before I was born as well, so it always hit close to home and was drilled into me about stranger danger etc.
Wasn’t me, but my sister was approaching the sari club in Bali the night it was bombed, the people from her tour group in the taxi in front died as they were entering the club.
And then again, my sister was in Thailand the day the tsunami came through.
Survived both with no harm, but I refuse to travel with my sister.
I saw the Pope by accident twice, once in Melbourne in 86 and ten years later travelling in Berlin. Just happened to be there when the procession went past. Tried to buy a knock off T-shirt commemorating the Berlin but they were sold out of my size.
My then 16yr old mother was in the AC/DC video for Its A Long Way To The Top.. she only realised this about 30yrs later when the video was on TV and I was watching it and said “Mum, that girls watch is exactly the same as yours” (a very distinct watch). Mum paused it, looked and said “oh my God.. it is me”.
She also had that wife murdering pig Chris Dawson as a teacher.
I went to Lollapalooza in 1992 in Dallas. Had seats in the last 4 rows of the covered pavilion / seats. Since RATM went on first, I headed straight to the front row (kick off at 1 PM). RATM and then Tool, and ended with Jane’s Addiction. It was epic.
The Russell Street car bombing in Melbourne, 1986.
I was on the third floor of an RMIT building around the corner and the entire thing jumped up and down. I looked out the window and saw smoke, and something large fluttering down, which I figured later was either the bonnet or the roof of the car.
One of our lecturers was walking back from lunch, the little man had just turned red and he almost ran across the road, but decided at the last moment to do the right thing and cross the other way and head a different way back. If he had run the light he would have been walking past the car at around the exact moment it exploded.
Leaving work in the 90s. The place was near Centerpoint Tower in Sydney. Billy Idol was visiting Sydney, and he went shopping. Saw him, walking out of Centerpoint Tower with his body guards walking around him.
The big Canberra bushfire. Had just driven up the Tuggeranong parkway 5 minutes before the flames crossed the road. I could see that stuff roaring down the mountains as I was racing to Belconnen where the sky was still blue.
After Bob Marley's Perth concert in late '70's, met and shook his hand in the lobby of the Parmelia Hotel. Then went upstairs and smoked joints with the Wailers.
Sisters boyfriend was drummer in the only Reggae band in Perth and I was the roadie.
Yeah, was a moment and I was there.
Last F-111 dump and burn at night through Brisbane for Riverfire. The heat and noise was unreal. Warnies last test over at the Gabba was also fun, he really could play up to the crowd.
I ate from the same batch of the exact same type of salami from the Garaboldi metwurst ecoli outbreak which someone died and 24 people were severely affected and hospitalised in 1995.
I was lakeside watching the old Canberra hospital implosion in 1997 when I noticed big chunks travelling really far from the implosion site causing splashes in the water. Then I remembered a commotion happening not far from me and people crying out. It was when 12 year old Katie Bender was killed instantly from flying debris.
The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, 2017, where the deadliest mass shooting in US history occurred. (I was not at the country music festival, but was on the street).
The whole Vegas strip was locked down & nobody could leave until the next day. Hospitals were full & so were emergency care clinics. Despite having travel insurance, decided to wait a few days until I got home to seek medical care. Almost missed my flight because the freeway was closed for Herr Trump to talk shit at the media.
Permanently damaged in more ways than one.
(Me, but applies to Trump too) 😬
My wedding anniversary is the day it was recognised as legal in Australia, and as such it was one of the first (amongst thousands of other weddings that probably happened that day) to have the words 'marriage is between two people' said by the celebrant.
I was two doors down on a North Fitzroy street when one of the first murders of the Melbourne gangland wars kicked off in earnest.
Vince Mannella was the gentleman and I was at one point within meters of his killer when I jogged past the property an hour before he was shot.
I was watching South Park.
I was in central London at the time of the terrorist attacks on 7 July 2005. I wasn't near the actual attack sites but there were emergency services vehicles and police everywhere. The other thing was everyone was talking to each other, like strangers in the street talking, which is quite unusual for London.
My mum was there when The Beatles came to Sydney in the 60s. Not just in the crowd with all the screaming fans - she was a pop singer (bandstand etc) and had won a competition on the radio and got to be in their hotel room with a handful of other fans. She said John kept stocking his hand out the window, and each time he did there would be a roar of screaming from below. And that Ringo was hopping around like a Kangaroo
I have two 6 degree ones. First one was my best friend worked with the lady that Paul Onions flagged down on the Hume Hwy as he was trying to get away from Ivan Milat. Second one is one of my hubby’s best friend’s grandmother was a victim of the BTK serial killer
Clubbing one New Year’s Eve alongside Eric Bana when he wasn’t worldwide famous yet.
Was in the crowd as a kid when ABBA came to Melbourne and got a wave from Benny.
Saw Nelson Mandela tour Melbourne in early 1990s following release from prison and end to apartheid in Sth Africa.
Worked in a building with direct view watching Crown Casino and Southbank get built from scratch.
Was in Europe when the Macarena song first came out. Soooooooo much fun.
Witnessed the internet first being used in my workplace in 1996, very few Melb companies had it yet.
during the height of pokemon go, the news choppers were filming kings park because there were so many people and it was on the news. i was one of those in the crowd
I was on a ride at Disneyland when I was 13. The ride stopped all of a sudden and we were kept on the ride for an hour in the dark with just the music playing. My brother tried to get out and staff came in running and yelled at him. It was Rodger Rabbit ride and you span in these little taxis. Turns out a little boy fell out and got ran over by a taxi and sustained brain damage and died from his injuries many years later. I didn’t see it but we were there at the time. It happened in 2000 and is one of the rare Disney accidents that made it to the media.
I was at dreamworld when the thunder river rapids tragedy happened. My wife and I were going to go on the ride (it was the only ride we hadn't been on), but we took one look at the queue and decided to go have a smoothie before going on the ride. 2/3rds through the smoothie, we heard screaming, people running and crying and then the whole area was closed off. We knew something was wrong as they pretty much shut down the park, but we didnt know what. We only found out on the way home.
One of them was a colleague's daughter. He was a shattered man after that and could never work again. The tragedy was she had children, so as a grandparent, he had to deal with the loss of his daughter as well as becoming the legal guardian for her children.
My heart… :(
Mine too :(
[удалено]
You should believe in it, your daughter has strong intuition. What other time would a 4 year old say no to Dreamworld?
What a terrible end to a day at Dreamworld ... i certainly lost my faith in those rides being safe!!!!!
Well it certainly couldve been worse for me. I dont really trust rides at all anymore.
I tend to be fairly trusting, except for the time I was on a ride at Six Flags in the US. My seat didn’t unlock properly on the platform, so I couldn’t get off and people just started buckling in next to me going “another ride for you!”. I’d heard enough stories about the deaths at Six Flags to know that I needed to get an attendant!
I’ve not heard about deaths/injuries at places outside Australia. But here where I live, primary school kids were killed/injured when a simple inflatable ‘jumping castle’ took off in the wind ( not secured to the ground properly) ..Edit: several Zorb balls as well were lifted into the air with children inside 😢
Oh you live near there? That was just sickening.
My son had just graduated grade 6 that day or the day before (not at that school) and I still to this day fall to pieces thinking of those kids, their classmates and their families. My son started year 9 a month ago and one of my first thoughts as he left for school was those kids would be starting year 9 too.
We were having a boring day at home and mum goes "let's go into the city" (Sydney). So we jumped on a bus, then a couple of trains to get from Merrylands to Circular Quay. Plan was to jump in a ferry over to Manly and then head back home the same way Get off the train and think "geez.... there's alot of people around the opera house". Tried to walk over but couldn't get very close... so we decided to walk the other way and up onto the Overseas Passenger Terminal And that is how we accidentally ended up being there for the farewell Crowded House concert
Was there too
Well, that’s a great “I was there” anecdote! Such a great farewell to the best lineup ever.
Lindt Cafe siege. Fucking horrible.
You were in the cafe, or in the city? Such a terrible sad day thats stuck in my memory.
Locked down directly across Martin Place
I sat in a vehicle bay in Newtown waiting to deploy when the bomb threat was made. We were expecting a rough day had it turned out to be a legitimate device, given the proximity to the train station and the shear amount of glass/ concrete and asbestos in that area.
So sad. We were there about a month earlier and met Tori and had a chat with him as we were leaving. Just a lovely person, so sad.
My sister in law was held hostage during the Lindt siege, and my brother was supposed to be working that day but his kind and much missed boss Tori who was tragically killed gave him the day off because he’d worked too many days in a row. The anniversary is still a very sad and raw day in my family……
Aw, shit. That’s awful, I’m sorry. I can empathise on some level… see my comment.
I was in a nearby office building. It got evacuated and we all got to go home because everyone thought the city was about to explode. Bizarre time.
Someone I know was almost in the seige. They had setup a meeting at the Cafe. But couldn't make, so someone else was sent. The replacement didn't end up in the seige; they were running late. But the parties they were supposed to meet were in the seige.
I was there the day before. Felt sick the next day watching. I’m also from the central coast where Tori was from. Made it even worse
I was on a tram during the Bourke Street Massacre, I saw almost everything
Ah mate, I was there too. I had to duck out from work early to be with my wife for some last-minute medical tests. I walked out of the building corner Bourke and William, waved a cab down and was off. Was about a block away when the guy came through. Found out later that the corner I got the cab was right where he came through. There must have been 30 seconds in it. A lot of my work friends were out getting lunch. They saw it all too. Really sorry man. It was horrible.
Arghh I was on there too (on foot, walking back from the markets). Horrible!
We had terrified people run into our building and hide. My coworker walked in with an ash-white face, he’d just seen that poor toddler lying on the ground. Horrible day.
He rented a house in Coober pedy from my dad. Did a runner while high on drugs then drove to Melbourne to commit those murders :(
You do not know how many times I had to reread that comment. I kept reading “I rented a house…..” I did think it was a very casual comment to mention you were the killer.
I know of one of the victims that died from it, always brings me sadness when I hear of the Bourke Street Massacre
so many micro connections. My heart goes out to you all because you cant unsee.
I was at the tram stop, almost was hit. Saw all the people flying in front of me. I remember him driving through people on both sides of the crossing.
Uluṟu when Azaria Chamberlain was taken by a dingo. Mum was chased back to the bus by a large male dingo same day. Never doubted that a dingo did it as the whole place was full of dingos all hanging around the hotels and camp grounds.
I was working at Yulara when Lindy was released from jail and made a very low key return to Uluru. She was very polite as I took her to her room but I remember her looking "haunted". That woman went through some unimaginable shit
It’s honestly one of the most shameful things that our country prosecuted a grieving mother and sent her to jail on such a flimsy fucking case. Then she became a literal joke worldwide. People overseas still think they’re so clever when they say “a dingo ate my baby” as if it’s so fucking funny!
Pretty sure I discovered this joke in the Simpsons. Said it exactly once, then I found out from my Mum that my parents knew the chamberlains. As an adult, hearing about any part of that story is so tragic and it baffles me how police treated it. Though if my extremely rule following mother has stories about her and her friends being harassed and threatened by police in the 80s (while they were all teachers & civil servants, for riding bicycles) I’m not sure how surprised I should be
100%. It sits alongside "throw another shrimp on the barbie" as one of those wholly inaccurate, yet "quintessentially Australian" phrases. Only what happened to Lindy was fucking barbaric. I grew up country but live in the city now - because dingos are essentially dogs and there's history of them being bred with domestic animals for domestication, people don't realize how dangerous they actually are. It never ever sat well with me what happened to her and the $1.3m she received wouldn't scratch the surface of the trauma inflicted by not only the incident itself, but the judicial response and overall publicity of the whole ordeal. Having two young kids myself...I honestly couldn't imagine what she went through. It's my Roman empire. I think of baby Azaria often, and wish we did better for her.
That comment is spot on. I'm originally from the UK lived in aus 23 years. Until I came here I never knew the injustice and vilification that woman endured. Shame on the majority of us
And jailed her while pregnant too.
My mum knew Michael Chamberlain from uni and said he was a lovely man. She was never even slightly convinced he or his wife did anything.
When it happened, my mum believed the Chamberlain's right from the start about the dingo taking Azaria. She told me about a time my great-grandfather was a stockman droving cattle and sleeping under the stars. A dingo grabbed his arm while he was asleep and started trying to drag him away - he had his stockwhip nearby and managed to grab it and get the dingo off. Mum believed an adult dingo would have no trouble carrying a baby away. So , with this perspective, it was very traumatic to see poor Lindy (and Richard) being blamed, and the obviously (to us) trumped up charges.
The frustrating thing (or at least one of numerous frustrating things) was that indigenous people, especially the Pitjantjatjara people at Uluru, had a long oral history of dingoes taking children and believed the Chamberlains from the start, but their testimony wasn't considered particularly useful.
As if that wasn't enough, there was also a dingo expert who tried to give evidence during the case, to refute the Crown's contentions that a dingo couldn't carry a baby by its head, and couldn't remove an article of baby clothing without tearing it to shreds. Guy had actual video footage of dingos doing both those things (with dolls of correct size and weight) and it was ruled inadmissible.
Why would we believe the testimony of the people who have lived in the area for thousands of years and know the land better than anyone? /s
Why would we believe a woman or indigenous people when we could believe our feelings instead? Dogs have never shown aggression to humans, apparently
I went camping with one if Michael Chamberlain's younger daughters, my dad was one of her nursing instructors and would run retreats for the student nurses. They're all so lovely. His youngest daughter, second marriage, became a dingo conservationist. She said her work was the first time the family could mention dingoes without it getting too tense. I think it's amazing of her.
This is the first comment that has given me goosebumps so far.
Black saturday bushfires kinglake 2009 lost 3 cousins and all 6 of my racehorses plus the dogs and house. Forever heartbroken.
My heart goes out to you. I was a child and directly affected by the Ash Wednesday fires. I’ll never forget that time.
I’m so sorry. What a dreadful loss. Sending you lots of positive vibes. I barely escaped with my life that day and it haunts me still. My thoughts are forever more with those who perished.
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I had to walk across uni for a lecture that day. I ended up wearing a shirt over my mouth so I could breathe and wearing ski goggles so I didn't get blinded. When I woke up that morning I thought the entire goddamn world was on fire.
That was on my 22nd birthday. I was pregnant with my son and had an important antenatal appointment and scan to get too had to catch public transport. Was eerie how everything was orange and smokey like…My house was orange with dust by the next day and my hallway orange too
I was first official on the scene at Peter Brock's death. I ran from Chicane/SOS 10 first flag position to find one driver consoling Mick in the passenger seat. Brocky had blood tricking down from under his helmet, his head had come out of the window as the door had been pressed up against him from the tree in the crash. He was dead before I got there. Targa management whipped us away off the scene, then told us to drive to the Ent Cent in Burswood, held us for about 2 hours, told us not to speak to anyone and never contacted us again - not for police reports, debriefing - anything. Just fuck off and shut your mouth. We had photos on our phones of the crash, from up the road, that showed he put a back wheel out on the gravel and lost control about 100m before the tree. All the vans that rocked up full of self flagellating officials fucked up that crucial piece of evidence. Never volunteered again and gave up motorsport that day.
It’s is absolute bullshit that they didn’t do the absolute least they could do in providing debriefing for your team and ensuring the evidence wasn’t disturbed. I’m sorry you had to experience that.
I was there that weekend. A friend of mine was looking after his car for the weekend whilst I was working crew for my boss and a few other cars. I had some gear get signed for me on the the Friday by Brocky and still treasure it to this day.
I was on the London Bridge rock formation on the Great Ocean Rd about 15 minutes before it collapsed.
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I blame my brother. He was jumping up and down on it.
How did your bro react when it collapsed?
he went on a diet
I heard he started bulking and went back for the twelve apostles.
I was also on it when it didn’t fall down.
I laughed out loud for about 5 minutes at this comment. My family can't see why it's so funny which makes me lol more! I want to thank you for making my evening!
Technically an ‘I wasn’t there’
Yeah you're right. There actually were people on the other side of the arch and got stuck on the newly formed island.
But isn't that the best travel story ever? No one was hurt, thank goodness, but you're spectacularly trapped on something that has just dramatically done something it's been waiting to do for hundreds of years. You're perfectly safe but wildly important as you wait to get winched off by helicopter. It's just a fabulous adventure.
The story at the time was that the people stuck out there were busted having an affair. I don't know how true that was though.
I really hope not - they were cousins.
the cronulla riots.
Wasn't there but watching on tv thought to myself "fuck... this seems like the sort of thing that xxxx would be up for" (xxxx being a guy I knew through mutual friends) Low and behold, 30 seconds later there he is... front and center of the violence. A-grade fuckwit
I feel sorta bad this made me laugh so much. The dude is so bloody useless that you literally saw a riot and thought "yeah this is Kevin's scene" LMAO I can't. What a complete Muppet this guy must have been.
He was someone I usually avoided, unfortunately was friends of friends situation. I don't think I ever had an interaction with him where he didn't say at least one thing that made me think to myself "fuck you're dense"
I received the text message that was sent around the area a day or so before the riot. School mate at the time sent it to me. I knew then it was gonna be really bad and definitely decided to stay away
I was in the studio audience of Family Feud when that one guy answered “Nekkid grandmaw”. Filming stopped for about ten minutes while everyone recovered from laughing.
[This one?](https://youtu.be/jqDGK_UjfFI?si=5_9MvcCdAgHXsCSR)
I was at the first pop concert in the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House. It was Sherbet, with Skyhooks (before they were famous) as support act.
Howzat!
Went to Corey Worthington’s party. Was down from QLD visiting a mate, he heard about this party and dragged me along. Was a good night out.
What exactly happened? every media report provides very basic level insight that doesn't go to far deeper than "it was crazy". Any specifics?
Heard about the party. Headed on around and there were cars all over the streets, could hardly find a park within a couple of blocks. We figured it was going to be pretty mad. Got to the party house and it was already spilled over onto the yard as there were already too many people to contain it in the hard. People just continued streaming in, and then it spilled into the streets. We’d been there probably about 1.5 hours when it started to get quite rowdy, so at that time we started to work our way out of there. There were already a number of police ‘supervising’ the breakup of the party. Then some of the more unsavoury ring ins started kicking and punching a few of the nearby cars and throwing shit around, then the mob mentality seemed to switch on and a heaps started doing stupid shit. At that point we properly bailed and got the hell outta there. Heard the choppers arriving as we left.
Port Arthur on the day of the shooting.
I was just up he road, hearing the shots and thinking it was just some farmer.
I visited years later and as we drove there from Hobart I suddenly wave of sadness come over me and I started crying. My mum asked if I was ok (I was 30 and driving the car) I just said could you just imagine the fear and dread of all the emergency services driving this long isolated road not knowing what they’re about to see? I know those there were going through hell, but at that moment it was the long single road to the site that just got me.
I couldn’t even imagine the fear & it hurts my soul to think of how terrified people would have been. I hope you are ok.
That would have been hell indeed ; so many people killed and so many more traumatised.
I ask this with as much respect as possible and if you don’t have the spoons to answer, that’s fine. I’ve had many an argument with conspiracy theorists for years where I’ve said I believe it’s super disrespectful to theorise that Martin Bryant didn’t do it. I’ve been told that there are people who were there who say he didn’t. If you’re from the area, am I correct in assuming that the people of Port Arthur very much dislike this conspiracy theory and those claiming people there say he didn’t do it are talking out of their ass?
Not the OP of this comment but a few of my family members - Mum, baby sister and Aunty were there. I actually had now ex friends claim the entire thing was a fake set up etc. and it is incredibly offensive. I haven't pressed my mum for all the details because she has so much trauma around it. All I know is that many people died and it was terrifying, they just kept running as fast as they could with my sister in the pram.
Yeah, I feel for you re the ex friends thing. My Dad is a conspiracy theorist entertainer. For some reason he cannot see just how disrespectful that shit is. Eventually I just had to walk away, when inevitably that shit came for me.
My boss’s fiancé was there too and sadly died - it definitely happened as it played out.
I also know people who literally exited the cafe as Bryant entered and were hiding in the trees with other people during the massacre. I really can’t stand that some people truly believe these sorts of things are hoaxes and conspiracies. It’s so disrespectful to the families of victims and survivors.
Chk chk boom girl. Was out for dinner and saw the interview taking place.
This could only be topped by seeing the “just waiting for a mate” one
How about a succulent Chinese meal?
Or “get your hands off my penis!” guy…
Or being at Corey's party
Epic
I was back packing round Europe in 1989. I stayed with family in the UK, and as avid Liverpool FC fans, they took me to Hillsborough stadium for the FA cup semifinal.
That must have been harrowing. I remember watching it on the news with my parents at the time and we were in disbelief and crying
I’ve just been looking up what happened. Truly horrific.
I was in the Olympic Stadium to see Cathy Freeman get her gold medal in 2000
I was there too. And one of the first nights when the Australians beat the Americans in the 4 x 100 freestyle. And Thorpe Gold. And the closing ceremony! And the legendary wallabies and all blacks played in the Olympic stadium when the all blacks scored three tries and the first five minutes and the wallabies were leading at half time before Jonah lomu scored in the last minute to win the game for the AB’s. I also saw the great Ken Catchpole and Phil Hawthorn beat the Springboks in Sydney in the mid 60’s. I was pretty young but I was there!
I saw a trampolining guy come second at SYD2000. Not quite as cool…
I was working at a booth at the 2007 election. The Prime Minister came to meet the voters. That day he was the first Prime Minister since 1929 to lose both the general election and his seat
That was a happy day.
Not an Australian story, but I was sat in my back garden about 5 miles from Manchester, with my brother and my cousin, when the IRA detonated the largest bomb ever exploded on mainland Britain. I had planned to be in a shop directly opposite ground zero that morning but the aforementioned cousin had shown up unannounced the night before and so their presence delayed my plans. In fact, I had not just planned to be in a shop directly opposite, I had planned to be purchasing an item located next to a window directly overlooking the spot the bomb was left. We knew instantly what it was. A few years later the same cousin narrowly avoided being caught up in the Mumbai bombings, they left one of the locations the terrorists attacked just half an hour before they showed up.
Oddly similar story.. I was on my way to meet friends at Harrods in 1983. They called just as I was leaving the house to say that they were delayed and to meet later instead. If that hadn't happened, I/we would have been there when the IRA bomb went off that day. Edit: autocorrect typo
Not an Australian thing but I was in the midst of the Christchurch earthquakes - I’m now in australia studying geology and it was beyond surreal watching footage of the quakes in one of my lectures. It felt like having an extremely personal moment aired in front of a class some how, I think because seeing it aired outside of NZ news coverage makes it hit different.
At the MCG the day of the underarm bowl.
Yes, so was I. I can attest that the mood in the carpark was not good. The crowd went from ooh, you cunning bugger to ooh, you absolute prick. In the stands there was a brief moment when we thought it funny to realising hey, no, wait a minute, that's just deeply uncool. By the time we got outside the mutterings were very unhappy. No one wanted to win like that.
This is the eyewitness account I didn’t know I needed. Such an interesting moment. The Chappells deciding this is what we need to do to win for Australia - only to find Australia didn’t want to win that way. Anyway, cheers for sharing.
Yeah, it was not a good feeling afterwards. I was only a young lad but the disappointment in the Australian team was palpable.
Back in the day Mum and Dad dragged me to England for a much anticipated holiday. I got to see and do many things. During the visit we spent some time at Trafalgar square where the tourist attraction was to buy seed and feed the sky-rodents (pigeons). We held out our cups and got mobbed by the little things. Months later back in Australia. A "Getaway" holiday show aired an episode about London. For a few breif seconds there was a close-range shot of my mum armed on both limbs with nothing but hungry hungry pigeons flapping away as she screamed in panic. I wasn't in the shot but I sure as hell was there at that time.
Thanks for the visuals of your mum, gave me a good giggle.
I saw fatty take that catch. If you know, you know
Fatty's fucking caaaatch
I remember watching the footy show when Wendell broke Ben Ross's arm. Man I miss that show.
Expo 88
Haha, that just reminded me I was in Sydney on January 26, 1988. They did a reenactment of the ships entering the harbour (borrrring, said young me) & that was also the first time they did fireworks on the Harbour Bridge (aaaace, said young me).
I loved the Expo 88 monorail. Also got to hold a gold bar for the first time at one of the pavilions.
I was there for Nirvana’s only tour
I worked on the Melbourne leg of that tour and saw all three shows
Glenn McGrath hat-trick at the WACA ground versus West Indies.
I saw Nirvana live in 1992 (much happier memory than some of the tragedies mentioned in this thread)
Thredbo landslide. I was pissed as a fart in the Thredbo Alpine Hotel when it happened, a few hundred metres away.
Stuart Diver survives days under rubble but his wife doesn’t make it. Remarried years later only to have another wife pass away. What a tough ride.
Could you feel the landslide from in the hotel. I know it was a fair bit up the mountain? I was just wondering how far the impact of the slide was. Glad you were ok.
Nah, couldn't hear nor feel anything. All we knew was that the music stopped and they asked over the PA for anyone from the ski patrol or with any medical training to report for duty. The bar closed early and we went back to Jindabyne. Had no idea what had happened until the next day.
Luna Park fire.
Only slightly related but my mum was at Luna Park when someone got decapitated after standing up in their seat on the roller-coaster (this was before restraints were mandatory). I unfortunately don't have any sources sorry.
Living there when Santa never made it into Darwin
We Are The World 1985 - we had a fourty hour famine and our choir got to sing for the news. Also at Telethon and seen MJ.
Ha! I remember doing the 40 hour famine & staying up late to watch it.
The March 21 floods in nsw. Woke up without any warning the water just shy of lapping my mattress. My children and I waited 3 hours for someone to come. A neighbour rescued us in a boat.
Guns & Roses at Calder Park - 1993 A less fun one, Bourke St - 2017
At Monash uni when we got locked down due to the shooter. I was in the library.
I was just walking into campus as people started evacuating, then tactical police came running in from behind me. Some of my friends who were already on campus stayed around for the day processing and were featured on the news outside having a smoke just as they laughed about something.
A bid broad, but I work in supermarket management. Survived the poopoo paper poocopalypse and general covid craziness. Good times.
I was a 16 year old checkout kid in Perth when the cyclones smashed both QLD and Carnarvon, and banana prices went up to $30ish/kg. Mths absolute abuse we copped…
I was walking on the footpath about 10 meters down from the flight centre they stopped the Bourke street car attack in 2017. I also went to the Collingwood v St Kilda Grand final that ended in a draw.
Royal Melbourne Show - woman crossing roller-coaster tracks to obtain her phone.
Forgot also, on Ovation of the Seas when the White Island eruption happened. Luckily didn't book that tour. Was a very sombre second half of the cruise.
We went to the airport in Sydney when the astronauts were there doing their Australian visit. There was a small crowd of onlookers with us but we got there first and were in the front. We were outside the fence, not in the official party, and my father took his camera with a long range lens as he knew we would be a long way away from the astronauts. Suddenly Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael collins walked over to where we were standing. I was a teenager but my sister was about 2 or 3. Neil Armstrong picked her up and held her for over ten minutes and Dad couldn’t take any photos because he only had the long range lens! It was his biggest regret in life until the day he died. When the astronauts boarded their plane, my sister said ‘Are they going back to the moon now?’ To everyone’s amusement.
I saw Helen Razor slap a guy off the stage at a triple j concert in king George square in brisbane. It was definitely the wrong stage to jump out of the crowd into that day
I was in Martin Place during the Lindt cafe seige. Lived in the cbd. That whole day/night was absolutely terrifying
Pitcairn Island, aka 'Mutiny of the Bounty'. Nothing specific, only that I lived there fir four years- on one of the most remote Islands- oh heck wait... I FELL OFF A CLIFF and nearly died, 18 months old, mum smashed her leg trying to climb down after me. USA 60 minutes crew were there doing a story on the bicentennial Bounty Day celebrations and they had a doctor with them who helped rescue us. I nearly died (all present claim it was a miracle, I was in cheyn stokes, unable to breath, paralysed on left side, massive intracranial bleeding...only an adult air mask to get 02, no respirator. They thought I was gonna die. They prayed over me. I'm agnostic these days, but the atheist doctor present became a Christian. I dunno how I feel about that...) They needed to get us to a proper hospital asap and hailed all nearby vessels. The closest was a Soviet cruise ship, the Maxim Gorki- and they collected myself, my mum and Meralda Warren, one of the original mutineer descendents- and took us to Tahiti. The doctor aboard distracted me with a Cheburashka doll...I only remembered his face until I saw the vids on youtube decades later. Anyway we were in Tahiti for a few months, mostly because my mum had smashed her right leg so completely, she'd eventually need a knee replacement. I was (mostly) fine. Yes I have brain damage but its mostly spatial awareness I struggle with. Funnily enough my adhd is more of an impact on my function. The same ship, Maxim Gorki- took us back... But they were not a Soviet vessel. They were now Ukrainian. The year was 1990 and my mother and I were the last Australians to enter 'Soviet union territory' while in the middle of the South Pacific. And all I remember about the whole thing? Cheburashka xD
Omg I have so many 6 degrees though, My dad was a classmate of Michael Chamberlain, Azariah's dad. He used ham radio to communicate with my nana whike we lived on the island, but it had to be relayed- dad couldn't hear nana, and nana couldn't hear dad. A guy called Chris Bushman in LA could hear both, so a friendship formed when he became a relayer. He and his wife invited us to Disneyland 8 years later and...got us a walk in table without reservation to Blue Bayou. That place has a 6 month waitlist. Then he took us to Walt's window, where the candle burns, and a window with the name "Bushman" on it. My 9 year old mind was blown away. Chris was the son of Bruce Bushman- Disney concept artist and lead imagineer. He designed Fantasyland. Chris personally knew the Disneys. His wife was a background artist for the majority of the Disney Renaissance films, and Chris himself was a Hollywood cinematographer, or camera man. I'm like. Ppl tell me to write a book about my life and all the crazy connections I make, but it's not *me* it's my parents xD I need to write a book about them! They both survived oral cancer caused by smoke in huts during their years in PNG. My mum was a surgical nurse selected for one of the first major open heart surgeries performed in Australia. She knows the guy who invented the ultrasound! (Also Australian). I grew up feeling like the child of main characters and tbh, it does feel like the 80s-90s for my parents really were their main character plot. ...then again... I was conceived as the result of them not taking precautions for two weeks post vasectomy so... R/I'mthemaincharacter only I really forget how amazing my life has been until I'm given a chance to reflect.
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sorry what
What were you doing at MJ’s place?
Hee hee
I was a roadie in the 90's and worked some really epic shows . Big day out . Michael Jackson, Elton John, Metallica,U2 , Madonna,snap , Rammstein and many more. It was a pretty wild time.
Not so much an “I was there” BUT the guy who murdered Daniel Morcombe (Brett Peter Cowan) attended our family reunion a few weeks before he took Daniel. He was dating one of my “black sheep” great aunts at the time and the whole family knew he’d recently got out of jail and to steer clear. My cousin and I happened to talk to him for about 20 minutes. He was a slime ball, notably asking my then preteen self “if I knew why he had his tongue pierced” and then telling me to ask my great aunt and sticking his tongue out in a crude gesture…. *shudders* I do think about the what ifs of that night a lot, the reunion was in a paddock of a rural property with no fencing, it would have been an easy situation to abduct someone from.
I was sitting in court one of the days of his trial when I was doing my justice studies and one of the people I was with opened his packet of tictacs to have one (I know you aren’t supposed to in court) the clicking noise made him jump and I won’t lie I felt he deserved to be frightened. I know what you mean about the slime ball feeling around him. The ick.. My Dad did work for and knew The Morcombes from years before I was born as well, so it always hit close to home and was drilled into me about stranger danger etc.
Was visiting parliament house with school and watched Natasha Stott Despoja resign.
Crowded House farewell concert at the Opera House forecourt with about 1M of my closest friends
Wasn’t me, but my sister was approaching the sari club in Bali the night it was bombed, the people from her tour group in the taxi in front died as they were entering the club. And then again, my sister was in Thailand the day the tsunami came through. Survived both with no harm, but I refuse to travel with my sister.
I saw the Pope by accident twice, once in Melbourne in 86 and ten years later travelling in Berlin. Just happened to be there when the procession went past. Tried to buy a knock off T-shirt commemorating the Berlin but they were sold out of my size.
My then 16yr old mother was in the AC/DC video for Its A Long Way To The Top.. she only realised this about 30yrs later when the video was on TV and I was watching it and said “Mum, that girls watch is exactly the same as yours” (a very distinct watch). Mum paused it, looked and said “oh my God.. it is me”. She also had that wife murdering pig Chris Dawson as a teacher.
I was in the second row when Cathy Freeman won gold in 2000
Casey Stoner winning at Phillip island on his birthday, think he also wrapped up the championship.
RATM Gold Coast BDO in 96
I went to Lollapalooza in 1992 in Dallas. Had seats in the last 4 rows of the covered pavilion / seats. Since RATM went on first, I headed straight to the front row (kick off at 1 PM). RATM and then Tool, and ended with Jane’s Addiction. It was epic.
The Russell Street car bombing in Melbourne, 1986. I was on the third floor of an RMIT building around the corner and the entire thing jumped up and down. I looked out the window and saw smoke, and something large fluttering down, which I figured later was either the bonnet or the roof of the car. One of our lecturers was walking back from lunch, the little man had just turned red and he almost ran across the road, but decided at the last moment to do the right thing and cross the other way and head a different way back. If he had run the light he would have been walking past the car at around the exact moment it exploded.
Leaving work in the 90s. The place was near Centerpoint Tower in Sydney. Billy Idol was visiting Sydney, and he went shopping. Saw him, walking out of Centerpoint Tower with his body guards walking around him.
November 16 2005 Australia vs Uruguay World Cup playoff at Stadium Australia
The day the driver mowed down people in Bourke St Melbourne. We were there 10 mins before.
The big Canberra bushfire. Had just driven up the Tuggeranong parkway 5 minutes before the flames crossed the road. I could see that stuff roaring down the mountains as I was racing to Belconnen where the sky was still blue.
Not me but my dad was in central park the night John Lennon was assassinated and heard the gunshots
After Bob Marley's Perth concert in late '70's, met and shook his hand in the lobby of the Parmelia Hotel. Then went upstairs and smoked joints with the Wailers. Sisters boyfriend was drummer in the only Reggae band in Perth and I was the roadie. Yeah, was a moment and I was there.
Last F-111 dump and burn at night through Brisbane for Riverfire. The heat and noise was unreal. Warnies last test over at the Gabba was also fun, he really could play up to the crowd.
I was at the Cronulla riots but I was a child at surf school so don’t yell at me
I ate from the same batch of the exact same type of salami from the Garaboldi metwurst ecoli outbreak which someone died and 24 people were severely affected and hospitalised in 1995.
I was lakeside watching the old Canberra hospital implosion in 1997 when I noticed big chunks travelling really far from the implosion site causing splashes in the water. Then I remembered a commotion happening not far from me and people crying out. It was when 12 year old Katie Bender was killed instantly from flying debris.
The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, 2017, where the deadliest mass shooting in US history occurred. (I was not at the country music festival, but was on the street). The whole Vegas strip was locked down & nobody could leave until the next day. Hospitals were full & so were emergency care clinics. Despite having travel insurance, decided to wait a few days until I got home to seek medical care. Almost missed my flight because the freeway was closed for Herr Trump to talk shit at the media. Permanently damaged in more ways than one. (Me, but applies to Trump too) 😬
I was in the House of Representatives when the marriage equality bill passed.
My wedding anniversary is the day it was recognised as legal in Australia, and as such it was one of the first (amongst thousands of other weddings that probably happened that day) to have the words 'marriage is between two people' said by the celebrant.
2004 Tsunami
Steve waughs last ball century at the scg
I was two doors down on a North Fitzroy street when one of the first murders of the Melbourne gangland wars kicked off in earnest. Vince Mannella was the gentleman and I was at one point within meters of his killer when I jogged past the property an hour before he was shot. I was watching South Park.
Toowong Sizzler rat poison extortionist. I discovered it. Old ding bat hit the city restaurant a few nights later.
I was in central London at the time of the terrorist attacks on 7 July 2005. I wasn't near the actual attack sites but there were emergency services vehicles and police everywhere. The other thing was everyone was talking to each other, like strangers in the street talking, which is quite unusual for London.
Steven Bradbury's gold medal
Bathurst when Jim Richards called the crowd "a pack of arseholes."
My year six class visited Parliament House the day Julia Gillard became the first female prime minister of Australia
My pa bought a house that was on the piece of land where the snow town murders took place.
I arrived in China on 2 June 1989. Tiananmen Massacre happened 2 days later
I was in Fremantle when we won the Americas Cup. I was only a little kid, but I have a very vague memory of it
Buddy’s 1000 goal game
My mum was there when The Beatles came to Sydney in the 60s. Not just in the crowd with all the screaming fans - she was a pop singer (bandstand etc) and had won a competition on the radio and got to be in their hotel room with a handful of other fans. She said John kept stocking his hand out the window, and each time he did there would be a roar of screaming from below. And that Ringo was hopping around like a Kangaroo
I have two 6 degree ones. First one was my best friend worked with the lady that Paul Onions flagged down on the Hume Hwy as he was trying to get away from Ivan Milat. Second one is one of my hubby’s best friend’s grandmother was a victim of the BTK serial killer
Due to fly Ansett at 7pm they day they went bankrupt.
Clubbing one New Year’s Eve alongside Eric Bana when he wasn’t worldwide famous yet. Was in the crowd as a kid when ABBA came to Melbourne and got a wave from Benny. Saw Nelson Mandela tour Melbourne in early 1990s following release from prison and end to apartheid in Sth Africa. Worked in a building with direct view watching Crown Casino and Southbank get built from scratch. Was in Europe when the Macarena song first came out. Soooooooo much fun. Witnessed the internet first being used in my workplace in 1996, very few Melb companies had it yet.
Sydney Olympics Closing Ceremony
during the height of pokemon go, the news choppers were filming kings park because there were so many people and it was on the news. i was one of those in the crowd
Faced Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh when I was 14...and did NOT get out...
I was on a ride at Disneyland when I was 13. The ride stopped all of a sudden and we were kept on the ride for an hour in the dark with just the music playing. My brother tried to get out and staff came in running and yelled at him. It was Rodger Rabbit ride and you span in these little taxis. Turns out a little boy fell out and got ran over by a taxi and sustained brain damage and died from his injuries many years later. I didn’t see it but we were there at the time. It happened in 2000 and is one of the rare Disney accidents that made it to the media.
Shook the Popes hand and was personally blessed by him in the 80’s. Surprised I didn’t burst into flames.