Dreamworld appoints disaster recovery expert in bid to rebuild community trust after fatal ride accident

By Matt Eaton

Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld has appointed retired police inspector Mike McKay to help rebuild community trust after last Tuesday’s fatal accident.

Four people were killed when Dreamworld’s Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned and their raft flipped over.

Two children who were also in the raft survived the accident.

Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson said Mr McKay had started work at Dreamworld in helping the theme park through a recovery process.

Mr McKay assisted recovery efforts after Cyclone Larry in 2006 and after the Grantham flood disaster in 2011 and said he would be working with the Gold Coast City Council in “disaster recovery”.

“There’s probably no difference with a natural disaster and the passing (of four people) as they have had at this park,” Mr McKay said.

“It’s a very hard and long process, it’s still very raw not only with the families and their extended families but with the staff here at Dreamworld.

“I’ve been brought in to look at the holistic approach as to how we can best get things back to some normalcy at some stage.”

Mr McKay said his work was about reintegrating the theme park back into the community.

“We appreciate that we need to show the world, and it is an international situation, that this is going to be a safe and happy and comfortable place for them to come back to.”

Mr Davidson said the first step was to begin a healing process for the community.

“Secondly it is about rebuilding trust and confidence in Dreamworld,” he said.

“Mike’s appointment was made on the personal recommendation of Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart.”

The complex police investigation into the Dreamworld tragedy is still underway at the theme park.

Mr Davidson said Dreamworld continued to cooperate fully with authorities and would not reopen until after funerals had been held for the accident victims.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.