The Killer Cyclone of ’28’

RAVAGED GOLDFIELDS TOWNS
Cyclone Claims Child Victim.
PREMIER CAUGHT IN STATION WRECK
Total Damage Estimated at £150,000

Albany Advertiser 14th Feb 1928 – Sent hurtling through the air by the fury of the cyclone that devastated the goldfields towns on Friday, a sheet of iron struck down six year old Violet Guy, of 198 Piesse street, Boulder, causing her to die yesterday morning. She was the sole victim of the tempest.
Violet Emma Guy, with her mother, her brother of 10 yrs, and two little companions, were on their way to visit relatives in Kalgoorlie when the tornado broke loose. Rushing two of the children to safety while her own went on ahead, Mrs. Guy caught up to her little son, who said, pointing to a sheet of iron, “Look, mother, I took that off Violet.” Mrs. Gray saw her daughter covered in blood. The iron had struck her in the back and side, almost severing her leg. The little sufferer lingered until yesterday morning, when she died.

The damage is estimated at £150,000. Only a very small proportion of the property was insured. The worst sufferers were the small tenants. A survey of the wreckage showed that the business portion of Kalgoorlie escaped lightly, but many houses in the residential area had been crumpled up as though built of straw.

PREMIER’S NARROW ESCAPE. – 10th February
Three minutes separated the Premier (Mr. Collier) from probable death on the Kalgoorlie station when the storm gripped the town. A distant moan, which quickly grew to an angry roar, warned he and other State and Federal members on the platform to rush for cover. Mr. Collier dived into the mail van of the trans train, and the wind ripping off the roof of the platform, clashed on the spot where he had been standing a mass of twisted steel and crushed sheets of iron.

The informal reception committee on the platform included Senators Needham and Graham, Mr. A. E. Green, M.H.R., Mr. J. J. Kenneally, M.L.A., Mr. E. H. Barker, secretary of State Executive of A.L.P., Senators Needham, and Graham and Messrs. Kenneally and Barker were joining the waiting trans-train to go to the eastern States, the latter two being on their way to attend a meeting of the Federal Executive of the Australian Labor Party in Melbourne on February 14.

Kalgoorlie Railway Station.

MUD SPLASHED SUITS.
As Mr. Collier stepped on to the platform and commenced shaking hands, the distant moan grew speedily into a roar. He knew what it meant, and so did others, but quickly as they moved the dust and rain caught them, with the result that all quickly had a coating of mud on their hats and clothes. Some of the goldfields residents were in white suits, and these immediately went a deep chocolate colour. In five seconds, according to Mr. Lutey, the spot was vacated, everybody flying helter skelter for any shelter offering. Mr. Collier and Mr. Lutey noticed the doors of a mail van oh the Perth train standing open. They did not stand on ceremony as they dashed through the door of this  haven, which was immediately packed with fugitives. Others had managed to get inside the carriages of the trans-train, which was pulled up immediately opposite, whilst others again had to run the gauntlet until they got inside the station offices.

ROOF WHISKED OFF.

In the midst of the darkness a particularly heavy crash was heard. When the sunlight managed to penetrate the flying dust, it was seen that the cyclone had lifted a long stretch of roofing from the railway platform and hurled it on to the transtrain, the major portion falling on one carriage and smashing its windows. Where the Premier and party had stood by three minutes before were sheets of twisted iron and fragments of the roof. Mr. Collier received double congratulations, first upon his fortunate escape from very possible injury; secondly, that despite pressing cares of office he had retained his aforetime athletic ability and covered the distance to safety well inside evens.

The Premier, when interviewed on his return from Kalgoorlie this morning, said that the goldfields tornado was the most terrific that the goldfields had ever experienced. Within a few minutes of the arrival of the express upon which he had been a passenger on Friday last, the storm had burst. Rain was pouring in torrents, and wind of high velocity was raging. Buildings were crashing everywhere, and everyone was fleeing for shelter.

DEVASTATION AND CHAOS.

“It was indeed fortunate,” he said, “that trains were handy to protect passengers in and ahout the Kalgoorlie station, or serious casualties might have resulted. Inspections of the town afterwards showed the whole place to be in chaos, devastation prevailing everywhere. I learned with very sincere sorrow of the loss of the life of a child, and could only tender to the parents and relatives of the little one the sincerest sympathy of Ministers. It is a matter for gratitude that the calamity was not greater, as such an happening might very easily have been attended with serious loss of life.

PREMIER’S TRIBUTE

I was generally much impressed with the spirit of the goldfields people. It always asserts itself in hours of tremendous crisis such as these. No sooner were they able to be out of doors than everyone was abroad endeavouring to repair the ravages of the storm and to succour his neighbours in distress immediately. Wants were attended to, shelter given for succeeding nights, and generally arrangements were made locally which, although entirely characteristic of goldfields people, reflected the greatest credit upon them.”

Forwood and Down & Co, Engineers and Boiler Makers, Boulder Road, Kalgoorlie (on the block of land between Dorothea and Connolly Sts)