Story summary
A coronial inquest began on December 5, 2023, in Devonport, Tasmania, into the deaths of six children who died and three others who were seriously injured when a freak wind gust tossed a jumping castle across the school oval at Hillcrest Primary School during an end-of-year celebration on December 16, 2021. The tragedy involved students Addison Stewart, Chace Harrison, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Peter Dodt, and Zane Mellor. The inquest, before Coroner Olivia McTaggart, is expected to run for four days this week, with further sessions set for November and February.
The court heard details about the chaotic scene from first responders like Constable Dean Wotherspoon, who described it as an "organised chaos" where police officers, school staff, paramedics, and others were doing everything possible to save the children. Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar, who also attended the Port Arthur shooting massacre in 1996, shared that reviewing body-worn footage from the jumping castle incident brought back traumatic memories of that event.
The tragedy led to protocol changes at hospitals, including Tasmania's Mersey Community Hospital (MCH), where some of the impacted children remained unidentified for hours. Meteorological experts classified the wind gust as a dust devil with "enormous force" unlikely to be predicted accurately in Tasmania. The inquest will examine whether rules governing inflatable amusement devices need to be tightened to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.
Written for “Hillcrest Jumping Castle Tragedy” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
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A freak mini tornado, almost impossible to predict, tore across a Tasmanian school oval and hurled a packed jumping castle up to 16 metres into the air, a coroner has heard.
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coroner → see → air
Six children were killed in seconds, while others were left badly injured and traumatised.
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others → kill → seconds
The Coroner's Court of Tasmania heard the inquest will examine whether rules governing inflatable amusement devices, including how they are anchored and operated in windy conditions, need to be tightened to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
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they → hear → tragedies
Hillcrest Primary School students Zane Mellor, 12, Jye Sheehan, 12, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, 12, Peter Dodt, 12, Addison Stewart, 11, and Chace Hamilton, 11, died when a jumping castle and several inflatable Zorb balls were lifted 16 metres into the air by a strong wind gust in December 2021.
Three other children were also seriously injured in the tragedy.
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children → die → tragedy
The inquest has only now begun following the conclusion of separate criminal proceedings.
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inquest → begin → proceedings
Rosemary Anne Gamble, the owner of the business that supplied the jumping castle, was found not guilty of failing in her work health and safety duty in June last year.
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that → supply → June
Maurice Blackburn has since commenced a class action on behalf of the injured victims, families and witnesses of the tragedy, who hope to hold the state, as the operator of the school, responsible for their grief.
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state → commence → grief
Zane Mellor, 12, Peter Dodt, 12, Addison Stewart, 11, Jye Sheehan, 12 and Jalailah Jayne-Marie Jones, 12, were all killed in the tragedy
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Mellor → kill → tragedy
In opening the inquest, counsel assisting the coroner, Maree Norton SC, told the court the inquiry would 'critically consider' whether current safety measures for inflatables are adequate to prevent future deaths and serious injuries.
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measures → open → deaths
'We'll look at the appropriateness of Australian standards in respect of land borne inflatable devices, specifically amusement rides and devices more generally, to manage wind-based safety risks, as well as the related regulatory practices, including the role of WorkSafe Tasmania, and any necessary recommendations to prevent future deaths or injuries involving jumping castles and zorb balls,' she said.
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she → look → castles
The court heard it had been a perfect day until the freak weather event struck without warning.
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event → hear → warning
'At approximately 10am, the weather conditions suddenly changed, with numerous witnesses describing the arrival of an extreme wind event travelling across the oval,' Ms Norton told the court.
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Norton → change → court
'Many observed dust, leaves, and grass being lifted into the air in a rotating motion, resembling a whirlwind or mini tornado.
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dust → observe → whirlwind
The scene had been intended as a joyful lead-up to Christmas.
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scene → intend → Christmas
On December 16, 2021, Hillcrest Primary School was holding its 'Big Day In' celebrations.
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School → hold → celebrations
On the school oval sat a bright, crayon-themed jumping castle and a zorb ball arena, hired from Taz-Zorb and supervised by operator Rosemary Gamble and her helpers.
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castle → sit → Gamble
The awful scene where an inflatable castle came to rest at Hillcrest Primary School.
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castle → come → School
The awful scene where an inflatable castle came to rest at Hillcrest Primary
Groups of Year 5 and 6 students took turns bouncing and rolling in the inflatables under a clear, hot and almost windless sky.
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Groups → come → sky
Witnesses said the weather had been perfect all morning, describing it as 'beautiful', 'not a breath of wind' and 'very calm'.
Principal Jerome Pape called it 'a beautiful day with little to no breeze'.
Teacher's assistant Lisa Willett said: 'The sun was out, and there wasn’t a breath of wind anywhere'.
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sun → say → wind
That all changed in an instant.
Year 5/6 teacher Stephen Fenn was standing on the oval when it happened.
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it → stand → oval
'A gust of wind hit where I was.
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I → hit → wind
The gust was like a whirlwind motion, going around and lifting debris off the ground, such as grass and dust.
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gust → go → grass
I thought this was unusual, but within seconds it had increased in energy and then started lifting everything off the ground,' he said.
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he → think → ground
Nearby resident Vicky Smith felt it too.
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Smith → feel → it
The tragedy at Hillcrest tore the local community apart
Mourners flooded the school with flowers in the days that followed the tragedy
'
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that → tear → tragedy
There was a big whoosh, and I said, "Wow, that was a gust of wind" ...
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that → be → wind
It does get windy at our house, but I don't usually notice wind on the porch.
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I → get → porch
I think that because it wasn’t really windy at all that day, I noticed it more as it came out of nowhere,' she said.
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she → think → it
Ms Willett called it a 'mini tornado going through the zorb balls and the jumping castle'.
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Willett → call → balls
The inquest heard the 'dust devil' was ferociously localised.
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devil → hear → ?
Children playing dominoes just 20 metres away on cement stairs felt nothing and kept playing, undisturbed.
Meteorological expert Dr Nicholas Earl Jones later classified the event as a dust devil of 'enormous force for Tasmania', formed when a sea-breeze front met super-heated dry ground.
Such a powerful example in the state was 'extremely unlikely, or even unprecedented' and 'virtually impossible to predict', he said.
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he → play → state
In those terrifying seconds the crayon jumping castle - with seven children on it - was ripped from the ground.
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castle → jump → ground
The court heard it rose, span and reached an estimated 16 metres into the air before travelling roughly 60 metres across the oval.
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it → hear → oval
Georgie Burt (second right) mother of Zane Mellor, arrives for the start of the inquest into the Hillcrest jumping castle tragedy at the Paranaple Centre in Devonport, Tasmania on Monday
Andrew Dodt, father of Peter Dodt, arrives for the start of the inquest on Monday
Some witnesses saw it bounce, lift again, and then crash down near the eastern boundary.
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it → arrive → boundary
Resident Robert Boucher, who watched from across the road, described the terrifying sight.
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who → watch → sight
'The gust of wind came out of nowhere.
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gust → come → wind
I saw that the castle, which was dark blue, was completely off the ground.
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which → see → ground
It looked like it was trying to turn in the air in a horizontal motion,' he said.
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he → look → motion
'The jumping castle was gusted into the air and started to twirl around.
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castle → jump → air
It was going in a circular motion and was like a whirlwind.'
The zorb ball arena was also torn free.
Operator Robert Monty, who was standing inside it and holding a zorb ball to help children in and out, said the ball was 'ripped from his hands up into the air without any notice'.
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ball → go → notice
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
