On September 27, 1996, a coastal cliff collapse at Huzza's Beach in Gracetown, Western Australia, killed nine people during an inter-school surfing competition. Stephen Duggan and others performed daring rescue attempts that saved the life of sole survivor Sara Otto. The article highlights the community’s immediate response to the tragedy and its ongoing impact through annual remembrance events like the Gracetown Grommets surfing competition established in honor of the victims.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 27, 1996, a tragic coastal cliff collapse occurred at Huzza's Beach in Gracetown, Western Australia. Five adults and four children died when people took shelter under unstable cliffs during an inter-school surfing competition amid inclement weather. The sole survivor was 11-year-old Sara Otto. Stephen Duggan, along with his friend John, rushed to the scene and frantically dug through rubble by hand to search for survivors, rescuing Sara who had been protected from falling debris by a rock hitting her head. Community members took extraordinary risks, such as one man driving his backhoe through saltwater to reach the site. This event occurred 30 years ago and is still remembered with significant emotional impact in Perth and surrounding areas like Cowaramup Bay Boardriders Association.
Written for “Gracetown Cliff Collapse Anniversary” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
For Stephen Duggan, September 27, 1996 started out like any other Friday but when the news of a coastal cliff collapse reached his family farm, he did not hesitate to act.
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he → start → farm
Driving down to his local beach, racing across the sand, Mr Duggan and his friend John dug for hours with their bare hands, searching for survivors.
"We were just working so frantically, we were just pulling dirt out," he said.
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he → drive → dirt
Thirty years ago, students, teachers and parents flocked to Huzza's Beach for an inter-school surfing competition in Gracetown, 271 kilometres south of Perth.
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students → flock → Perth
Inclement weather saw people take shelter under the cliffs, which suddenly gave way, killing five adults and four children.
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which → see → adults
Mr Duggan was one of the people who discovered her under the rubble and saved her life.
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who → discover → life
"We came across a girl who had possibly been saved by a rock falling down and hitting her on the head, which had then kept a lot of sand off her face," he said.
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he → come → face
Mr Duggan recalls the mammoth risks taken on by community members who raced to help in the search.
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who → recall → search
"[One man] drove his backhoe through the water, through metres of salt water, over rocks and over parts of the reef to get his machine to the area," he said.
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he → drive → area
"[Another man] drove his excavator over the edge with an extended boom, down a pretty steep embankment to get it to the bottom.
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man → drive → bottom
Holding memories close
Skye Thompson's father, Lindsay, was among those who died.
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who → hold → those
She said that while her childhood memories of her father were fading, she holds close what she does remember.
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"He gave me the feeling that I was loved,"Ms Thompson said.
"After 30 years, there are only a few memories that really stick.
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that → give → years
"For a girl, just to be loved by your father is something really special — I always carry that memory."
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I → love → memory
Ms Thompson was just 12 and competing at the surfing competition in Gracetown, on Western Australia's south-western coast, when her world changed forever.
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world → compete → coast
"A lot of us kids were witnesses to the cliff collapse," she said.
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she → say → collapse
"But we're also witness to the community coming together and how fast people came to volunteer, from really young people to older people as well."
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people → come → people
Ms Thompson said she always sought out a body of water on the tragedy's anniversary.
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"We try and get in a swim and get out in the ocean or maybe have a surf and remember our friends and family."
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Surfing legacy lives on
Gracetown Grommets surfing competition was created in honour of those who died.
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who → live → those
This year it celebrated its 30th competition.
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it → celebrate → competition
Cowaramup Bay Boardriders Association president Ian Andreson said the incident sent shock waves through the surfing community.
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incident → say → community
"For decades we have sheltered under those cliffs, away from the sun or the wind or the rain,"he said.
"To have that happen with the locals was just an absolute tragedy."
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that → shelter → locals
Mr Anderson said he had seen grandchildren of those who died in the collapse compete in the event.
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who → say → event
"That continues as a family legacy, the commitment of the families and to surfing — that's phenomenal," he said.
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he → continue → surfing
Ms Thompson said seeing young surfers in the water at Gracetown would make her father happy.
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father → say → Gracetown
"He'd be absolutely stoked to see all these young people and the amount of girls in the water," she said.
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she → stoke → water
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