A teacher described the terrifying moments before a jumping castle tragedy killed six children in Tasmania, Australia, as an inquest into the incident resumed. Stephen Fenn, a retired teacher who was supervising at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport in December 2021, recounted how winds escalated from a gentle breeze to extreme gusts within seconds.
The children, all aged 11 or 12, were celebrating the end of the school year when a "dust devil" lifted the jumping castle and other inflatable objects. Fenn recalled the wind swirling up dust and grass clippings before the castle was lifted. "It went from one to 1000 in a split second," he told the inquest, describing the wind as feeling much stronger than 100 km/h.
The veteran teacher heard a "whoosh" and saw the jumping castle descend on the other side of the oval, nearly as high as a telephone pole. He ran to assist students and later went to the hospital to identify bodies. The tragedy led to Fenn's early retirement, significantly impacting his mental health.
The inquest is examining the causes of death, safety protocols, and national standards related to inflatable equipment. Testimony from a Taz-Zorb employee indicated that only four of the jumping castle's eight tether points were pegged down. The employee stated he had not been shown an instruction manual and received only on-the-job training. The inquest continues.