Today we remember the 1970 collapse of a section of the West Gate Bridge and pay tribute to the 35 workers killed and the scores of workers injured or affected by the disaster. The repercussions of this disaster are felt by friends and family members to this day. Remembering those workers means that we remember how this preventable tragedy happened and the heartless and inadequate response from employers and government in the wake of the incident.
At 11.50am on 15 October 1970 a span of the West Gate Bridge, then under construction, collapsed. 2000 tonnes of steel fell 45 metres. 35 workers were killed and many were seriously injured. All those who survived were traumatised, as were many people living the working-class suburbs surrounding it.
A Royal Commission into the collapse blamed the design, the construction methods and the poor attempts to rectify a construction failure and declared that the incident was utterly unnecessary and inexcusable. You can learn more here about why the bridge collapsed, and what happened both during the collapse and in the aftermath.
Over the years, on the anniversary of the collapse, people began to spontaneously gather at the memorial plaque installed by workers under the bridge, with a committee ultimately formed in 1990 to maintain the area and organise the event. 35 columns were erected at the memorial site, representing each of the 35 men killed. Each is slightly different, but there are no names.
You are invited to attend this year as a crowd gathers at the Memorial Park under the West Gate Bridge on Douglas Parade, Spotswood at 11.30am today to remember those men who were killed. A minute’s silence will be observed in remembrance of the workers.
Learn more about the West Gate Bridge Memorial and read stories about the survivors and the victims at West Gate Bridge Memorial | Memorial Website.