For the 50th anniversary of the West Gate Bridge Disaster — on 15 October 2020 — my collaborator Sarah Gregson and I worked with comics-journalist and cartoonist Sam Wallman, and writer and editor Jacinda Woodhead.
A piece based on our research and the story of the disaster was published by the Guardian, with contextualising words from their Deputy Culture Editor Stephanie Convery. The images are below, but full size version are available on our West Gate research website. From Stephanie’s introduction in the Guardian:
On 15 October 1970, the under-construction West Gate Bridge, connecting Melbourne’s affluent eastern suburbs with its working-class west, collapsed. Thirty-five people died. It was Australia’s worst construction disaster. For its 50th anniversary, they shared their research with Walkley-nominated cartoonist Sam Wallman to create a visual retelling of the story of the collapse. … Sarah Gregson and Elizabeth Humphrys began researching the West Gate Bridge construction collapse together after they realised they had both grown up somewhat in the shadow of the disaster: Elizabeth was born only a few kilometres from the site, while Sarah’s father was a boilermaker, and it hit her family hard to hear that 10 of his profession were among the 35 who died the day the bridge fell. The pair spent three years among the archives, researching what had happened and its aftermath
The images have been printed into a small booklet, and if you would like a hard copy of this please contact me.
