The mother of one of the Tasmanian jumping castle victims has told how she only wants her ‘baby home’ – as his grandfather spoke of his sympathy for the inflatable’s operator.
Zane Mellor, 12, was one of five children aged 11 to 12 who lost their lives when a jumping castle was blown 10 metres into the air by a freak wind gust at Hillcrest school in Devonport, northern Tasmania, on Thursday.
Nine children are believed to have fallen to the ground when the jumping castle collided with a tree and deflated. Three are still in intensive care and in a ‘bad way’, The Age reported.
Zane’s mother Georgina Gardam thanked the support from the Devonport community and Australia as a whole but said ‘nothing brings my baby home’.
His grandfather Richard Gardam said he felt for the inflatable’s operator.
‘I want to tell the fella he went there in good faith – we understand his grief,’ he told 7News. ‘He must be feeling bad.’
Zane’s family spoke of their grief as a nurse that was working in a nearby hospital on the day of the tragedy described the ‘phenomenal’ efforts staff made to help the injured children.
The family of Tasmanian jumping castle victim Zane Mellor have revealed the depths of their loss and how they are coping with the tragedy
Zane Mellor, 12, was one of five children aged 11-12 who lost their lives in a tragic jumping castle tragedy on Thursday and his mother visited the makeshift memorial at the school where it happened on Saturday
The children lost in the tragedy (left to right) were identified on Friday as Zane Mellor, Peter Dodt, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan, and Jalailah Jayne-Marie Jones
Zane’s mother and grandfather visited the makeshift memorial at the school on Saturday to show their appreciation as fundraising page for the victims’ families reached the $1.2million mark.
‘I just needed to see what everyone had done and I appreciate it so much but nothing brings my baby home,’ Ms Gardam said through tears.
The broken mother and grandad each brought items that reminded them of Zane to the memorial saying they couldn’t part with them yet.
Ms Gardam brought the little boy’s school shirt and PlayStation controller while Mr Gardam brought a pillow from Zane’s bed.
‘I just can’t tear myself away from it at the moment,’ he said.
Ms Gardam spread her message of grief online and said she was ‘broken’ after the loss of her beloved son.
The broken mother, Georgie Gardam, brought the little boy’s school shirt and Playstation controller to the makeshift memorial site
‘I just needed to see what everyone had done and I appreciate it so much but nothing brings my baby home,’ Ms Gardam said through tears
Ms Gardam shared her grief online saying she was ‘broken’ asking ‘how do we go on without you?’
Ms Gardam visited the makeshift memorial on Saturday for her son that was lost in a tragic jumping castle accident on Thursday
Ms Gardam was carrying her son’s Hillcrest Primary School shirt and Playstation controller
‘My world is broken. I am empty.’
‘I am coming to hold your hand and kiss your face baby.
‘How do we go on without you, we know we gave you the best life.’
The ‘broken’ mother shared her heartfelt grief over the loss of her son, Zane Mellor, online
Ms Gardam described how she might have ‘spoilt him too much’ as she shared her grief
Ms Gardam said she was grateful for the support from the community during the difficult time
Mr Gardam also told of his struggles recovering from the great loss.
‘He was a fun-loving kid,’ he told Nine News.
‘I’ll miss him terribly.’
The mourning grandfather also shared a thank you for all first responders that attended the horrific scene.
Zane grandafather, Richard Gardam, also shared his grief over the loss of his grandson at the school memorial site
‘The police, the ambos, the teachers, everyone that was up here that came to assist, I know it is the toughest day you can ever face,’ he said.
‘I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your efforts.
‘I hope you can somewhere lock this away in the back of your memory.’
A Tasmanian nurse meanwhile wrote that the way staff reacted after the tragedy was ‘phenomenal’.
‘The dedication, selflessness, professionalism, heart, that every single person who attended the ED today went above and beyond their calling.’
The nurse described how staff off-duty came to help while everyone worked hard to care for one-another as well as the children.
Mr Gardam thanked the emergency workers that responded to the horrific tragedy and said ‘I hope you can somewhere lock this away in the back of your memory’
Mr Gardam carried Zane’s pillow around the makeshift memorial site and said ‘I just can’t tear myself away from it at the moment’
Mr Gardam also said he sympathised with the operator of the inflatable. ‘I want to tell the fella he went there in good faith – we understand his grief,’ he said. Pictured are other mourners at the scene
A nurse working in the hospital the day of the incident has described the ‘dedication, selflessness, professionalism, heart’ that staff demonstrated
The unidentified Tasmanian nurse thanked the community for the support received online and said every kind message ‘really does help’
‘We had doctors from other hospitals driving to a weekend away turn around to help. Nurses come in on their day off to lend a hand,’ she said.
‘Counsellors and admin staff there to do simple things like pass a flush to the nurses, hand out water bottles to people who had been wearing full PPE for hours and hadn’t stopped for themselves.’
She then went on to describe the raw emotion of the loss of a child and the relief when another pulled through.
‘The tears when told some children hadn’t made it. The relief when one was better off than we thought. The comraderie (sic) of all levels.’
The nurse then thanked the community for the support received online and said every kind message ‘really does help.’