The Aporia · Port Arthur memories 'came back' on seeing jumping castle body-cam: officer

Port Arthur memories 'came back' on seeing jumping castle body-cam: officer

Read the original at ABC News (AU) ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Heard, M. (2026, September 25). Port Arthur memories 'came back' on seeing jumping castle body-cam: officer. ABC News (AU). https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-25/hillcrest-jumping-castle-tasmania-inquest-police/107195824

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar gave emotional testimony at the coronial inquest into the 2021 jumping castle tragedy at Hillcrest Primary School, which killed six children and injured three others. Recalling his experience from attending the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, Bodnar noted that while the incidents differed, the trauma for police officers was similar. He reviewed two hours of body-worn camera footage from the jumping castle incident, leading to a resurgence of memories from Port Arthur.

Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A coronial inquest began on December 5, 2023, in Devonport, Tasmania, into the deaths of six children who died and three others who were seriously injured when a freak wind gust tossed a jumping castle across the school oval at Hillcrest Primary School during an end-of-year celebration on December 16, 2021. The tragedy involved students Addison Stewart, Chace Harrison, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Peter Dodt, and Zane Mellor. The inquest, before Coroner Olivia McTaggart, is expected to run for four days this week, with further sessions set for November and February.

The court heard details about the chaotic scene from first responders like Constable Dean Wotherspoon, who described it as an "organised chaos" where police officers, school staff, paramedics, and others were doing everything possible to save the children. Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar, who also attended the Port Arthur shooting massacre in 1996, shared that reviewing body-worn footage from the jumping castle incident brought back traumatic memories of that event.

The tragedy led to protocol changes at hospitals, including Tasmania's Mersey Community Hospital (MCH), where some of the impacted children remained unidentified for hours. Meteorological experts classified the wind gust as a dust devil with "enormous force" unlikely to be predicted accurately in Tasmania. The inquest will examine whether rules governing inflatable amusement devices need to be tightened to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.

Written for “Hillcrest Jumping Castle Tragedy” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

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“The articles describe different aspects of the Hillcrest jumping castle tragedy in Tasmania; one focuses on a police officer's emotional reaction to reviewing body-worn footage, while the other discusses a mother's experience and hopes for the inquest.”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

1 of 25 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

67/100

ABC News (AU)'s corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

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ABC News (AU) · 4823 article(s) · 11 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Mackenzie Heard

4 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 Standing beside the premier was an emotional Devonport mayor Alison Jarman, who likened the Spirit of Tasmania brand to the Sydney Opera House.

2026-10-31 · assertive framing · Passengers give their verdicts on new Spirit of Tasmania

🔮 In short: The new Spirit of Tasmania vessels will make their inaugural passenger sailings across Bass Strait tonight.

2026-10-30 · assertive framing · New Bass Strait ferries herald new era, but it has not been plain sailing

🔮 Most of the beds will be available again in November, the government says.

2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Mental health capacity restored in November after fire, government says

🔮 He described the scene as "chaotic" with "a lot of mayhem", which he said was not unusual in the early stages of dealing with a crisis.

2026-09-25 · assertive framing · Port Arthur memories 'came back' on seeing jumping castle body-cam: officer

Also by Mackenzie Heard

Passengers give their verdicts on new Spirit of Tasmania

2026-10-31 · ABC News (AU)

New Bass Strait ferries herald new era, but it has not been plain sailing

2026-10-30 · ABC News (AU)

Mental health capacity restored in November after fire, government says

2026-10-08 · ABC News (AU)

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Devonport Port Arthur Tasmania Tasmania Police Tasmanian

Subjects

Bodnar PERSON · 6× Adrian Bodnar PERSON · 2× Burt PERSON · 2× Georgina PERSON · 2× Port Arthur GPE · 2× Tasmania Police ORG · 2× Zane Mellor PERSON · 2× Olivia McTaggart PERSON · 1× Tasmania GPE · 1× Tasmanian NORP · 1×

Narrative

Addison Stewart, Chace Harrison, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Peter Dodt and Zane Mellor died and three of their classmates were seriously injured when a freak wind gust tossed a jumping castle across the school oval at an end-of-year celebration.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25

🔮 He described the scene as "chaotic" with "a lot of mayhem", which he said was not unusual in the early stages of dealing with a crisis.

2026-09-25 · ABC News (AU)

Port Arthur memories 'came back' on seeing jumping castle body-cam: officer · assertive framing

Claims (25 extracted, 1 hedged)

In short: One of Tasmania's most senior police officers has been brought to tears as he reflected on reviewing two hours of police body-worn footage in the aftermath of the Hillcrest jumping castle tragedy. asserted

he → bring → tragedy

Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar gave evidence at the coronial inquest into the 2021 tragedy that killed six children. asserted

that → give → children

Friday is the final day of the first block of hearings, with further sessions set for November and February. asserted

sessions → set → November

A senior Tasmanian police officer who attended the Port Arthur shooting massacre in 1996 has told a coronial inquest into the deaths of six school children in a jumping castle incident that while the events were different, the trauma for police was the same. asserted

trauma → attend → police

Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar appeared before coroner Olivia McTaggart in Devonport on Friday to give evidence at the coronial inquest into the 2021 tragedy at Hillcrest Primary School. asserted

Bodnar → appear → School

gust → die → celebration

Assistant Commissioner Bodnar, a 36-year police veteran, compared the impact of the tragedy on police to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, where 35 people died. asserted

people → compare → massacre

Counsel assisting the coroner, Maree Norton SC, asked Assistant Commissioner Bodnar if he had comparisons to make between the two tragedies and the impact on police officers. asserted

he → assist → officers

Assistant Commissioner Bodnar became choked up while recalling his experience attending Port Arthur. asserted

Bodnar → become → Arthur

"I actually thought I'd been able to park a lot of memories about dealing with death, and particularly knowing that children died at Port Arthur," he said. asserted

he → think → Arthur

"What I discovered is I haven't compartmentalised that appropriately. asserted

I → discover → that

"When I reviewed the body-worn camera footage, a lot of those memories came back to me," he said through tears. asserted

he → review → tears

"Whilst the incidents are different, the trauma is still the same." Police apologise to mother of victim asserted

Police → apologise → victim

In preparation for the inquest, Assistant Commissioner Bodnar, who was not in attendance on the day of the jumping castle tragedy, said he reviewed about two hours of police body-worn footage. asserted

he → jump → footage

He described the scene as "chaotic" with "a lot of mayhem", which he said was not unusual in the early stages of dealing with a crisis. asserted

he → describe → crisis

"I'm reminded of the looks of despair on people's faces,"he said. asserted

I → remind → faces,"he

Assistant Commissioner Bodnar said he was proud of the efforts of police officers, who along with paramedics, worked to provide first aid and life-saving assistance to the injured children. asserted

who → say → children

He said he was aware that on the day of the tragedy one of the children, Zane Mellor, was misidentified by a member of the school's teaching staff. asserted

one → say → staff

"I can understand in the heat of the moment how misidentification could occur," he said. uncertain

he → understand → moment

Assistant Commissioner Bodnar also said he was aware that the family of one of the children who died was permitted to spend time with them on the oval, while Zane's mother Georgie Burt was not. asserted

mother → say → oval

Amid the confusion, the court heard Ms Burt attended the Mersey Community Hospital after she was told her son was there. asserted

son → hear → Hospital

"I think that is particularly sad that Georgina wasn't given the same opportunity other parents were," he said. asserted

he → think → opportunity

"On behalf of Tasmania Police, I would like to sincerely apologise to Georgina for the fact that she didn't have the opportunity to spend time with her son as other families did,"he said. asserted

families → like → son

The court has this week heard from Ms Burt, health officials and lead forensic investigator Constable Dean Wotherspoon. asserted

court → hear → Burt

Today is the last day of the first block of hearings, with further sessions set for November and February. asserted

sessions → set → November