TEACHER REVEALS HORRIFYING MOMENT A FREAK DUST DEVIL LIFTED A BOUNCY CASTLE INTO THE AIR, 𝘬iᩚlling SIX CHILDREN

A retired teacher has recalled the terrifying moment a sudden whirlwind swept a bouncy castle into the air during a school celebration in Tasmania, Australia, 𝘬iᩚlling six children and leaving several others seriously injured.

Stephen Fenn, who was supervising pupils at Hillcrest Primary School, gave emotional evidence during an ongoing inquest into the tᩚraɢedy, which unfolded on December 16, 2021.

The children had been celebrating their final day of the school year when an unexpected weather phenomenon, known as a dust devil, struck the school oval.

Six pupils aged between 11 and 12 lost their lives: Addison Stewart, Chace Harrison, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Peter Dodt and Zane Mellor. Three other children were seriously injured.

‘IT WENT FROM ONE TO 1,000 IN A SPLIT SECOND’

Fenn told the inquest that the wind appeared suddenly, swirling across the oval and gathering dust and grass clippings as it approached.

He described the change in conditions as almost instantaneous.

“I turned around and I could see [the wind] swirling around,” he recalled.

“As it got close, it increased a little bit and brought up a lot of dust and grass clippings.”

The former teacher said the force of the wind intensified dramatically within moments.

“It went from one to 1,000 in a split second. To me it felt an awful lot more than 100km/h,” he told the hearing.

He added that the wind could have travelled across any part of the school oval, but appeared to head directly towards the jumping castle.

Fenn then heard a loud “whoosh” before seeing the inflatable structure rise into the air.

He described watching it reach approximately the height of a telephone pole before coming down on the other side of the field.

THE MOMENTS THAT FOLLOWED THE DISASTER

As soon as the castle came down, Fenn ran towards the scene to help the children.

He recalled reaching Jye and seeing several other pupils lying on the ground.

The teacher later went to hospital, where he was asked to identify the children.

One particularly painful moment involved Addison Stewart. Fenn told the inquest that he had not realised she had died before seeing her at the hospital.

“I didn’t know she had passed away,” he said.

“That was… very confronting to see that little girl there.”

His testimony offered a deeply personal account of the tᩚraɢedy, showing how the incident affected not only the families of the children but also the school staff who had cared for them.

TEACHER RETIRED AFTER STRUGGLING WITH THE AFTERMATH

Fenn had worked at Hillcrest Primary School since 2000 and had taught some of the children involved in the tᩚraɢedy.

However, he said he could not return to the classroom with the same care and love after what had happened.

The former educator eventually retired earlier than planned.

He also told the inquest that his mєntal health deteriorated following the incident and that he experienced depression.

His evidence highlighted the lasting emotional impact that such a sudden and devastating event can have on those who witness it.

INQUEST EXAMINES BOUNCY CASTLE SAFETY PROCEDURES

The ongoing coronial inquest is examining how the tᩚraɢedy happened, including the safety arrangements surrounding the inflatable equipment.

Jesse Barrett, an employee of Taz-Zorb, the company that supplied and operated the equipment, also gave evidence.

He said he had not been provided with an instruction manual or formal training, describing his experience as largely “on-the-job” training.

The hearing also examined how the jumping castle had been secured.

Barrett said four pegs were used to anchor the inflatable, despite it having eight tether points. He also explained that the number of pegs sometimes depended on the condition of the ground and the weather.

He told the inquest that the weather had been sunny and calm that day.

The operator of Taz-Zorb, Rosemary Gamble, previously faced criminal workplace safety charges connected to the incident but was found not guilty in June 2025.

The inquest is now considering broader questions about equipment installation, safety standards and whether existing regulations were sufficient to prevent a tᩚraɢedy of this kind.

FOUR YEARS LATER, QUESTIONS REMAIN

The Hillcrest Primary School tᩚraɢedy shocked Australia and prompted renewed scrutiny of the safety requirements surrounding inflatable play equipment.

The six children had been looking forward to an end-of-year celebration with their classmates. Instead, what should have been a joyful school event became a tᩚraɢedy that devastated families and an entire community.

As the inquest continues, evidence from teachers and workers involved in the event is helping establish what happened that day and whether stronger safety measures could prevent a similar incident in the future.

For those who were there, the memories remain painful — particularly for a teacher who went to school to supervise a celebration and left carrying memories that would change his life forever.