'It was very sad': Family member of Dreamworld victim attends smoking ceremony ahead of park reopening
A relative of one of the victims of the Dreamworld ride tragedy has attended a "touching" ceremony at the park, ahead of its opening today.
The Yugambeh Aboriginal people held a healing smoking ceremony at the Gold Coast theme park on Friday.
The theme park was closed since the October 25 incident on the Thunder River Rapids which killed Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozi Araghi and Cindy Low.
A family member of one of the victims, who wished to remain unnamed attended last week's service and met with Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson and Ardent Leisure CEO Deborah Thomas, the Courier Mail reported.
Retired police inspector Mike McKay, who led the park's disaster recovery effort, told the newspaper it was a "touching" experience that would help those impacted by the tragedy to move forward.
“It was very sad and passionate, but it was also a cathartic experience for everyone concerned,” he said.
“They (the relative) didn’t even know why they asked to come, but once they got here, they got a sense that they knew why they had come.
“Just to see where their loved ones had been on the day that they passed, as sad as it was, there were some tears, laughter, hugs.
“Hopefully it helps.”
The gates to the theme park reopened this morning, with dozens queuing to be the first to visit on the first day of Queensland's school holidays.
All of the nine major thrill rides will be shut while a safety review, ordered after the October deaths, continues.
The Buzzsaw, Hot Wheels Sidewinder, Mick Doohan's Motocoaster, Pandamonium, Tail Spin, The Claw, The Giant Drop, Tower of Terror II and Wipeout will all stay closed, as well as the Dreamworld Express, Rocky Hollow Log Ride and Shockwave.
All other Dreamworld attractions are operating as usual, following a "successful" safety review of the other family and kids rides.
The park previously announced the Thunder River Rapids ride would be decommissioned.
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Local couple and die-hard fans Craig and Deborah McGill were waiting for the past six weeks to attend the reopening day.
Regulars Steve and Medi Horan have also been anxiously waiting for the park to reopen.
"We've been waiting six long weeks to come today, we wanted to support the park" they said.
"We've been respectful about why it's been closed, we're here to support the families as well as Dreamworld," another local pass holder, Kim Brezac, said.
Mr Davidson said the park's regular buzz could be felt during the reopening.
"Dreamworld is like a family, we have more than 1000 team members and a fantastically supportive local community.
"It was fantastic to see the support there, it felt like it was a normal Saturday morning at Dreamworld," he said.
Federal Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo was one of the parents who took their children to the park and encouraged other Australian families to continue to support the Gold Coast's theme parks.
"I'm here in my shorts and T-shirt with my three sons," he said on Saturday.
"Notwithstanding the tragedy, it's great to see the park back up and running."
"This is a positive step forward as the city, state and country continues to heal from the horrific incident that claimed four lives and shut the park in October," he said.
Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones said today was a day of hope and "moving forward".
"Dreamworld has had a difficult time but I want to acknowledge all the staff who have worked so hard," she said.
The fatal tragedy caused a downturn in visitor numbers to all of the region's parks, but owners are hopeful of business returning to normal.
"Every ride and slide open on 10th December will have passed a rigorously conducted, multi-level safety review," Mr Davidson said in a statement prior to the park's reopening.
"We welcome (the partial reopening) and we will only reopen those rides once the process has been complete."
WhiteWater World's slides, pools and cabanas are also fully-operational, along with Tiger Island.
Dreamworld's managers faced criticism after initially planning to partially reopen the park just three days after the tragedy, before police put a halt to those plans due to the ongoing investigation.
Dreamworld entry prices have been reduced and $25 from every ticket sale over the weekend will be donated to the Australian Red Cross to support the victim's families.
The families have reportedly been supportive of park's reopening.
Liz Dorsett, the mother of Luke and Kate, said the park's employees needed to get back to work to financially support themselves and their families.
A forensic investigation into what caused the malfunction continues, and an inquest is expected mid-next year.
News break – December 10
