Heroes

As news of the West Gate Bridge collapse spread across Melbourne, the scale of the disaster became clear. The Victorian Government immediately declared a disaster plan, mobilising firefighters, ambulance officers, and police from across the city. The police quickly cordoned off the area, allowing only a constant stream of ambulances, nurses, doctors, priests, Salvation Army workers, and even Boy Scouts to enter the devastation. Among them were ordinary passers-by who had rushed to the scene, desperate to do whatever they could to help.

For many survivors and workers, there was no time to process the shock – they simply dug with their hands, searching for their mates.

John Laino, who had fallen with the bridge, had barely gathered himself before he began digging through the rubble, helping to identify the dead and the unconscious injured.

Bill Snowden of Geelong had escaped just in time but ran back into the wreckage to dig out a mate, refusing to leave his side until an ambulance arrived. Weak and covered in oil and mud, he waved off rescuers who tried to help him, insisting there were still more men to find.

John Doody, a 20-year-old rigger from Ascot Vale, became a symbol of the workers’ resilience. Described by his mates as a “long-haired larrikin,” he refused to stop when the rescue teams moved in. He carried the injured and the dead, clawing through the mud in search of those still missing. When he collapsed from exhaustion, ambulance officers revived him and ordered him to go home – but he returned within the hour.

Nearby, the ACI factory opened its canteen to provide food for rescuers, while Port Emergency Services and Salvation Army workers helped wash the injured, offering hot drinks to those who had spent hours in the cold and mud. Slowly, order was pieced together from the chaos and carnage. Eventually, workers reluctantly drifted away, into the arms of family and friends waiting beyond the police line.

But the work was far from over.

That night, rescue teams worked under arc lights, determined to find more bodies. At dawn, fresh crews took over, using cranes, trucks, and bulldozers to clear the wreckage. Men with oxy-acetylene torches began the painstaking task of cutting through the twisted steel, hoping to locate those still missing.

On the morning of 16 October, the Premier of Victoria, Sir Henry Bolte, announced that a Royal Commission would be established immediately to investigate the cause of the disaster.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Gorton addressed the nation, expressing the grief felt across Australia:

“I am sure the whole of Australia is shocked and saddened by the serious accident at West Gate Bridge. Please extend my deepest sympathy to all those families to whom this tragic event has brought such grief.”

The collapse of the West Gate Bridge had shattered lives, devastated families, and left an indelible mark on the city. But in those darkest moments, the selfless acts of rescuers, workers, and strangers alike proved that solidarity and courage could shine through even the worst tragedies.