Devonport, Tasmania — Rosemary Anne Gamble, operator of the bouncy castle company Taz-Zorb, has been found not guilty of breaching safety laws related to the tragic 2021 incident that resulted in the deaths of six children and serious injuries to three others.
The court ruled that the accident, which occurred during a primary school fun day in Devonport, Tasmania, was caused by an “unprecedented weather system” that was “impossible to predict.” The children were playing on a bouncy castle when strong winds lifted the inflatable approximately 10 meters (33 feet) into the air, leading to the fatal fall.
Prosecutors had accused Gamble of failing to properly secure the bouncy castle, but her defense argued that all reasonable safety precautions had been taken and that the disaster was the result of a rare and unforeseeable weather event known as a dust devil—a small whirlwind of air and debris.
Magistrate Robert Webster agreed, stating the dust devil was “unforeseen and unforeseeable,” and that any further safety measures would not have prevented the tragedy.
The six victims—Addison Stewart, Zane Mellor, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Peter Dodt, and Chace Harrison—were all aged between 11 and 12. Five children were on the inflatable when it was swept away by the wind, while the sixth, waiting in line, died after being struck by the inflatable blower.
The tragedy deeply affected the small Tasmanian community of Devonport, home to roughly 30,000 residents. Charges against Gamble were filed nearly two years later, in November 2023.
Following the verdict, Andrew Dodt, father of Peter Dodt, expressed his heartbreak: “Our hopes are just shattered now. At the end of the day all I wanted was an apology for my son not coming home, and I’m never going to get it, and that kills me.”
Gamble’s lawyer, Bethan Frake, acknowledged the lasting pain caused by the incident. “Their loss is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” she said, quoting Gamble.
The court’s decision has sparked a mix of relief and sorrow, with families of the victims still mourning the loss and struggling to come to terms with the tragic event.
