Tribute for school tragedy

43 years ago, a group of 78 Busselton Senior High School students along with three teachers and a chaperone set off on an excursion to the East Coast during the May school holidays.

In the early hours of Mother’s Day, Sunday May 11, 1980 in Hay NSW, one of buses the group were travelling on rolled, killing bus driver John MacKenzie and two students Tracey Blum and Ann Lloyd. Another 20 students were injured.

One student had to be transferred to a hospital 160km away, while local paramedics treated the numerous injuries. Soon the whole town was involved. Lions and Rotary club members helping the injured students, and the ones who came out unscathed, but still covered in mud.

A boarding hostel took the group in, and local MP Barry Blaikie flew in from Victoria to provide what support he could.

The crash has remained in the memories of many people in Busselton and Hay.

In 2020, both communities planned to come together to hold a service, and place a plaque at the crash site, commemorating the three that were lost. However, travel restrictions meant it couldn’t happen.

The project remained on the shelf for three years. On the morning of September 30, a small group of people spent a couple of hours completing the Busselton Bus Accident Memorial near Hay by erecting a ‘thank you’ plaque to the people of Hay.

Along with the plaque, and crosses for each of the three who died, a tree will be planed on the site after Easter, when the weather is more suitable.

The instigator of the 40th Anniversary Memorial project is an ex-student of Busselton High School Tom Tate. He and his two sons returned to Hay to complete the project.

Attending on Saturday morning was Marie Butler, wife of the bus driver John MacKenzie. Ms Butler ceremonially turned the first sod for the new plaque, assisted by her daughter Jennifer Shann. They took the same journey as the school trip to see the memorial laid. Flying to Adelaide, then driving up to the town in south western New South Wales.

“As children we were somewhat sheltered from the accident details,” Ms Shann said.

“As adults now it is like a new thing to hear what went on and happened at the accident scene, and in the days after.”

Barry House was the school’s youth education officer at the time, and had organised the trip. He was on board the second bus when the crash happened.

“I will always recall the terrible moments reversing back to find the bus tipped over and everything in chaos. A life changing experience – of the worst kind – for all of us,” he said.

“But it forged a long-standing friendship and respect between our group and the people of Hay.”