The Te Rata Bridge Incident
Big news lately in NZ has been the efforts of Dr Rob Moodie and others to get some semblance of justice for Keith and Margaret Berryman, whose suspension bridge over the Retaruke River collapsed 10 years ago under the weight of the honey-laden truck of beekeeper Ken Richards, who was killed in the crash. At first the Govt body OSH (Occupational Safety & Health) sued the Berrymans for having an unsafe workplace, even though the beekeeper was in no way their employee. The NZ Army had built the bridge eight years before as a training exercise for its Fijian tradesmen/soldiers, with the Berrymans supplying the materials. The coroner blamed the death on lack of maintenance of the bridge, stating that there was nothing wrong with its design or construction.
However, in April/May 2005, a NZ blogger in cooperation with Dr Moodie, published on the Internet a hitherto secret Army report, which revealed certain serious shortcomings in the timber used for the transoms, and the failure to make them watertight. The Berrymans and Dr Moodie seek to have a new inquest opened, and to include the Butcher Report in its evidence. See the blogsite of paytheberrymans for complete story.
My particular interest in this matter is occasioned by the fact that I actually boarded with the predecessors of the Berrymans, the Hayes family, at the Te Rata farmhouse. At that time (1947) the only access from the road was by means of an earlier swingbridge (named herein the Hayes Bridge), which I had to cross every day to go to work.
From the Hayes Bridge looking upstream
The Hayes Bridge was in such a shocking state of disrepair that my first crossing almost frightened the life out of me. It was said to be a hundred feet above the water in the steep rocky gorge at that point, and I notice that some of the comment on the later bridge talks of 30 metres. The old bridge also collapsed, in the 70s or 80s, when it was carrying a mob of lambs who apparently panicked, running in both directions. In this case, the old timber towers on one bank were the element which gave way eventually. In my time it was the absent, loose and rotten decking timbers which were our main concern.
Stories of this interesting Whanganui River area can also be found in the excellent Annuals issued by the Friends of the Whanganui River. The Retaruke flows into the Whanganui just 5k downstream from Te Rata.
However, in April/May 2005, a NZ blogger in cooperation with Dr Moodie, published on the Internet a hitherto secret Army report, which revealed certain serious shortcomings in the timber used for the transoms, and the failure to make them watertight. The Berrymans and Dr Moodie seek to have a new inquest opened, and to include the Butcher Report in its evidence. See the blogsite of paytheberrymans for complete story.
My particular interest in this matter is occasioned by the fact that I actually boarded with the predecessors of the Berrymans, the Hayes family, at the Te Rata farmhouse. At that time (1947) the only access from the road was by means of an earlier swingbridge (named herein the Hayes Bridge), which I had to cross every day to go to work.
From the Hayes Bridge looking upstream
The Hayes Bridge was in such a shocking state of disrepair that my first crossing almost frightened the life out of me. It was said to be a hundred feet above the water in the steep rocky gorge at that point, and I notice that some of the comment on the later bridge talks of 30 metres. The old bridge also collapsed, in the 70s or 80s, when it was carrying a mob of lambs who apparently panicked, running in both directions. In this case, the old timber towers on one bank were the element which gave way eventually. In my time it was the absent, loose and rotten decking timbers which were our main concern.
Stories of this interesting Whanganui River area can also be found in the excellent Annuals issued by the Friends of the Whanganui River. The Retaruke flows into the Whanganui just 5k downstream from Te Rata.
posted by Slidge at 11:35 PM
6 Comments:
Hi I was the naughty boy who put the
Rob Moodie's "Butcher report" on the net.
There is more to come ...shortly
teegee{AT}paradise.net.nz
As one who is in a position to know the facts, the Army bridge is in exactly the same place as the Hayes Bridge, the remains of the which are still in place on the road side of the bridge. If anything the new bridge would be a little higher than the old bridge.
Both bridges were formed on Crown land and form part of the public road system
M.B.
I appreciate and take on board that authoritative correction. My mistake was to gauge things from photos rather than from known facts. I presume then that the drive from the bridge to the house continued in use after the Army bridge was built.
hi stan,
Im Christine and i saw your blog, really interesting, even if i dont ever understand the translation which's far away from my english understanding, but i tried to do my best.
bye stan see u on pool u know where
Hello Stan,
I went to school @ on eof the little schools you talk about..........Long time after you taght at the school. MY Grand parents woudl have lived in the are at the time. MY father Nad brother would have just been home from war. I am a Dempsey.... Margaret.
Hi Stan,
SBS, a television station in Australia this afternoon televised the life story of Dr. Rob Moody. The last 15 minutes were devoted to the court case of the Berryman Bridge, excellent viewing, he must have been Berryman's hero.
M Seal
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