The Royal Canberra Hospital implosion was a failed

building implosion In the controlled demolition industry, building implosion is the strategic placing of explosive material and timing of its detonation so that a structure collapses on itself in a matter of seconds, minimizing the physical damage to its immedia ...

that killed one person and injured nine others. The implosion occurred on 13 July 1997, when the city's superseded hospital buildings at Acton Peninsula on

Lake Burley Griffin Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River, which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle, was dammed. It is named after Wal ...

(that formerly constituted the

Royal Canberra Hospital Royal Canberra Hospital was the first hospital in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It opened in 1914 (a year after the planned city was opened) on the Acton Peninsula, as the Canberra Community Hospital. It grew to become the major hospital in ...

) were demolished to make way for the

National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Muse ...

Background

The

closed on 27 November 1991 amid much controversy. Consultant physician Marcus de Laune Faunce wrote: "Towards the end of 1990 many Canberra citizens were either bewildered, angered or saddened as they realised that the ''Royal Canberra Hospital'' on Acton Peninsula was soon to be closed. Its staffing structure and organisation were thought to have been planned in step with population needs and the hospital was firmly and warmly placed in the memories and affections of many people. Its beautiful, central position on the lake had been marked by

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith and Leeton. He has been cr ...

on his original plan. After its formative years, it served Canberra for more than three decades as a first-class hospital staffed by hard-working, skilled and caring health workers. With its magnificent site and proximity to the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

it had enormous potential as a future teaching hospital reflecting the best of Australian medical services."

Implosion

In April 1995 the Keating Government agreed in principle with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government to exchange certain sites of land within the ACT to facilitate the building of the National Museum. In July 1995 a feasibility study was undertaken for the demolition and clearance of the buildings on Acton Peninsula. On 4 August 1995 the ACT Cabinet approved a submission recommending the implosion method of demolition. On Friday 13 December 1996 the Prime Minister,

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

, announced the design work on Acton Peninsula for the National Museum would begin immediately. The next day, a fence was erected around the site. The demolition of the Canberra Hospital by way of implosion was billed as a spectator event by the ACT government. For this event, over 100,000 people, one of the largest crowds in Canberra's history, were in attendance. The implosion of the

was a disaster, with large pieces of debris reaching spectators situated 500 metres away on the opposite side of the Lake at a designated safe viewing location. A twelve-year-old girl, Katie Bender, was killed instantly, and nine other people were injured. Large fragments of masonry and metal were found 650 metres from the demolition site. The main building did not fully disintegrate and was manually demolished afterwards.

Aftermath

The ACT Government led by

Kate Carnell Anne Katherine Carnell (née Knowlman; born 30 May 1955) is an Australian businesswoman and former Liberal Party politician, who served as the third Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) from 1995 to 2000. Early life and p ...

was subject to sustained criticism, and a number of official inquiries were held. Many people complained the event should never have been made a public spectacle, as they felt this was inviting disaster. Other people felt that this was unfair, as implosions around the world generally excited local interest and had an enviable safety record.. The Chief Minister did give her full approval to promote the implosion as a public event, drawing a near-record Canberra crowd. ACT Work Cover is the authority responsible for administering, implementing and enforcing legislation in the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. I ...

covering

occupational health and safety Occupational safety and health (OSH), also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS), occupational health, or occupational safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at wor ...

(OH&S),

workers' compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...

, dangerous substances and

labour regulation Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

. The coroner found that the authority did not follow established safety processes. It failed to ensure that the explosive workplan required by the ACT Demolition Code of Practice was met. It also failed to scrutinise departures from the original demolition workplans and to issue appropriate prohibition notices in accordance with the OH&S Act to ensure the methodology was safe, not only to the workplace employees but also to the public. The ACT Government has since carried out two bridge implosions without prior notice, as part of the

Gungahlin Drive Extension Gungahlin Drive Extension (GDE) is a freeway grade road, located in the Belconnen district of Canberra, Australia. It is 8.3 kilometres long and extended the previously existing Gungahlin Drive from the Barton Highway in the district of Gungah ...

project. The first one was carried out following an unexpected disruption to traffic, and the second one was carried at an early hour of a Saturday morning with a 1 km

exclusion zone An exclusion zone is a territorial division established for various, case-specific purposes. Per the United States Department of Defense, an exclusion zone is a territory where an authority prohibits specific activities in a specific geographic ...

In popular culture

The implosions were featured in news reel footage in the film '' Joe Cinque's Consolation'' (2016).

References

External links

Photographic collection – Royal Canberra Hospital Implosion – James Nomarhas 1951Ten_Capital_News
_1997.07.14_Special_Presentation_of_the_Implosion_of_the_Royal_Canberra_Hospital_-_Australian_National_Film_and_Sound_Archive.html" ;"title="Ten Capital News">Ten Capital News
1997.07.14 Special Presentation of the Implosion of the Royal Canberra Hospital - Australian National Film and Sound Archive">Ten Capital News">Ten Capital News
1997.07.14 Special Presentation of the Implosion of the Royal Canberra Hospital - Australian National Film and Sound Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Canberra Hospital Implosion 1997 disasters in Australia Accidental deaths in the Australian Capital Territory Disasters in the Australian Capital Territory Explosions in Australia 1990s in Canberra 1997 in Australia July 1997 events in Oceania