The Southern Aurora Crash near Violet Town in 1969 killed nine people.
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Every year on January 1, hundreds of state archival records are made public as part of Public Record Office Victoria’s annual Section 9 openings.
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Under Section 9 of the Public Records Act 1973, records of a private nature are closed to prevent the violation of personal privacy.
Among the files opened for the first time were three boxes of materials kept by the Victorian Railways Commissioners Board of Inquiry into the Southern Aurora train crash at Violet Town.
The records of information relating to this tragedy had been closed for almost 56 years.
On February 7, 1969, the Sydney to Melbourne Express passenger train, the Southern Aurora, collided with a Melbourne to Albury goods train a mile from Violet Town.
Nine people were killed (five passengers and four crew) and 117 were injured.
The Southern Aurora was a luxurious way to travel between Sydney and Melbourne in the 1960s.
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The accident occurred when the driver of the Southern Aurora, John Bowden, died of cardiac failure some time before the collision.
Contained within the newly opened archival boxes are various photos of the site, train controller charts, reports on staff, witness statements, newspaper clippings, track and signal plans, logbooks, maps and diagrams of the train and crash site, various letters and additional photo albums, as well as the coroner’s findings.
The reports on staff include lists of heroic rescuers including the station master at Violet Town, J.R. McQuillan, and the Victorian conductor, R.A.A. Hyatt.
Benalla’s Charlie Mead (centre, looking at camera) was one of the first responders to the Southern Aurora in 1969.
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In Mr Hyatt’s witness statement, he said: “I was on duty in sleeping car No.6 on the Southern Aurora Passenger Train en route from Sydney to Melbourne. Suddenly, there was a terrific jolt, and I was thrown some distance along the corridor where I finished up on my back. I first thought the train was off the road as it continued to bump along for a short distance. Then it swayed, seemed to jump in the air and came to a stop with a terrific jolt. I attended to my passengers and did what I could to assist in rescue operations…”
The coroner’s report stated: “No defect of a mechanical or inspectional nature caused this accident. Was driver Bowden alive at the time of impact? I have no doubts that he died prior to the crash.”
The coroner laid some blame on two other members of the crew who “breached their dut(ies)” and medical officers who found the driver fit for work.
The commissioners board report found: “Driver Bowden, driver of the Southern Aurora, was suffering from coronary disease causing cardiac ischemia and was unfit to drive a locomotive.”
The commissioners agreed with the coroner that a crew member had failed to properly check Bowden was alert.
They released this statement at the time: “Had he done so and taken emergency action to stop the train when he saw the condition of Driver Bowden, the accident would not have occurred.”
They also stated that a second crew member also failed to properly observe signals and take action to stop the train.
They also stated that the driver, fireman and guard of the goods train, number 428, took all possible action to avoid the collision in the time available, and were not culpable in any way.
To ensure another crash like this did not occur again, there were recommendations made, including:
Reduced intervals between driver medical examinations;
Regular circulation of rules and regulations; and
That the vigilance control system be modified to ensure drivers are fully alert at all times.
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