The city risks future disaster, warns former mayor John McNaughton

Thirty-five years after Australia's deadliest earthquake, a key figure in the disaster response warns we still have lessons to learn.

At 10.27 am on Thursday 28 December 1989, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Newcastle in New South Wales.

Although the collision lasted only six seconds, it reduced buildings to rubble, brought down power lines, and killed 13 people and injured 162 others.

John McNaughton was mayor of Newcastle when the earthquake struck in December 1989. (Barry Nancarrow Productions)

John McNaughton, 87, who was the city's mayor at the time, says there were about 400,000 people in the Newcastle area who can still probably remember being there on that infamous day.

“I was on our sailing boat in the tea gardens,” he told 9news.com.au.

“I felt the earthquake and went to the beach to buy some groceries, and the whole city was shocked by the earthquake.

“They did not realize that the epicenter was near the coast and that Newcastle was devastated.”

Knowing he was desperately needed in central Newcastle and with his car parked kilometers away, McNaughton was driven in a police paddy wagon, with his son riding in the back, to the city.

Newcastle was devastated after an earthquake struck on December 28, 1989. (Geoscience Australia)

When he arrives, he soon learns that recovery operations are centered around the collapsed Newcastle Workers' Club, where nine people have died and other survivors are trapped under the rubble.

When the earthquake struck, the club was preparing to hold a rock concert, expected to be attended by about 2,000 fans, later in the day.

McNaughton says one of the most difficult decisions during the disaster was withdrawing rescue crews from the site due to the instability of the damaged building.

“There was a huge brick wall, and it was leaning at a big angle and it started moving.”

As survivors cried out for help under the rubble, the police chief made the difficult decision to withdraw search and rescue teams while machinery was moved to reinforce the wall.

An injured person is recovered from the destroyed Newcastle Workers' Club after the earthquake. (Wade Maguire)

Looking back at the events of 35 years ago, McNaughton still feels very proud of the way the authorities and the local community responded to the disaster.

“Everyone pulled together to help during those dark days,” he said.

But he is concerned that Newcastle and the surrounding Hunter region are not prepared for another earthquake.

He points to historical records showing that the city has been hit by four major earthquakes since White's settlement – in 1842, 1868, 1925, and 1989.

“If you add up…we're closer to the next earthquake than the last one.”

The Newcastle earthquake lasted only seconds, but left 13 dead and more than 150 injured. (nine)

In the 35 years since the earthquake, local authorities have developed disaster plans and trained emergency services to confront any future disaster that strikes the city.

But McNaughton says the community needs to be educated on how to respond in the event of another attack, especially around schools.

He wants to see emergency protocols, similar to those in some US cities, that advise parents to park their cars farther from their children's school in the wake of an earthquake.

“You have to prevent them from blocking the roads, so that the police and ambulances can reach the school sites.”

Number of victims of the Newcastle earthquake in numbers

The earthquake claimed 13 lives: nine people died at the Newcastle Workers' Club, three people were killed in Beaumont Hamilton Street, and one person died of shock. Another 160 people were injured. 50,000 buildings were damaged (about 40,000 of which were houses). 300,000 people were affected and 1,000 were left homeless. The damage bill is estimated at about $4 billion at today's rates. The effects were felt over a large area. It has an area of ​​approximately 200,000 square kilometres, with scattered reports of movement up to 800 km from Newcastle. The epicenter of the earthquake was at Bolaro.

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