By Charlene Gatt
ANOTHER chapter of the Sunshine Railway Disaster centenary closed on Thursday night with the launch of a commemorative book that has been a decade in the works.
Retired St Albans stationmaster Tom Rigg, 75, has dedicated the past 10 years to telling the story of Sunshine Railway Disaster 1908: A Railwayman’s Perspective, which he officially released at the Granary Cafe.
Mr Rigg thanked everyone for their help – from members of the Sunshine and District Historical Society to Brimbank mayor Sam David – and made the small gathering laugh when he said he didn’t know how people wrote books for a living. The disaster occurred at 10.50pm on 20 April 1908, when the Bendigo and Sunshine trains collided at Sunshine station and claimed the lives of 44 people.
It remains Victoria’s worst railway disaster.
The 74-page book documents the events leading up to, including and after the accident and includes witness accounts and excerpts from the inquest.
It also lists the names of all the victims and the 483 injured.
Mr Rigg first heard the story of the Easter Monday 1908 crash at the age of 14 from his paternal grandfather Adam Joseph Rigg, a Sunbury railways repairer who was sent to Sunshine to clean up the wreckage.
“I remember him telling me but I can’t remember the details.
“When you’re a 14-year-old boy you’re only worried about football and cricket and getting out of homework,” he said.
Scores of people went to the scene of the crash last month for a memorial to mark the centenary.
A commemorative plaque with the names of the 44 people killed was restored and 44 red roses were placed on it
The memorial was the second official remembrance to be held at the site of the crash, with the Sunshine and District Historical Society paying tribute to the 90th anniversary in 1998 in a candlelight vigil at the same time the crash occurred.
