Terrigal made international news on New Year’s Eve after the first fireworks display held at the popular seaside village in 17 years malfunctioned.
During the 9 pm fireworks display, a firework detonated prematurely, which in turn caused other fireworks to detonate.
The premature detonation saw multiple fireworks explode in all directions and much lower to the ground than intended.
After the initial incident, onlookers were left wondering if it was part of the show or a malfunction, before emergency services took control of the situation, moving everyone off the beach and establishing a seclusion zone along the Terrigal beachfront as investigations commenced.
Video; Jorja Petfield
The man behind the festivities said that despite the setback, 2018’s event will be bigger and better.
Neverest Event’s, Mr David Lambert, said the evening had been a roaring success for Terrigal and that the unfortunate incident with the fireworks had been blown out of proportion through misleading media reports.
“The incident was caused around five minutes into the show when a firework prematurely went off in its canister,” Mr Lambert said.
“The event was not caused by waves, as some media reported, nor did the barge explode.
“The pyro-technicians were not injured and the crowd did not fall into hysterics as reported by other media outlets,” he added.
The offending firework did cause the premature detonation of other fireworks which set the barge alight.
The two pyro-technicians aboard did flee the vessel and were quickly picked up by Marine Rescue and Police.
It is understood that the evacuation was called for due to fears that the alight and unmanned barge could come ashore.
Despite the mishap, Mr Lambert said that feedback from the event had been overwhelmingly positive and that mistruths about the accident would not taint his plans for the next event.
“Lots of people had a great time.
“I would say that 99 percent of the feedback has been very positive,” he said.
“I was there right in front of the event with my children and grandchildren.
“The response from emergency services were exemplary.
“There were no injuries.
“We had fire, police, surf lifesaving and marine rescue all there.
“Contra to some media, it was a controlled and safely operated event, and the evacuation was not really an evacuation, just a moving back to a safer area where the officers could manage things better.
“All businesses were flat out, and compared to last year where there was no one in town other than at Crowne Plaza, Sirens and Pocket Bar, I’d say that’s a good thing.
“However, I am disappointed that most businesses haven’t made any effort to thank us nor did they donate towards the event either,” Mr Lambert said.
Ka-Boom Fireworks, the company behind the Terrigal event, has issued Mr Lambert a $30,000 refund.
Owner of Ka-Boom Fireworks, Mr Milton Skinner, issued this media statement on January 1.
“An incident occurred on Sunday, December 31, at Terrigal Beach, during a fireworks display conducted by Ka-boom Fireworks.
“No persons were injured as a result of the incident, with fireworks operators being assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics merely as a precaution.
“The mandatory safety exclusion zone was enforced for the display and no risk was presented to the general public.
“To further ensure the safety of the public, the beachfront was evacuated by NSW Police and cordoned off for a short time until the area could be deemed safe.
“This incident is currently under investigation by SafeWork NSW.
“No further comments can be made at this time.
“Ka-Boom fireworks would like to thank Marine Rescue NSW, NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and Fire and Rescue NSW for their assistance.”
Sources:
Media statement, Jan 1
Milton Skinner, Ka-Boom Fireworks
Interview, Jan 16
David Lambert, Neverest Events
Dilon Luke, Journalist