“There’s Still Grief”

Mackay Unites To Honour 29 Lives Lost In 1960 Air Disaster

By Hannah McNamara

Sixty-five years have passed, but the grief still lingers.

On June 10, the Mackay community gathered to remember the 29 lives lost in Australia’s worst civil aviation disaster at the time – the crash of TAA Flight 538 in 1960. Among them was Mr Col Benson, local Historian, former Air Force radio technician and long-time Mackay RSL member, who helped organise the solemn anniversary.

“I was a schoolboy when it happened… the whole of the community was in shock,” he said.

Mr Benson had returned to Mackay after the long weekend to a city in mourning. One of the victims was a boy a year older than him.

“Even today, people in their 70s, 80s, 90s remember where they were that night,” he said.

“That plaque gave people somewhere to focus their grief.”

Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson echoed the community’s pain, remembering how residents could identify aircraft by sound.

“I remember my father saying, ‘Wow, that’s really low,’” he recalled.

“Surely it can’t be happening in our town… But it did.”

The tragedy prompted major safety reforms, including the invention of the black box flight recorder.

Lawrence Manning, son of Walkley-winning journalist Rod Manning, offered a poignant tribute.

“While it was 65 years ago, the loss… has resulted in intergenerational pain.

“It is the human element – the expressions of sympathy, the sharing of grief and concern for each other – that is enriched the entire community down the years.”

In Mackay, remembrance is not a date on a calendar, but rather a promise kept.

“There’s still grief, but at least we can all share it as a community,” said Mr Benson.

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