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Dreamworld Boss To Focus On 'Community Recovery' After Theme Park Disaster

A retired police officer will advise for the park on community rebuilding.
Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson has addressed media on community recovery after the disaster at the park.
AFP/Getty Images
Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson has addressed media on community recovery after the disaster at the park.

Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson says he's moving forward with the "community recovery process" at the Gold Coast theme park following the disaster that killed 4 people this week.

Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low were killed when their raft flipped on the Thunder River Rapids ride about 2.20pm on Tuesday.

Police and workplace authorities are probing how the park-goers lost their lives at the ride on the Gold Coast that has left family and friends shattered, and the nation in shock.

In the wake of the deadly incident there have been allegations of shoddy upkeep at the theme park, and criticisms of owner Ardent Leisure's management of the disaster.

Speaking on Sunday, Davidson named retired police inspector Mike McKay as Ardent Leisure's adviser on the community recovery process at the park.

"To support the community recovery process Ardent Leisure has appointed retired inspector Mike McKay," he told reporters outside the park.

"He's one of the foremost disaster recovery experts, he spent 41 years with the Queensland police service," Davidson said.

He said McKay was the right man for the job given he had assisted with rebuilding after natural disasters like the 2011 Queensland floods and cyclone Larry in 2006.

Davidson said there was no timeline on when the park would reopen.

McKay said the tragedy was still "very raw" for workers at Dreamworld but was confident he could get the situation "back to some normalcy at some stage".

Mourners continue to pay respects at the site and a large floral tribute has built up at the entrance to the Gold Coast theme park since Tuesday's disaster, with a permanent memorial to be established.

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