Granville disaster responders honored with Australian Bravery Decorations

Seventy-nine years after the Granville rail disaster, which saw three carriages collapse under a bridge, killing 85 people and injuring more than 200, ambulance officer Barry Gobbe and former police officer Gary Raymond have been awarded Australian Bravery Decorations by the Governor-General. Both men were among the first to reach the scene, with Gobbe calling for a full disaster response and Raymond working within the wreckage, later returning with a pen torch to aid a trapped passenger, Debbie Woodgate.

The honors also extend to retired lawyer John Bamford, who chased a knife-wielding assailant through Sydney’s CBD in August 2019, using a café chair to subdue the attacker. Gobbe emphasized that the awards honor the collective effort of emergency crews, volunteers, crane drivers, engineers and rail workers. The 1977 crash led to major changes in rail maintenance standards, the introduction of colour-coded helmets for responders, and increased study of crush syndrome, a condition that affected several victims. Superintendent Richard "Dickie" Lamb, who organized rescue operations that day, is also among the awardees.