Fairground owner 'my best mate'

By STUART DYE

"I've lost my partner, my brother and my best mate," said John Mahon yesterday as he spoke about the accident which took his brother's life.

Bill Mahon, owner of Mahon Amusements, died from head injuries after falling from the Super-Loops at Auckland's Easter Show.

He had been involved with the show for almost 35 years after originally training as a chartered accountant.

His family have run amusement shows from Whangarei to Christchurch since the late 1940s.

"He lived for this work, as did Dad," said John Mahon.

"He is absolutely irreplaceable. This is an unusual line of work that used to be a lifestyle, but has now become a business.

"For Bill, as well as a good business, it remained his lifestyle."

Mr Mahon leaves a widow and three grown children.

He was carrying out routine maintenance work on Super-Loops - one of 30 attractions owned by the company he ran with his brother - when the tragedy struck.

He fell between 9 and 10 metres and, despite treatment at Auckland Hospital, died several hours after the accident on Thursday.

Investigators say it will be at least two weeks before they establish what happened.

The ride reopened yesterday after scrutiny by police and Occupational Safety and Health inspectors.

By 4pm it had the biggest queue at the fair.

OSH regional manager Auckland, John Forrest, said a mechanical failure might have been responsible.

"But we won't be able to give any definite answers until investigators finish their report in a couple of weeks."

The Super-Loops ride consists of a vertical, circular track and a roller-coaster which loops around the inside.

Senior Sergeant Ian Brooker, of Auckland Central, said police had established that no one else was involved and there was no individual negligence.

Easter Show organisers said yesterday that it was the first tragedy in the event's 161-year history.

Showgrounds general manager Mark Frankham said all rides conformed to OSH standards and were thoroughly checked before the show's opening.

"It was a freak accident which has led to a tragedy. But the show goes on. We've offered Mahon Amusements' staff counselling and it was they who wanted to get the ride up and running again."

It is not the first time one of the Mahon Amusements' rides has gone wrong. In April 2000 Deon Wessels and his 5-year-old son, Daniel, were flung from an out-of-control Ferris wheel in Northcote.

Daniel suffered a badly sprained back, and Mr Wessels bruised his neck, arms and legs.

Bill Mahon said then: "We don't like to hurt people. They come along to smile and be happy and have fun."