A week in May 1979 saw tragedies that devastated two families - and left the city reeling in anger.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Tuesday, May 15, Thirroul man Paul Jones was killed on Mt Ousley Road when his car collided with the rear of a coal truck.
The road at the time was so much more treacherous than it is today; much of it was just a single lane in each direction.
On the day of Mr Jones' death a Mercury journalist watched the traffic along what was now dubbed "Death Mountain" and found many trucks travelled at 100km/h in the 60km/h zone between Bellambi Creek and Picton Road.
"More than half the 45 trucks travelling north crossed to the incorrect side of the road as they gathered speed for the coming uphill haul," the Mercury reported.
On Friday, May 18, Mr Jones' family held his memorial service - and tragedy struck just a few hours later.
Just after 4pm, a coal truck being driven by Garry Renshaw from Unanderra was heading to the coal loader at Port Kembla.
The brakes failed as he headed down Mt Ousley and he slammed into the rear of another coal truck; the second driver tried to use his brakes to slow down both trucks but it was useless.
Renshaw's truck then careered onto the wrong side of the road near the New Mt Pleasant Road overpass and slammed into Dorothy Moore's car, throwing it in the air and sending it rolling over the guard rail and 50 metres down an embankment.
Tragically Mrs Moore was not alone in the car; her four children Julianne, Lynette, Stephen and Gregory were also travelling with her.
All five family members perished.
"Ousley slaughter" the Mercury headlines read, with a front-page editorial castigating politicians and police for not doing enough to stop the carnage.
"A witness said the [truck], its brakes burnt out and smoking, hit the Holden sedan head-on 'like a cannonball'," the Mercury reported, 'lifting the death car several metres off the roadway and hurling it it over a safety rail."
Balgownie senior citizen Stanley Johnson was in the second car hit by the runaway coal truck.
Three years later he would still have no memory of the crash. He could recall driving up Mt Ousley behind three trucks and the next thing he remembered was waking up in hospital.
A Dapto couple were also trapped in their car, the vehicle ended up wedged underneath the truck.
"Ousley slaughter" the Mercury headlines read, with a front-page editorial castigating politicians and police for not doing enough to stop the carnage.
Before the Moore family tragedy, the Mercury had put a number of questions to Wollongong police superintendent Quill - who refused to answer any of them.
But afterwards, politicians and police rushed to action.
A taskforce headed to Wollongong in the days after the crash to assess what measures should be put in place.
Less than a week after the Moores lost their lives, state Transport Minister Peter Cox announced he would approve all the recommendations.
That included jersey barriers to divide traffic, mandating truck used low gear when travelling down Mt Ousley Road and steps to be taken to stop the overloading of coal trucks.
That same day, Mt Ousley resident Tony Bell blamed unscrupulous coal companies for the deaths on the road.
"Coal companies pay drivers to speed by offering payment for the number of trips," he said.
"And a certain element of truck drivers travel in convoy, speeding and harassing motorists and generally showing a total disregard for the lives of others."
By the end of the month work on widening Mt Ousley Road to four lanes was already under way - lightning-quick time for such a major road project.
The widening from Bellambi Creek to the bottom of Mt Ousley would take seven months; with the Mt Pleasant Road overpass section taking less than four months.
The police acted swiftly too; Renshaw was charged on June 4 over the deaths of the Moore family and the injuries caused to Mr Johnson.
The truck's owner, Figtree 52-year-old Giuseppe Giorgianni was also charged, police alleging he knew the truck had "grossly defective brakes" but let it go out on the road anyway. Police alleged Giorgianni worked on the vehicle and was responsible for its maintenance.
In October the pair were committed for trial in Wollongong Court.
"Mr I Pike, SM, said he considered there was ample evidence," the Mercury reported, "to indicate both men were aware the [truck's] brakes were in a grossly defective and dangerous state before it crashed into a line of cars."
Shockingly, the court was told Kiama garage owner Warren John Hart issued a registration certificate just eight days before the crash - even though he had never inspected the truck.
Two years later, in September 1982, Giorgianni was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison over the Moores deaths.
He got a further three years to be served concurrently for the charges relating to Mr Johnson's injuries.
Renshaw was sentenced to four years in jail.
Evidence was brought forward to show that the brakes on just six of the truck's 22 wheels were working at the time of the crash.
Carmel Hinckley, a relative of the Moores, complained the sentence amounted to just one year for each life lost.
"It took the deaths of five of my family for the government to do anything to improve the road," she said.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
