The Newcastle Earthquake Letter: Elaine Hough, 28th December 1989

The following letter written by Elaine Hough, Manager at Newcastle Permanent Building Society and was written 28th December 1989, the day of the Newcastle Earthquake, is held in a private collection and digitised and transcribed by Jacqueline Rheinberger (Career Ready Placement student at GLAMx Lab). Also see Mrs E. Haugh Letter | Living Histories

This poignant, first-hand account written by Elaine, the Personnel Officer for the Newcastle Permanent Building Society, on December 28, 1989—just hours after the devastating Newcastle earthquake occurred at 10:28 am. Written specifically for her future family, the letter captures the immediate chaos, evacuation, psychological shock, and rapid community response.

Here is a summary of the key events and reflections detailed in her record:

The Moment of Impact & Evacuation

• The Quake: Elaine was in her third-floor office at the Head Office (King & Union Street) when the building began to shake and sway violently.

• The Escape: Alerted by a colleague, Brian Page, she grabbed her handbag and made a split-second decision not to lock her door to prevent it from warping shut. They navigated past a broken glass door off its hinges and evacuated the building safely alongside 10 other colleagues in their sector within three minutes.

Immediate Aftermath & Devastation

• The Median Strip: Elaine ushered her distraught staff onto the median strip in the middle of the road to keep them safe, moving between groups to offer support.

• The Workers Club: From their vantage point, they had a direct view of the catastrophic destruction at the Newcastle Workers Club, where it was later learned that 11 people died and over 50 were injured.

• Visual Recollections: She describes seeing a roof on Hunter Street momentarily “jump in the air” before collapsing like a house of cards, and watching two walls collapse on Union Street amid flying bricks and iron.

• Human Reactions: She notes the intense shock of colleagues, highlighting a heavily pregnant staff member, Michelle Murphy, oscillating hysterically between panic and laughter.

Post-Quake Response & Relief

• Emergency & Aid: Police and ambulances swarmed the gridlocked streets as panicked holiday shoppers tried to drive home. Within an hour, the Salvation Army arrived to provide tea and coffee to emergency workers and displaced staff.

• Re-entering the Building: About an hour after the quake, Elaine braved the third floor again to retrieve personal cases for people and shut off her sector’s electricity, though she notes her legs felt like “jelly” from the trauma. She then sent all non-essential staff home.

Personal Reflections & Frustrations

• The Bowling Green Incident: Driving home via a detour through Merewether and Kahibah, Elaine experienced intense anger and contempt upon seeing roughly 50 women continuing to play bowls at the Kahibah Bowling Club, seemingly oblivious or indifferent to the tragedy unfolding just kilometers away.

• Family Safety: Upon arriving home, she found her mother and grandmother safe. Her daughter (or family member) Michele, a nurse, had immediately gone to work at the Royal Newcastle Hospital, which had also sustained damage.

The Days Following: “The Forbidden Area”

• Business Continuity: By 4:00 pm, electricity and phone lines were operational. Elaine coordinated with management to temporarily relocate Head Office personnel operations to the Adamstown Branch, as several branches (West End, The Mall, Junction, and Hamilton) were forced to close.

• The Ghost Town: Armed with a police pass by the following Tuesday, she returned to the city center. She compares the intersection of Hunter and King Streets to a science fiction movie—completely devoid of cars and people, with paper blowing down empty streets.

• Community Resilience: Security was tight, requiring police passes past the Junction and the Sports Ground. Because no shops were open, workers had to pack lunches, creating a “fantastic” sense of closeness and camaraderie among those permitted into the restricted zone.

Elaine concludes by noting that while operations began returning to a semblance of normalcy within three weeks, the sight of the ruined Workers Club would remain a permanent reminder of the day Newcastle shook.

[Transcription]

28th December,1989

I write in this book on this page, because being before the beginning of the New year this
event will not be recorded and for my future families I feel it is essential that you know
the feelings and the event of this day.
When this [word crossed out] earthquake of 1989 occurred, I was personnel Officer of
the Newcastle Permanent Building Society Limited situated on. King & Union Street
Newcastle. I was in my office on the 3rd floor of H/O and at 10:28am was speaking to a
gentleman on the phone. The building suddenly started to shake and sway. I must have
misplaced the phone immediately but was not conscious of doing so. Brian Page, who
was in the second office started yelling “Elaine get out quick.” I grabbed my handbag
and then in a split second decided not to lock my door (which should at all times be
locked) as it may warp and not be able to be re-opened they went along the hall to find
that the glass door was off one hinge and was across the floor at a slant. Brian lifted it
up and we went through to the exit door and joining everyone proceeding with very
rubbery legs down the street where I ushered everyone onto the median strip in the
middle of the road. I was kept busy running from one group of distraught people to
another. Where we were in the middle of the road we had a full view of the devastation
at the Workers Club Where it was later found that 11 people died and over 50 people
were injured. Police and ambulance men & women were everywhere and the road
coming from the top of town was packed (as last Xmas sales were on) and people just
got into their cars and went for their life home. I organised that all the H/O people who
were not essential, go home as soon as possible. I went back into the building after
about 1 hr to get some cases for people and turned off the electricity in my sector, but
by the time I had climbed to the 3rd floor, my legs were jelly and after squeezing past the
door I decided I had had enough and came straight back out. There were 12 people in
our sector at the time of the quake and we had vacated the building within 3mins and in
an orderly fashion.
Some of my recollection were a roof in Hunter Street suddenly jump in the air and them
collapse like a house of cards. Seeing two walls just fall down in Union Street and bricks
and iron flying everywhere. Michelle Murphy who was 6 months pregnant and very
distraught, was holding onto a sandwich [ maker ? ] [illegible] as if her life [word crossed
out] depended on it. From being hysterical to bursting into laughter was instantaneous.
Within the hour the Salvation Army were on hand with tea & coffee for the workers.

I left the office about 1:30pm and had to go home via Merewether Kahibah then back
onto the highway. When passing Kahibah Bowling Club, there were at least 50 women
playing on the greens as if nothing had happened and I was so angry I wanted to stop
the car and shout at them that they may not have homes and families and what did they
think they were doing. Even now which is 1 week after the “quake”, I feel very annoyed at
their total dedication to their own enjoyment that they are [ incentive ? ] [illegible] and
oblivious to anything else. For those women I feel nothing but contempt.
When I arrived home mum was here with nan. They were O’K and Michele of course had
immediately gone to the Royal Hospital as she is a nurse and the Hospital had also
suffered damage. The phones and electricity were restarted by 4pm and Steve rang from
South Australia. I could not ring out but work could reach me and it was decided that all
H/O staff would report to Adamstown Branch. Where I would relocate personnel. By
Tuesday with a [ police] pass I was able to get to my office where I directed staff.
Hamilton Area had been very badly effected. West End Branch- The Mall- Junction &
Hamilton Branches were all closed. Hunter v King its resembled a scene from one of the
[Science?] [illegible] Movies where nothing moves – no cars or people around – and the
odd piece of paper blowing up the street. No one was allowed any further than the
Junction then later on no one was allowed past the Sports ground without police
passes. We had to take our lunches as there were no shops open, but the closeness
which was formed by those people who [word crossed out] were allowed into the
“Forbidden Area” was fantastic. Within 3 weeks things were back to normal but the
devastation of the Workers Club was forever a reminder of what had happened.”