Vincent Kelly - the construction worker who survived a 175 ft fall from Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1930

One of the most interesting characters I discovered while researching An Attractive Naivety was Vincent "Ned" Kelly, a fair-haired boilermaker of Irish descent known to his mates as "Ned", who worked as a Riveter during the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

At the time, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was the world's largest bridge. Its massive steel arch was held together by more than six million rivets. Each rivet was installed by a crew of four specialists: the Cooker, Catcher, Holder-up and Riveter. The Cooker heated the rivet in a small furnace until it was white hot, then used tongs to throw it to the Catcher, who caught the glowing rivet in a tin bucket before placing it into its hole in the steel plates. The Holder-up then pushed a heavy metal bar, known as a dolly, against the rivet while the Riveter used a pneumatic rivet gun to hammer the glowing metal into shape. As the rivet cooled and contracted, it drew the steel plates tightly together.

The Riveter's job was one of the most dangerous on the bridge. Perched on a narrow platform suspended hundreds of feet above Sydney Harbour, he had to control a heavy pneumatic gun while maintaining his balance. Kelly, a WWI veteran, understood the risks and had long ago decided what he would do if the worst happened. Having been a keen swimmer and diver in his youth, he resolved that, if he ever fell, he would try to enter the water feet first.

Then, on 23 October 1930, the unthinkable happened.

Working near the highest point of the arch, Kelly slipped and plunged into the harbour below, turning somersaults in mid-air before striking the water feet first. Miraculously, he survived. Despite suffering broken ribs, he managed to swim to a nearby dinghy before being taken to hospital.

Just a fortnight later, Kelly was back at work. His remarkable escape made headlines across Australia, and the bridge contractors, Dorman, Long & Co., presented him with a special plaque in recognition of his courage. You can read more about his story in Chapter Six of An Attractive Naivety.

The Channel 7 interview below, recorded in 1974, features Vincent Kelly and his wife recalling the accident more than forty years after his miraculous escape. It is a remarkable first-hand account of one of the most extraordinary incidents during the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.