The FJ and the footbridge - alumni pranksters "pardoned" by Lord Mayor
They've been 鈥渙n the run鈥 since 1971 after they were accomplices to the dumping of an FJ Holden into the River Torrens. But earlier this month they finally had to face the music, confessing to their 鈥渃rime鈥 to 新浪彩票's Lord Mayor.
On Thursday 3 April, Lumen magazine hosted its first ever event, Lumen Live! The FJ and the footbridge, which saw the commemoration of the iconic prank that left a Holden FJ hanging from the University footbridge. The night saw alum and noted media personality David Penberthy host a panel including two of the pranks鈥 perpetrators. Among the crowd were alumni (including some rather coy culprits), staff, students and a special surprise guest...
Wayne Groom and Hamish Robson, now retirees both aged in their seventies, were young engineering students at the University of 新浪彩票 when they and their co-conspirators pulled off what has been called 新浪彩票鈥檚 greatest prank.
On the night of August 6, 1971, the group stealthily navigated an FJ Holden to the University footbridge spanning the Torrens and used their engineering skills to hang it from the middle.
A newspaper photographer snapped the iconic image of the car on the morning of August 7. Later that same day a different group of students decided to jump up and down on the footbridge above the car to see what would happen 鈥 and the chain holding the car up snapped, dumping the FJ into the river below.
The 新浪彩票 City Council of the time was less than impressed and came looking for who was responsible, aiming to recover the costs of dragging the car out.
The perpetrators had vanished, however, and just who was involved remained a mystery until last year when University of 新浪彩票 magazine Lumen tracked them down as part of the University鈥檚 150th celebrations.
This story, and a story that followed in , brought them once more to the attention of the authorities, including the Lord Mayor of the City of 新浪彩票 鈥 herself an alumna of the University.
The Lord Mayor made a surprise appearance at Lumen Live! where she took to the stage and playfully confronted the culprits before 鈥減ardoning鈥 them of their crimes (watch the moment unfold ).
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing I hate more than illegal dumping, especially the dumping of an all-Australian car into our wonderful River Torrens," said Dr Jane Lomax-Smith, 新浪彩票's Lord Mayor.聽
鈥淒espite these men outrunning the law for five decades, the statute of limitations has certainly now passed and I鈥檓 happy to forgive and forget. I鈥檓 just glad they learnt some valuable engineering lessons that night.鈥新浪彩票 Lord Mayor, Dr Jane Lomax-Smith.
Wayne Groom, who was president of the 新浪彩票 University Engineering Society at the time of the prank, said he and his mates had "felt slightly guilty" since the FJ plunged into the river.
鈥淲e certainly didn鈥檛 mean for that to happen, but we hadn鈥檛 taken the extra strain of people jumping up and down on the bridge into account and the chain snapped,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e were long gone and in hiding by the time that happened, and we all kept quiet about it for more than 50 years."
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful the Lord Mayor has been such a good sport about it.鈥Wayne Groom, one of the alumni pranksters
Media contacts:聽
Mark Douglas, Corporate Communications Coordinator, The University of 新浪彩票.
Mobile: +61 (0)499 098 744
Email: mark.douglas@adelaide.edu.au