A friendship forged in tragedy: How the former CEO of Dreamworld has become close with mum whose two kids died in River Rapids ride disaster
- Mother Kim Dorsett lost her two children Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett
- Ms Dorsett's childred died after a malfunction of the Thunder River Rapids Ride
- The tragedy happened at Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld in October 2016
A mother whose two adult children were crushed to death on a Dreamworld ride has developed an unlikely friendship with the theme park's former CEO after the horrific tragedy in 2016.
Single mother Kim Dorsett lost her two children Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett when the Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunctioned at the Gold Coast park.
Mr Dorsett's partner and another young mother also died when the raft flipped and the group became trapped underwater.
While the tragedy has left an aching void in Ms Dorsett's life, a 'genuine friendship' has started between her and the theme park’s former boss Deborah Thomas, The Sunday Mail reports.
A mother Kim Dorsett (pictured left) who lost her two children and the former CEO of Dreamworld Deborath Thomas (pictured right) have become close friends since one of the rides malfunctioned and four people were killed
Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunctioned at Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld in October 2016 (pictured)
The women had reportedly first met each other at an indigenous smoking ceremony held at Dreamworld weeks after the disaster.
A source told the publication that their relationship was a 'genuine friendship.'
'It’s a very genuine friendship and it’s probably one of the only nice things that has come out of all this,' she said.
'They really do care for each other and they both lament the loss of those four lives.'
The pair are said to have spent time at Ms Thomas' holiday house and regularly speak to each other on the phone, a friend of one of the women told The Sunday Mail.
Their friendship is even more unlikely given their vastly differing lifestyles.
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Ms Dorsett, a struggling single mother, revealed to Sunday Night earlier this year that she had been forced to work several jobs just to provide for her family.
Ms Thomas, on the other hand, comes from a life of privilege and wealth.
The millionaire socialite model and former fashion icon later carved a name for herself in the media industry after 27 years with Kerry Packer's ACP Magazines.
She was widely slammed for taking an $837,000 bonus in the wake of the River Rapids disaster, and then again criticised for claiming to have spoken to Ms Dorsett in the days after the tragedy - only for the mother to reveal that wasn't the case.
Both Ms Dorsett and Ms Thomas were not willing to comment about their new friendship.
Mother Kim Dorsett lost her son Luke Dorsett (pictured) when the Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunctioned at Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld in October 2016
Ms Dorsett's daughter Kate Goodchild (pictured) also died in the horrific theme park tragedy
An inquest into the Dreamworld ride malfunction started in June where ride supervisors and engineers who worked at the park gave their testimonies.
Senior park managers including those in charge of engineering, maintenance and policy spoke at the second part of the inquest held in October.
The coroner will announce his findings from the inquest early next year.
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