"It is still quite raw for her but she said she understands," Sandra Brookfield, a friend of Kim Dorsett, the mother of Goodchild and Dorsett, told The Bulletin.
Ardent Leisure had originally wanted to reopen the theme park just days after the tragedy, but were forced by Queensland police to call it off due to their ongoing investigations.
Ardent Leisure chairman Neil Balnaves told shareholders at the company's AGM on October 27 that the company wanted to reopen quickly to help staff.
"It is better that people get back to work and basically get together with their comrades and talk and deal with this issue rather than ... sitting at home in isolation," Balnaves said at the time.
"It's driven by the utmost respect for the families and the deaths."
An audit of rides completed since the accident found no guest safety issues with any of the theme park's 34 rides, but the Thunder River Rapids ride will be decommissioned.
The Gold Coast City Council will spend $200,000 on a public campaign to attract visitors back to the tourism hotspot.
- AAP
