Play all audios:
LINCOLN BERTELLIThe West Australian THROWN in the air and tossed across the shed he worked in, Gary Wilson thought the 2005 tornado would be the end of him. Like any normal Monday, the
joinery foreman at Ausdens Joinery and Glass had started work at 6am on May 16, 2005. He could not have predicted what would occur just minutes later but the tornado's early signs left
him in no doubt what was coming. "It was windy but not wind you would be alarmed at," he said. "The mercury vapour light on the machine I was using flickered and, a few
seconds later, I heard an almighty roar followed by an almighty flash. "Everything lit up, then the power went out, so I made a run for the door, which was opened about 300mm. "The
force of the wind was too strong and the door got me in the shin." The wind propelled Mr Wilson on to a trolley and he was then thrown about 10-15 metres back from the doorway he was
trying to secure. During the ordeal, he was also fortunate not to be showered by falling glass. "When the force of the wind eased off, I picked myself up and went into the corner but it
was all over," he said. Left with a bloodied shin, a hole in one hand and cracked ribs, he went back home to find his wife still asleep and oblivious to the tornado - such was the
narrow path it took. Mr Wilson returned to work the next day and only took the Wednesday off after seeing a doctor. Now retired, Mr Wilson served at Ausdens for 52 years but considers
himself lucky to have survived the day. "I thought my number was up then but I've got another 10 years out of myself," he joked. For Ausdens, the tornado caused severe stock
loss, the dust extraction system was lifted and twisted and sheds copped major damage, including roofs being ripped off. Within hours of the tornado, staff had secured help to fix roofs.
"We were very lucky everyone pulled together and we had customers come in to help us," general manager Kered Ausden said. GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THEWEST.COM.AU IN YOUR INBOX.
Sign up for our emails