Rugby league legend Gorden Tallis’s partner rushed to hospital after explosion

Rugby league legend Gorden Tallis’s partner, Jemma Elder, was reportedly rushed to hospital yesterday after a gas explosion occurred in their Bardon home.

The couple’s neighbor reported hearing a loud bang followed by a scream at around 7pm on Tuesday, February 15, before police, emergency services and the fire department were all called to the scene.

The NRL legend told Courier Mail that Elder had escaped relatively unharmed and was lucky given the circumstances of the explosion. She reportedly sustained minor burns to her lower limbs and remained in a stable condition in the hospital before returning home soon after.

 

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Elder had been trying to turn on the couple’s in-built barbeque before the explosion took place. Tallis was near the front gate at the time of the explosion and heard his partner’s scream. He had been trying to organise a romantic dinner for Elder when the incident occurred.

“I was trying to have a romantic dinner,” Tallis said.

“It [the barbecue] didn’t start and then she pressed ‘on’ again and it went bang. A big bang, so loud even the footy players ran from across the road.

“It [flames] came up towards her face and blew the [cupboard] doors straight off.

“Lucky she was wearing natural long clothing, like linen. If she was wearing something else that could have caught on fire, that’s what was so lucky.”

Tallis said that the “responders were here so quick” and that they had done “a fantastic job”.

“The fireys came and checked it all, turned the gas on and off, and there was no gas leak at all. Because if there was a leak we would have needed to get out of the house. As soon as they checked it out, we cooked on it,” he said.

“She went and got treatment and was back home last night.

“We did end up having a nice dinner, really late though. She’s recovering really well.”

 

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Elder currently serves as Non-Executive Director of the Gold Coast Titans and has long been a rugby league fan sharing that her “family’s passion for rugby league runs deep”.

“We grew up watching rugby league,” she said.

“My father played league at Brothers St Marks before joining Souths Magpies in club administration.”