00:00Today I stand before you not just as a speaker but as a survivor of one of the
00:07darkest days in our nation's history, the tragedy at Port Arthur on the 28th of
00:13April 1996. That day is etched in our memories in a way words can never fully
00:20be described. For those of us that were there and for the families, friends and
00:26communities connected to it, life was forever changed. When people speak about
00:34survival they often imagine strength as something immediate and visible but for
00:40many of us survival was quieter than that. It was learning how to gain confidence in
00:46a world that suddenly felt unsafe. It was carrying the grief, confusion, guilt and
00:54questions that we may never have answers to. The scars people carry are real. They
01:03do not simply disappear with time. Healing, slow and deeply personal does happen. It
01:11lives on in the small moments, in connection, in understanding and in the
01:17courage to keep going. Healing takes time and it looks different for each of us.
01:24As survivors we come to understand something profound, how fragile and
01:30precious life is. We don't take ordinary moments for granted. We know how quickly
01:37things can change and that knowledge stays with us. Every year when the anniversary
01:44comes around, the memories return with a weight that never fully lives. Even when
01:50the world moves on, even when headlines fade and the attention shifts elsewhere, for
01:57those of us touched by that day, it is never forgotten. It lives within us and that is
02:03why remembrance matters. Today memories live on because we speak about them, because we
02:10share them. We refuse to let silence erase what happened or the lives that were lost. By
02:18remembering, we honour those people, not just how they died but how they lived, who they
02:24were and how much they meant to those who loved them. I also want to take a moment to
02:31acknowledge the first responders, the police, the paramedics, medical staff and ordinary
02:39people who step forward in extraordinary circumstances. On a day defined by
02:46unimaginable horror, you showed courage, compassion and humanity. You ran towards
02:54danger when others were trying to escape it. You cared for the injured, comforted the
03:01grieving and helped carry a burden that no one should ever have to bear. Your actions will
03:07never be forgotten. Out of that tragedy, something else emerged. A determination
03:14that such a loss should never happen again. As a nation, Australia changed. The reforms that
03:23followed reshaped our gun laws, making them among the strictest in the world. That change
03:30stands as a reminder that even in the face of profound darkness, there can still be a will
03:35to protect life.
03:38And today, organisations like the Alana and Madeleine Foundation continue that legacy in a
03:45different but equally important way. Working every day to keep children safe from violence. To create
03:53environments where young people can grow without fear. Their work reminds us that prevention,
04:00education, education and care are powerful tools in building a safer future. At the heart of all this,
04:09of survival, of remembrance, of change, is something simple but incredibly powerful. Love.
04:19Love for those lost. Love for those who stood beside us. And love for the lives we continue to live.
04:29Because in the end, love is stronger than hatred. It is stronger than fear. It is stronger than evil.
04:39Love is what helps us endure. What keeps us real. And what helps us move forward together.
04:47As we look to the next generation, it is our responsibility to share this history.
04:53To help them understand what April the 28th 1996 meant and why it matters 30 years on.
05:02Not to burden them with fear, but to guide them with truth, empathy and awareness.
05:10So they can build a future shaped not by violence, but by compassion and respect for life.
05:17I stand here today not defined solely by what happened, but by the strength it has taken to keep going.
05:24And I stand alongside so many others who carry their own stories, their own memories and their own paths
05:32towards healing. We will remember and honour those lost on that day and carry forward for them.
05:41And through it all, we choose love.
05:47We are here today to recognise the past and reflect on the past and also talk about the future.
05:54One part of recognising the past is to recognise the 35 people who passed away in this day in 1996.
06:00I'd like to read those names out to you.
06:04Winifred Joy Saplin
06:07Walter John Bennett
06:10Nicole Louise Burgess
06:14Sue Leng Chung
06:17Elva Rhonda Gayloth
06:20Zoe Anne Hall
06:24Elizabeth Jane Howard
06:26Elizabeth Jane Howard
06:28Mary Elizabeth Howard
06:29Mary Elizabeth Howard
06:32Mervyn John Howard
06:35Mervyn John Howard
06:36Ronald Noel Jarry
06:40Tony Vardavellu Kisten
06:44Lesley Dennis Lever
06:47Sarah Kate Lawton
06:48David Martin
06:52David Martin
06:54Noelene Sally Joyce Martin
06:59Pauline Virginia Masters
07:03Alana Louise McHack
07:07Madeleine Grace McHack
07:11Nanette Patricia McHack
07:15Andrew Bruce Mills
07:19Peter Brenton Nash
07:23Gwenda Joan Neander
07:28William Zing Ng
07:32Anthony Nightingale
07:35Mary Rose Nixon
07:39Glen Roy Pears
07:44Russell James Pollard
07:49Jeanette Kathleen Quinn
07:54Helene Maria Seltzman
07:58Robert Graham Seltzman
08:02Kate Elizabeth Scott
08:06Kevin Vincent Sharp
08:10Raymond John Sharp
08:12Raymond John Sharp
08:15Royce William Thomson
08:19Jason Bernard Winter
08:23Dean
08:24I'd also like to recognise
08:26the other 23
08:27that were injured on the day
08:28as well
08:30Thank you
08:31Thank you
08:33Thank you
08:33You
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