20 Years Since the Bali Bombings

This morning, the Governor and Mrs Dawson, along with the Honourable Mark McGowan MLA Premier of Western Australia, and Mrs Listiana Operananta Consul General of Indonesia, attended a service at Kings Park.

The dawn service marked 20 years to the date that Australia was rocked by tragedy. On this date, Western Australia’s favourite holiday destination, Kuta, on the Indonesian island of Bali was the site of what has colloquially become known as the ‘Bali Bombing’.

Mourners embrace.

That night, a hole was torn in our sense of safety and our concept of security and the perception of risk in our region changed forever as the face of terrorism was no longer a far-away prospect. 202 people were killed. 88 Australians lost their lives on 12th October 2002, 16 of whom were Western Australians.

Upon the memorial, dedicated on 12 October 2003, reads an inscription: “In the shadow of our sorrow we find a light, with the dawn comes hope, With the setting sun, time to heal”. The memorial faces towards the dawn and in the direction of Bali.

The memorial.

In his speech, the Governor stated,

“Sadly there will never be another dawn for these 16 people or the hundreds of others who died alongside them that night. We give thanks for their lives and their adventurous spirits. We think of their loved ones left behind. We mourn with others impacted by this tragedy elsewhere in Australia, in Indonesia and around the world.

We are thankful for the response by staff of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, and all those who rushed to help on the scene, with the evacuation and care of survivors, and in the search for the perpetrators.

We renew our love for Bali and its people, who have so generously welcomed Western Australians over the years, and who continue to do so despite this tragedy.

We re-commit ourselves in our condemnation of terrorism in all its forms. And we renew our determination that it will not limit our sense of fun and adventure that is so central to being a Western Australian.”

Mr Antony Svilicich speaks of his experience.

The gathered crowd also heard from survivors, Mr Antony Svilicich and Ms Megan Basioli, who spoke of their experiences.

Following their moving words, Professor Fiona Wood AM added her story.

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