Martin Place siege: Sydney stands united at one-year memorial

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This was published 8 years ago

Martin Place siege: Sydney stands united at one-year memorial

By Emma Partridge
Updated

Holding flags, flowers and each other - Sydney paused on Tuesday night to remember.

One year ago, two innocent lives were lost during a 16-hour siege at the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place.

Sydney barrister and mother-of-three Katrina Dawson, 38, and cafe manager Tori Johnson, 34 were killed.

Hundreds returned for a twilight ceremony to honour their memories and reinforce that Sydney is a city united.

Images were projected onto the Lindt Cafe building during the one year service.

Images were projected onto the Lindt Cafe building during the one year service.Credit: Getty Images

Master of ceremonies John Flower spoke of the beautiful gesture that came to symbolise the city's resilience - the laying of thousands of bunches of flowers.

"Martin Place was awash with colour," Mr Flower said.

"Their gentle aroma wafted for blocks down city streets and into shops and offices," he said.

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"Instinctively we chose peace, unity and tolerance over backlash and blame."

Members of the public look on during the one year service of the Lindt Cafe Siege.

Members of the public look on during the one year service of the Lindt Cafe Siege.Credit: Getty Images

Under a grey sky, the Ascham Chamber Choir sung Somewhere Over the Rainbow in honour of Ms Dawson.

Mark Vincent sang Andrea Bocelli's Melodramma - a song much loved by Mr Johnson.

More than 40,000 letters, notes and poems were left at the scene in the days after the siege and a handful of the messages were read out to the crowd by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and NSW Governor David Hurley.

"Love is so much greater than hate. We stand together," one note read.

At the end of the ceremony the crowd sat in silence as a series of floral projections were beamed onto the facade of the Lindt cafe building.

Premier Mike Baird spoke of losing Mr Johnson and Ms Dawson "to a senseless and horrific act of terror".

"We mourned and we still mourn but what we will always remember is how this city and state responded."

Mr Turnbull spoke of how the siege united a nation.

"A whole city grieved, a whole city woke in shock, a whole nation resolved to answer hatred with love. To answer those who seek to divide us with solidarity," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday Mr Johnson's father Ken, penned a tribute to his son, and said his feelings of great loss had amplified on the anniversary of the siege.

"When the shots rang out in the early hours of December 16, I knew that Tori's life had ended," he wrote.

"He took his responsibility as the Lindt cafe manager seriously and most of all he was a gentleman who would have sacrificed his own life so others would be safe.

"I am grateful so many survived the shocking ordeal but as a parent you agonise and wonder 'Why my son?'"

The family of Katrina Dawson said they had been overwhelmed by support and generosity of people.

"Whilst nothing can replace the void that Katrina's death has brought to our lives, the warmth of those many voices of support has helped us enormously on the darkest of days," the family said in a statement.

"Today is one such day. Nevertheless we shall remember Katrina not because of the circumstances of this anniversary but because of the extraordinary joy, hope and inspiration she brought to so many people's lives, ourselves included."

Earlier on Tuesday NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Premier Mike Baird met with siege survivor Joel Herat at the Lindt Cafe.

Mr Scipione said it was an important day for everybody to remember the victims and what the hostages endured.

"I'd like to pay my condolences to the Dawson and to the Johnson family and also to take time to remember those that went through this terrible ordeal as hostages.

"They're still suffering. We know that. We know that they're still hurting," he told reporters.

Mr Baird wrote a tribute on social media.

"I will never forget what happened at Martin Place a year ago," he wrote.

"I will never forget Katrina and Tori.

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"And I will certainly never forget the response of this amazing city, as we came together with an outpouring of love and unity."

Gunman Man Haron Monis, 50, took 17 people hostage inside the Lindt Cafe shortly before 10am on December 15. The siege ended at 2am on December 16.

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