by rain » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:35 pm
London's many thousands of Australian residents and visitors have a permanent place to pay their respects to those who died in the Bali bombings.<br><br>Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall marked the fourth anniversary of the October 12, terrorist attacks in 2002 by unveiling a memorial in central London dedicated to the 202 people killed.<br><br>The memorial at Clive Steps, opposite St James's Park, features a marble globe with 202 doves carved into it standing in front of a wall bearing the names of all those who died.<br><br>In a moving tribute, representatives from the 22 countries which lost citizens in the attacks read out their names.<br><br>Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Richard Alston read the names of the 88 Australians who died.<br><br>"There are probably 150,000 Australians in London at any one time and a lot more during the summer season," he said after the ceremony.<br><br>"This memorial is in a very accessible location so not only Londoners, but many Australians living here will be forever reminded of one of the most horrific events that we've experienced."<br><br>Among a small Australian contingent at the unveiling ceremony was Jessica Hardy from the Gold Coast.<br><br>Her 20-year-old brother, Billy, died while in Bali on an end-of-season football trip.<br><br>"It's kind of tough being without your family because I'm used to sharing this occasion with them," Ms Hardy told AAP.<br><br>"But I'm glad that I could represent our family and be here to see the unveiling of my brother's name."<br><br>Ms Hardy, a former Big Brother contestant, has been based in England since March.<br><br>"No matter where you are in the world, you can pay your respects to your lost loved ones," she said.<br><br>"I usually light a candle or something, so rather than it being private day today it was nice to make it more of a public affair, to be able to stand by other people and have the support of them."<br><br>UK Bali Bombing Victims' Group chairman Jocelyn Waller, whose son Ed, 26, was killed in the blasts while on a rugby tour, described the memorial as uplifting.<br><br>"This is the fourth anniversary, we've been through three others and they've been quite sombre events," he said.<br><br>"Today somehow it was different. I think everybody, if they cried, it was tears of sort of joy and reconciliation rather than sadness.<br><br>"Of course it's a sad thing, but I think (before the unveiling) people didn't realise what an extraordinary monument this is - how beautiful it is and how uplifting and how meaningful it is."<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Prince-Charles-unveils-Bali-memorial/2006/10/13/1160246290966.html">www.theage.com.au/news/Wo...90966.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>huh ?<br><br> <p></p><i></i>
