Remembering the victims of the Lindt Café Siege
Sydney – A permanent memorial to the victims, hostages, police and emergency workers involved in the deadly Lindt Café Sydney siege will be constructed in Martin Place, the NSW government says.
The siege shocked Australians, with thousands of Sydneysiders laying bouquets at a large makeshift memorial near the cafe in the city’s financial hub.
“The outpouring of grief that was symbolised by a sea of flowers in Martin Place, and that moved hearts around the world, was the beginning of our recovery process” New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said in a statement.
“The unveiling of a permanent Memorial, on or before the first anniversary of the siege, will be another significant step in that process, and will guarantee that the memory of Tori and Katrina lives forever in the heart of Sydney” he remarked.
“We will never forget Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson, or the suffering that their loss inflicted on their loved ones,” Mr Baird said.
“Nor will we forget the ordeal of the surviving hostages, or the courage of those police and emergency workers who put themselves in the line of fire on the awful morning of December 16 last year.”
The Australian Government has established the Martin Place Siege Memorial Committee in partnership with the City of Sydney, to oversee the design and construction of the permanent Memorial. The Department of Premier and Cabinet will chair the Committee, which will include the Government Architect and representatives from the City of Sydney.
The Committee will ensure the Dawson and Johnson families, surviving hostages and other major stakeholders are consulted in the design of the Memorial.
The Memorial which will also include a garden element that will incorporate compost created from the spontaneous floral tribute that flooded Martin Place in the days following the siege.
