Tasmania will today mark 30 years since the Port Arthur massacre, with a quiet memorial service to be held at the site where 35 people were killed.
The ‘Words of Love’ service will begin at 1pm in the memorial garden at the Port Arthur Historic Site. A minute’s silence will be observed at 1:30pm.
The service will include a reflection from a survivor, words from a member of the Tasman Peninsula community and a performance of ‘Always Remember’ by the Peninsula Singers.
The song was written for the 20th anniversary in 2016.
Around 50 former and current first responders will gather separately in Hobart today. Organisers say it will be the first reunion of that size since the attack.
On April 28, 1996, gunman Martin Bryant killed 35 people and wounded 23 others in and around the historic tourist site on the Tasman Peninsula.
He began the day by taking the lives of David and Noelene Martin, the owners of the nearby Seascape guesthouse.
He then drove to the Port Arthur Historic Site and opened fire in the Broad Arrow Cafe with a semi-automatic rifle, killing 20 people in roughly two minutes.
He continued shooting in the gift shop and car park before fleeing in a stolen car, taking a hostage and returning to Seascape.
Bryant was captured by police the following morning after setting fire to the guesthouse.
He pleaded guilty in November 1996 and is serving 35 life sentences at Risdon Prison in Hobart.
The youngest victims were sisters Madeline and Alannah Mikac, aged three and six. They were killed alongside their mother Nanette as they tried to flee.
Their father Walter Mikac later co-founded the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, a national children’s charity that supports young victims of violence and works to prevent bullying.
The foundation has set up an online memorial garden where members of the public can leave tributes to those lost and affected by the attack.
Each message adds an iris to the virtual garden in honour of the victims, survivors and first responders.
“Do not take your children for granted, do not take love for granted. And most importantly, do not take tomorrow for granted,” Mikac said in a tribute on the page.
Tasman Council deputy mayor Maria Davey, who was working at the site on the day of the attack, told AAP the community was still grieving.
“It’s still very raw,” Davey said. “Life moves on and things change but it’s always still there. It’s something I still reflect on.”
Psychologist Rob Gordon, who provided counselling in the aftermath, told AAP the grief had not eased with time.
“People who are not involved can say, ‘Isn’t it time they moved on?’ That shows you’ve never been touched in that way,” Gordon said.
“The longer you go, the more significance it has because you realise what a profound impact it has had on your life.”
A survivor, who was 21 at the time of the attack, will speak at today’s service.
She told New Idea ahead of the memorial she had originally planned to focus her remarks on the importance of gun laws, but had decided otherwise.
“The message of the day is about love,” she said.
The Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority has asked attendees to be guided by “respect, empathy and sensitivity”.
Organisers say the day is intended for survivors, families and the local community to come together and reflect.
