Around 160 people gathered at Port Arthur's Memorial Garden on Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre. On April 28, 1996, a lone gunman killed 35 people and wounded 23 others in the deadliest mass shooting in modern Australian history.
The ceremony included a speech by survivor Jane Scholefield, who urged attendees to remember the lives lost. 'At the heart of all this, of survival, of remembrance, of change, is something simple, but incredibly powerful: love,' she said. A minute's silence was observed, followed by wreath laying.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, then-Prime Minister John Howard introduced the National Firearm Agreement, a world-leading gun reform law that included a successful buyback scheme. Ms Scholefield said the reforms stand as a reminder of the will to protect life.
Billy Burns, a 17-year-old Tasman Peninsula student, also addressed the crowd. Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority chief executive Will Flamsteed said the ceremony focused on 'love, for each other and for our community'.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia pauses to remember the 35 people whose lives were stolen, and honoured the courage that emerged from grief, including Walter Mikac's call for gun law reform. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff expressed his thoughts for all affected.
