A strong message delivered to the families was 'we cannot take away your pain, but know that we are here with you and that we will not forget your loved ones".
It was an interfaith service with input from leaders of our Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Catholic and Anglican faiths in English and other languages. The Dutch and Malaysian people were represented and speakers included the Governor General, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Catholic Archbishop.
The mourners were very restrained and dignified. I confess that I shed a tear as each came forward and added sprigs of wattle to the huge wreath at the front. Quite a few were elderly relatives who had lost their children. It has been three weeks since the plane went down.
I thought that the whole event was a lesson to the fanatics about how we deal with their assaults on us. No screaming and cries for vengeance. Just people honouring the dead and dealing with their pain by coming together to comfort each other. The air was filled with love, not hatred and a determination to stick together.
