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| Down Under |
| Bali blast victims funeral today |
| 2005-10-26 |
| A Funeral will be held in Western Australia today for the fourth Australian victim of the October 1 Bali bombings. Brendan Fitzgerald, 16, of Busselton, was killed when a bomb ripped through the Kuta restaurant where he was eating with his father and sister on October 1, in what was their first overseas holiday together. The town of Busselton experienced the loss of one of its citizens to a terrorist attack for the second time in three years. With a population of just 25,000, Busselton is on the coast 225km south of Perth. Another resident, Carol Johnston, died in the Bali bombings of October 2002. "There's a genuine sense of disbelief here," state MP and family friend Troy Buswell told ABC radio today. "How could such a small corner or part of Australia be hit twice by such a tragic act? "There's been a sense of shock, and also a sense of course of outrage and disgust, and above all, a great sense of loss, the fact that such a wonderful young man has been taken from, not only from his family, but also from his friends and from this community." Mr Buswell said there were some Busselton residents who had vowed never to return to Bali. "There are people that say they'll never go back and there are people who quite simply refuse to have their freedoms affected by the actions of these terrorists," he said. Brendan Fitzgerald's funeral will be conducted by Marcus Holt, the chaplain at Busselton Senior High School. Mr Holt said it had been a difficult few weeks for the community. "It has been a long time (since the attacks), and I think for all of us, while nobody would ever say it ... you know, let's get through it, let's move on, not that people want to forget it or anything but it is difficult," he told ABC radio. As well as the four Australians, 19 others died in blasts at restaurants in Kuta and Jimbaran Beach. |
| Posted by:God Save The World AKA Oztralian |