Bali bombing anniversary: Loss and despair endures 21 years after Kuta atrocity

The families of victims and survivors of the Bali bombings have gathered at Kings Park to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the atrocity and remember the West Australians who tragically lost their lives.

About 50 people — including family members and friends of the 16 West Australians killed in the 2002 terrorist attack — braved a cold spring morning for the sunrise service at the Kings Park Bali Peace Memorial.

Lindsay Ross attended to remember his son David, who was 21 when he died in the horrific attacks on the Kuta nightclub strip.

A member of the Kingsley Football Club, David had travelled to Bali for an end-of-season celebration.

He was one of the seven young men from the football club who never came home.

“I remember federal police officers turning up at my home to tell me they’d discovered David’s body,” Mr Ross said. “The depth of my despair at that time was immeasurable. And that despair quickly turned to anger.

“But we eventually pulled ourselves from that black hole, and we eventually, over time, we settled into what becomes our new normal.

“But every now and again the loss and the despair returns.”

“There’s a couple of Italian guys who, still after all this time, carry a bit of anger about with them, it’s important we get together and just put our arms around them and just remind them it’s not all about that.

The father said he felt robbed of an adult relationship with his son.

“David had just turned 21 years old . . . he was just one of the boys . . . he was just a lad,” he said.

“The thing that got me is how I was robbed of an adult relationship with him.

“We were just getting to the point where he could phone me up and we’d meet on the way home from work and have a beer and do those adult things.

“From a personal point of view, I feel robbed of that.

“It’s just important we get together, we remind each other and we give each other a cuddle.”

Music played while people laid wreaths, and drank Bintang beers as the sun rose and shone on the names on the memorial wall.

Minister for Environment, Climate Action, Racing and Gaming, Reece Whitby attended on behalf of Roger Cook.

“I’m sure the pain felt by families and friends 21 years ago is still present and that your grief is still very real,” he said. “Today we also take the opportunity to remember and honour the actions of those who helped the victims in the aftermath of the bombings.”“On a personal note, I can still remember the 2am phone call that I received that had me on the first flight to Denpasar out of Perth the next morning as a journalist.”

“These tragic events . . . also tied our countries much closer together,” he said.

“As the sun rises and shines a light on those we have lost, we honour the heroes, we remember the victims, the survivors and importantly the family and the friends left behind this day 21 years ago”.