Angel of Bali Dr Hanabeth Luke on 20-year bombing anniversary
Dr Hanabeth Luke, the ‘Angel of Bali’, is now based at Evans Head in Northern NSW. As the bombs rained death all around, she saw much that night and has learned even more in the years since. This is her story.
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October 12, 2002, is etched into the national psyche as a date when international terrorism came ‘home’ to Australia.
20 years’ on, the grief, courage, determination and insight from the nightclub bombings in Indonesia are remembered keenly by Northern NSW’s Hanabeth Luke - dubbed the Angel of Bali.
The nightmare explosions at the tourist mecca killed 202 - including 88 Australians, many of them young people who were just out for a good time.
Hundreds more were wounded, many horrifically.
Carried out by terrorist organisation Jemaah Islamiyah, the attacks represent the single largest loss of Australian life due to an act of terror.
Hanabeth Luke was among those caught up in the man-made misery - and this is her story.
A carefree soul
Hanabeth, a young woman raised in the sun and the surf, was following in her mum’s footsteps of chasing the summer around the globe.
In 2002, she returned to a place she knew as a second home to share her love for life with her boyfriend Marc Gajardo.
It’s a Saturday night and the main drag in Jalan Legian in the tourist district of Kuta is pumping.
The streets are alive and buzzing with holiday makers, backpackers, end-of-season sports teams and those just wanting a good time.
22-year-old Hanabeth and Marc (30), were just like the rest of them.
The couple were dancing at a popular night spot, the Sari Club, after a day by the water. Life was golden.
Chaos
About 11pm a suicide bomber entered nearby Paddy’s Bar and detonated explosives.
As the crowds panicked and fled outside, another bomb, secreted inside a Mitsubishi van, erupted just outside ... where Hanabeth and Marc were dancing.
A third blast roared outside the US consulate in the Denpasar suburb of Renon.
There was a loud bang, then silence.
Hanabeth, the young surfer, was thrown up into the roof and at the time appeared to suffer no injuries.
“I had a tiny scratch on me,” she said.
The explosion had taken out the power in the nightclub.
Shattered glass, fire, people screaming, and bodies lay strewn about in the rubble.
The young Aussie spent hours searching for Marc, unable to find him in all the mayhem.
It wasn’t until the morning that Hanabeth found her boyfriend.
“A friend found him at a morgue at the hospital and I called his parents straight away,” she said.
“My family were of course deeply rattled by losing Marc.
“We loved him very dearly.”
20 years’ on, Hanabeth is now known as Dr Luke, and she said the families will all attend commemorative events on the anniversary.
“My parents connected with Tom’s (Singer) parents, and they attended his funeral.”
“Surviving the Bali bombing is a part of my life that I’ve learned to live with, to accept it, and to learn to live with the loss, and also the experience of being in that bomb,” Dr Luke said.
“Coming so close to death certainly made me feel very aware of how lucky I was to survive, and how precious every day is.
“Since that time, I’ve not allowed fears to hold me back.
“I’ve worked hard, put my head down and found a job I love as a senior lecturer in science and regenerative agriculture at Southern Cross uni.”
The path to healing
During the many stages of grief that Dr Luke endured, it was at the behest of Marc’s parents, Carol and Ray Gajardo, that she put pen to paper.
Her memoir, ‘Shock Waves’ is an intimate reveal of the event that has not only shaped the life of the writer, but also the nation.
Her journey to discover the meaning in the madness brought her to believe that we must do our best to maintain peace in society.
“It is so important,” Dr Luke said, “because it is very clear that violence begets more violence.”
She said after nearly losing her life she ‘woke up’ to what was happening globally.
“The Iraq war cost up to three trillion US dollars and 650,000 lives, including our Australian ADF personnel and countless Iraqis,” Dr Luke said.
“Afghanistan and Iraq together cost the Australian taxpayer close to $10 billion.
“Looking at what happened as we left Afghanistan, no one could call that a just or sensible spend.
“I warned (then UK and Australian prime ministers) Tony Blair and John Howard that we were opening a can of worms, but there is no satisfaction in being proved right.”
Throw my hat in
Two decades on from the bombings and with a PhD under her belt Dr Luke, an academic in environmental science, a Marine Rescue volunteer, and three-time Evans Head longboard champion, she threw her hat into the political ring.
“It was a privilege also to run as a community independent in the federal election for our seat of Page (in Northern NSW),” she said.
“I may not have won the seat, but I did my best to raise the profile of what our communities are going through after the flood,” she said.
“Nearly 14,000 people voted for me, and nearly 400 people volunteered to support me – for which I am truly grateful.”
During the record breaking floods that steamrolled Lismore, Dr Luke was out in a boat rescuing people from their rooftops.
“I’m currently running the flood recovery survey to provide the best information to support our communities, moving forward in this recovery from the flood, and also considering preparation for whatever comes next,” she said.
Stan original series, Bali 2002, premiered on September 25 with actor Saskia Archer playing the role of Hanabeth Luke.
“Saskia was very lovely, she called me and asked me about how I was then,” Dr Luke said.
“I think she did a great job and the series did a very good job at showing many of the complexities of the situation, and subsequent investigation.
“Life is short, you have to make the most of it.
“I’ll also be giving a Ted Talk at TedxWomen Byron Bay on 23rd October.”
Hanabeth lives in Evans Head with her husband Kieran and her children.
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