Bali bombings 14th anniversary: Gold Coaster survivors and the families of those killed come together

AT this time of the year for 14 years Bill and Christine Hardy have summoned up every bit of strength they have just to get through the day.

AT this time of the year for 14 years Bill and Christine Hardy have summoned up every bit of strength they have just to get through the day.

It’s not that at other times of the year the hurt of losing their son Billy goes away.

And not a day goes by that they don’t think about how an end-of-season footy trip with the Southport Sharks AFL club ended with him being killed as bombs tore apart two night spots crammed with foreigners in Bali in 2002.

A Balinese dancer performs at the ceremony. Pictured in the background is Billy Hardy, who was killed in the bombings. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Billy, 20, was one of 202 people killed, seven of them Gold Coasters, on the island’s famous Kuta Beach.

“They were murdered in a war they didn’t even know they were in,” Mr Hardy, of Currumbin, said yesterday.

Christine and Bill Hardy at the service. Picture: Glenn Hampson

He and his wife gathered with about 80 others at Allambe Memorial Park Cemetery and Crematorium in Nerang to remember the lives lost in the Bali bombings and the survivors who bear the emotional and physical scars of the terrorist attack.

FLASHBACK: Relatives and friends of the Bali bombing victims place offerings at the scene of the tragedy, the Sari nightclub, during the national day of mourning.

The Lions Club of Carrara organised and funded the memorial service, which involved traditional Balinese dancers, speeches and prayers.

Mr Hardy said remembering the victims of terrorism every year was vital.

Bali bombings 14th anniversary memorial at Nerang. Local survivors Ben Tullipan, Glen Forster, Glenn Cosman, Jamie Miles, Jayson Pate and Bob Leslie. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“The anniversary is more than important as it (the bombings) changed Australia and it changed the world to a degree,” he said. “Losing Billy was devastating to us all and there is a piece of our hearts that remains broken.

Christine Hardy holding a photo of her son Billy.

“He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We still miss Billy as much today as we did the first anniversary.”

The tragic scene in Bali in October 2002.

Bali bombings survivor Glen Forster, 49, of Biggera Waters said it was hard to believe 14 years had passed and yet life for survivors and the families of those who lost a relative at the hands of terrorists was often a daily struggle.

Christine and Bill Hardy at the service. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“Being here tonight brings back memories,” he said.

He said the Bali bombings were a “significant part of Australia’s history” and the 88 Australians killed as well as the injured, deserved to be remembered.