Community comes together to begin to heal the wounds of a shattered city

FOUR candles, four victims, a packed cathedral and a town still in shock. Nearly 200 people have crowded into the Smith St Uniting Church to begin to heal the wounds of a shattered city

Nearly 200 people crowded into the Smith St Uniting Church on Thursday night to begin to heal the wounds of a shattered city. Picture: Keri Megelus

FOUR candles, four victims, a packed cathedral and a town still in shock.

Nearly 200 people crowded into the Smith St Uniting Church on Thursday night to begin to heal wounds opened when a man allegedly tore at the heart of a city with a shotgun.

Three clergy members and Abdallah Salman held candles for the four gunned down members of the Darwin community: Hassan Baydoun, Rob Courtney, Michael Sisois and Nigel Hellings.

Almost 200 people gathered at the Uniting Church on Thursday night to remember the victims of the gun rampage in Darwin. Picture: Keri Megelus

Mr Salman, who has spoken so eloquently of his beloved cousin Mr Baydoun, wore the face of a bereaved town.

The candles were lit for the parents of Hassan, a world away in Lebanon, for the friends of Rob who loved him as a bloke, to the family of Michael, who was senselessly cut down, and to the memory of Nigel – a man known for his kind heart.

The Territory’s leaders – Administrator Vicki O’Halloran, Chief Minister Michael Gunner and Member for Solomon Luke Gosling – acknowledged the pain of one of the Territory’s darkest weeks.

The vigil’s prayers spoke of grief, shock, despair and suffering, reminding Territorians of their shared humanity after an act of inexplicable terror.

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Through the service, these words were replaced with appeals to unity, the counterweight of hope, and a reaffirmation of who Darwin really is at its core.

“Territorians stand together. Cyclones. Bombs. Floods. Fires. History shows every time we get knocked back down, we get back up again,” Mr Gunner said.

Mr Gunner spoke in short sentences. Probing words, invoking the Territory’s history and sense of character:

“Thank you all for coming tonight to pay your respects. You are Darwin. Peace be with you.

“We are feeling pain. We will feel joy again, and we will do it together.”

Chief Minister Michael Gunner at the vigil at the Smith St Uniting Church on Thursday night which was attended by nearly 200 people. Picture: Keri Megelus

Mr Gunner has had to parse similar words in recent months – speaking at vigils for the New Zealand massacre and terrorist bombings in Sri Lanka – but the Chief Minister’s words felt different this time. His city was still a crime scene.

“To everyone who is feeling anxious or depressed and uneasy you are not alone,” said Member for Solomon. Mr Gosling.

“When something as unfathomable as this happens, it’s difficult to know what to do … It’s in the extension of kindness to one another that we will find peace.”

Mrs O’Halloran said the town would heal.

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“We gather today together as a peaceful, united community … We condemn violence on all fronts and come together this evening to demonstrate our support to all of those who are struggling,” she said.

“For now we remember those who lost their lives and pass on our heartfelt condolences to their family and friends.”

It wasn’t until the service’s final moments that pure silence dropped over the entire church.

Mr Salman, speaking in Arabic, began intoning a prayer from the Koran.

Members of Mr Baydoun’s family – three pews of mourners – began singing in chorus.

His family, dressed in solemn black, stood up, hugged one another and cried with one another.

And the cathedral watched on, and stood together, and mourned with them too