Port Arthur - 9 Years Today

[PeterRJG]

28 April 1996.


The Port Arthur Massacre is the name given to a tragedy that occurred on the afternoon of April 28, 1996, that resulted in the deaths of 35 people, and the serious injury to 37 more. The tragedy occurred at the ruins of the Port Arthur Prison Colony, a popular historic tourist site in the town of Port Arthur in south-eastern Tasmania, Australia. The perpetrator of these crimes was Martin Bryant, a 29 year-old man from Hobart, who principally used a semi-automatic rifle to carry out the murders.

Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_Massacre)

PS. On a personal note, I was in Hobart on business in August 1996 and drove out to Port Arthur one Saturday. Eerie place...

[garoco]

RIP to the victims. Geez, that time has gone quick. I remember two tragic incidents from that year that made me feel sick in the guts, this disaster and the Blackhawk crash.

A good Army mate of mines father was CO of the SASR at the time (then Col Silverstone) and it was tremendously sad to see him on TV handing out all those Australian flags to the bereaved and knowing how he was taking it all at home :(

-

[sp2c]

wtf I neaver even heard of that, sounds horrible :(

[PeterRJG]

wtf I neaver even heard of that, sounds horrible :(

Not much that happens in Australia makes news anywhere else, even spree killer fruitcakes like Bryant. It was mainly owing to him that Australia's gun laws got tightened up.

[scoone]

Is it easy to get a gun in Australia? Compared to Europe? Here in Spain is quite hard to get a gun if you are not a hunter or part of a sport shooting federation.

[PeterRJG]

Is it easy to get a gun in Australia? Compared to Europe? Here in Spain is quite hard to get a gun if you are not a hunter or part of a sport shooting federation.

Pump action shotties and semi-automatic rifles were banned as a result of Bryant's lunacy. Yeah, you need to be a member of a club to own any sort of firearm, unless you're a primary producer (a farmer).

Gun laws differ per state in Australia, but that's NSW I just gave an example of.

[fantassin]

primary producer

This one goes straight into my book of PC quotations...


:roll:

[garoco]

Fantassin, I don't know what you think it means mate but that term 'primary producer' has been around a long time before "PC-speak" came into things here in Australia.

It's a farmer FFS. And the term has no political, metro****** and or Eurotrash connotations or whatever :lol:

Here's a rolling eyes back at ya gimp :roll:

[PeterRJG]

primary producer

This one goes straight into my book of PC quotations...


:roll:

WTF do you think it means? Is it a swear word over there in Flanders, is it? :roll:

[ShotOver]

Me mates dad who was SASR at the time of the blackhawk crash was supposed to go on one of the birds, but was called out for somthing (Didnt tell us what) and all his mates died. He left the regiment after their funerals.
Sad stuff