He was born on May 7, 1967 in Tasmania, Australia.

As a child he was considered to be annoying, disturbed, and cruel to other children. He tortured animals. As he grew older his characteristics worsened, and he was often irrational. He always felt as though he had no friends – and this was true, as he was frequently a frightening figure, shooting an air gun towards dogs if they barked, or towards tourists who stopped in his small country town to buy apples. His life became increasingly bizarre, his behaviour quite strange.

However, he wanted to achieve something with his life which would make people remember him. He did. He changed life as we know it in Australia – forever. His name will not be written. I will just call him M.B.

***

Five years earlier, another boy had been born, on April 29,1962, also in Tasmania, Australia. His was an unremarkable childhood, and after completing his education, he studied at university to become a pharmacist. He married his sweetheart, Nanette, and they were blessed with two beautiful daughters, Alannah and Madeline. His name was Walter Mikac.

Their family life was happy. Alannah at six years old was an extrovert and loved life. She kept a little journal, and her stories revealed a simple happy childhood filled with love for her parents and her little sister. Little Madeline was a quieter child – but she just wanted to be included in whatever everyone else was doing. “Me too! Me too!” she would plead.

Walter Mikac had no desire or need to accomplish anything which would make people notice him. But he did. He too changed life as we know it in Australia – forever.

***

It was Sunday April 28, 1996, the day before Walter’s 34th birthday. He was hosting a golf tournament on the beautiful greens near his small country town, and Nanette was taking the girls to the nearby historic village of Port Arthur for a special treat at a lovely little café, the Broad Arrow, an acknowledgement of the harsh convict history of Port Arthur.

M.B. also went to the café and ate a meal on the deck, then went inside and chose a table towards the back where he set up a video camera. However, he then drew a semi-automatic rifle from his duffel bag and started to shoot, indiscriminately. Within a few seconds he had killed fifteen people and injured ten.

He was not done. He killed people in the gift shop as well, then ran out, killed more people in the carpark, and in and near the tourist coaches. He hijacked a car and threw its owner into the boot, and continued shooting at any cars he saw, killing and injuring many more. The horror continued.

He threw the owner of the hijacked car out of the boot and shot him as well, then set the car on fire. Random others were killed – the peaceful village was like a war zone. Nothing like this had ever happened in Australia’s history.

It later appeared that this massacre was not the beginning of his crazed rampage. He had already been to a small bed-and-breakfast accommodation site called Sea Scape – and shot the new owners sometime in the previous twelve hours. His father had wanted to buy the venue but was unsuccessful, so this was pay-back.

***

Meanwhile, from the golf course, Walter Mikac heard what sounded like gunshots – and assumed it was a reenactment of the history of Port Arthur. His state was quiet and peaceful, his township likewise. People often did not even lock up at night.

Then terror and horror descended as people screamed the news. But in the confusion, no-one even knew where the perpetrator was, or where he would strike next.

Walter drove quickly to Port Arthur and saw his wife’s car in the carpark. However, with M.B still on the loose, Walter was kept away from the site. When, after a very long and anguished wait, he finally had confirmation that his wife and two little girls had been killed, he just wanted to run to the site; he wanted to be killed too, to join them in death. What purpose was there to live for? He had no desire to be still on earth without them.

He heard later that Nanette was running away from M.B. with the children, carrying little Madeline, begging the perpetrator not to shoot the little ones. He killed her first then chased the children to kill them too. What unimaginable terror for all! His grief was raw, and public; his pain was seen around Australia and across the globe.

Walter Mikac’s distraught image was the face of this horror, this tragedy. Such a massacre had never happened before. Australia had lost its innocence.

M.B. was arrested the following day. He was seemingly obsessed with knowing how many he had killed – and apparently was pleased and impressed with his total. He was not allowed to see or hear any news reports or media articles about his “life achievement”. He remains in jail, and will never be released, guilty of thirty-five counts of murder and twenty of attempted murder as well as multiple counts of wounding.

A newly elected government under John Howard moved swiftly. The gun laws were immediately reassessed. The state and federal governments united, and within two weeks of the massacre, restrictions for the use of automatic and semi-automatic weapons were in place, established with a National Firearms Agreement.

Walter Mikac showed extraordinary courage, dignity and resilience in facing the loss of his precious family, and this had a far-reaching effect. He became a reluctant but powerful public speaker, an advocate of these gun reforms and controls. None could argue.

More was done. A gun buy-back program was also instigated, along with a gun registry and a waiting period for firearms sales. Initial resistance by some was swiftly overcome by the surging voice of the majority of the population. This must never happen again. Australia did not want to go down this path.

The loss of freedom to own these horrendous weapons was a small price to pay for the freedom to live safely and without fear. All these many years later, we are still very thankful for the swift action, and the cooperation, of gun owners who gladly surrendered their weapons – thousands of them. We do not wish to be a society where guns and violence rule. Freedom is not found in having a gun, but in not needing to have a gun.

Walter not only played a positive role in all discussions about these reforms and tightening gun ownership laws but went on to create the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, born from his desire to make their short lives count.

This Foundation was set up in their memory and provides support for children who are victims of violent crime, or who have witnessed serious violence. It also aims to help reduce bullying, including cyber bullying and other cyber-crime. Safety and well-being of children is his heart’s desire.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, ten years younger than Walter, is the patron of this charity. She was born and brought up in Tasmania before marrying Prince Frederick. She was a young woman when this occurred and will never forget it. Princess Mary has initiated his Foundation’s programs for child safety and support throughout Denmark.

Walter Mikac is still a pharmacist, but he is also a motivational speaker, helping some to cope with unimaginable grief, and inspiring others to support those who suffer.

He has also written books based on his experience: “To Have and to Hold” and “The Circle of Life: Replacing Hardship with Love”. These also are aimed to help others deal with the devastating effects of grief and tragedy.

Walter Mikac is another who has transformed pain into purpose. Because Australia as a nation suffered with him during his darkest hours, we now as a nation reap the benefits of living with as much security, safety and freedom as possible in this broken world. Most of us have never seen a gun (except in a policeman’s holster) let alone held one. And that’s the way we like it.