By Caroline Marcus January 16, 2005 The Sun-Herald
On Bondi Beach and in churches, Sydneysiders will join the rest of the nation in observing a minute's silence today as a mark of respect for more than 160,000 lives claimed by the Boxing Day tsunami. At 11.59am, Australians around the country will fall silent, exactly three weeks to the minute after the earthquake struck. Lifesavers will wear black armbands during beach and surf patrols, and will call for a minute's silence over PA systems where possible. A ceremony will be held at North Bondi, where Premier Bob Carr and representatives from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India plan to present surf lifesavers with floral wreaths to place in the sea. Surf club flags, like all Australian flags throughout the CBD and on government buildings, will be flown at half-mast. Churches will hold services to reflect on the tragedy and will pray for survivors, those who are still missing and the families of the victims. Prime Minister John Howard will attend St Andrew's Cathedral this morning, where he will address the congregation along with the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, and NSW Governor Marie Bashir. Mr Howard will then attend a Hindu evening service at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir centre at Rosehill. Mr Howard has encouraged Australians to wear a sprig of wattle, or other native flora, as a symbol of regrowth and hope. A condolence book will also be available for the public to sign at Town Hall until the end of the month. Some faiths have already marked the occasion. Jews around the country dedicated last night's Sabbath to those touched by the tragedy, and a special service was conducted at Lakemba Mosque on Friday. http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Nation-mourns-victims\ /2005/01/15/1105582768074.html ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/pkgkPB/SOnJAA/Zx0JAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
