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Glenbrook, in Australia, sends a message of condolence.

© Linda Campbell

Glenbrook, where I live, is a small town of about 5000 people in the picturesque Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. Like the rest of the world, this community has been touched and saddened by the tragic terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. A pall of stunned disbelief hung over the town last week. Some of us have been to New York but most of us have not. Some of us have friends or relatives in America but most of us do not. It did not matter; we all felt deeply for those who had lost their lives and for those who are grieving or who are waiting for news.

Flags are flying at half-mast all over Australia in remembrance for those of all nationalities who have died. Somebody – I don’t know who – draped an American flag on the wall under the flagpole where the Australian flag drooped in the warmth of an Australian spring. Men, women and children have laid flowers under the American flag and left messages – ‘God Bless America, its people, its leaders and its supporters’ stated one. A card, hand-drawn by a child, depicts a face surrounded by hearts of love and bears the words, ‘We feel your pain’.

Some of the other messages read:

‘In remembrance of those who died by the hands of evil’,

‘God be with those who have died. God be with those who have lost loved ones’,

‘Thinking of so many who have lost their lives, and the families left’,

‘To all those who have lost family, friends or colleagues, my heart and prayers go all the way out to you’.

Passers-by pause to read the messages and stand for a moment with bowed heads and in the evening candles are lit.

I know that this town is not unique. Similar scenes can be found in many towns throughout Australia and the world. Our hope is that our words and tokens of our feelings may bring some small measure of comfort to those who are in so much pain.

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