Saturday 12 April 2003

Above: Rotary Club of Unley President Bob Laws addresses those attending the official opening of a Peace Garden, which is a memorial acknowledging the Bali terrorist bombing, its victims and its survivors.

The many Australians who died in the terrorist blast, which ripped through the Sari Club and Paddy's Bar on Bali, Indonesia, included two members of the Sturt Football Club. The Club has its base in Unley, a suburb of Adelaide, S.A. Since that terrible night on October 12, 2002, the Rotary Club of Unley has been proudly involved in the funding and establishment of a Bali Memorial in the form of a peace garden.

The garden is in a prominent position at Unley Oval, headquarters of the football club. The Rotary Club of Unley holds its regular meetings at this venue. Club President Bob Laws and District 9520 Governor Arthur Robinson represented Rotary at the opening ceremony attended by more than 500 people. They heard from President Bob of the Rotary Peace Scholars program and Rotary's objective of advancing peace and goodwill through youth and group study exchanges.

The Rotary Club of Unley also is assisting Red Cross in its service to Indonesians who were victims of the tragedy. Mayor of Unley, Michael Keenan, introduced two Indonesians, Doctor Budiarsa and Doctor Gotera, who assisted in treating victims of the bombing. Dr. Budiarsa, now studying at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, said: "I did not know there would be a memorial ceremony here, but I am proud to be a representative of Bali's doctors." A Balinese group performed at a welcome and later Balinese Hindu offerings were made.

The memorial garden, built by the City of Unley, the Rotary Club of Unley and local suppliers, has benches in Balinese teak and Australian Jarrah. A border of double blue tiles represents the Sturt Football Club and two black granite memorials acknowledge the tragedy, its victims and its survivors. Sturt Football Club members who died were Bob Marshall and Josh Deegan. Sturt is the current premier team in the South Australian National Football League. - Darrol Foote.

Click here for text of the Speech given by Bob Laws

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