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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 12 Hansard (12 November) . . Page.. 3404 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

It was a senseless, a brutal, a cowardly and an evil event caused by thoroughly evil people. I was heartened by the wonderful courage shown by people on the spot, by the many Australians, many of them wounded, who went back to look for friends, or indeed anyone they could assist. I should also mention the efforts of the local Balinese, the wonderful efforts of people throughout Australia, especially our defence force personnel, the Australian Federal Police, and others who responded so quickly.

Mr Speaker, I think this is one of the saddest events to affect Australia for many, many years. The ceremony at Parliament House, which many of us went to, really brought that home to me. That ceremony was attended by a large number of ordinary Australians from every walk of life. I can recall some of the faces very vividly, some of whom had been in the news as victims.

One of the victims was the son of a family from Queensland-the father, who I think was an Australian, his wife of Indonesian extraction, and two of their sons. Their loss exemplifies the wasted promise of so many young Australians who lost their lives in Bali. Their son was a member of an expatriate rugby team that was visiting Bali.

Ordinary Australians from all walks of life gathered at the ceremony and although the hopes and dreams of so many families were shattered by this event, one could appreciate the great courage that was shown.

I knew a victim of the bombing. I was very sad to hear that Ben Roberts, a fellow I coached briefly at the University Rugby Club, died recently as a result of his injuries. Ben, who was aged 28, died last Thursday afternoon, 25 days after he was evacuated from Bali and admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Singapore. He had burns to 40 per cent of his body. His parents, Alan and Janet, and his partner of seven years whom he lived with in Indonesia, Carolyn Chan, were at his side when he died, as they had been for the better part of three weeks. The week before Ben's death, his father had stepped down as CEO of Lihir Gold to be with him.

Ben Roberts and Carolyn Chan had lived in Jakarta for the past year. He worked as the operations manager for a medical assistance company called International SOS. He had been in Bali for the Bali Tens rugby tournament, and he was competing with team-mates from the Jakarta-based International Sports Club of Indonesia. They were right at the blast zone-I think they were just going into the club when the blast occurred. Six of them now have died.

It is understood that Ben helped save an Australian woman as he escaped from the club, and that just epitomises the efforts of so many people, many of whom were also injured. Ben's team captain, Peter Amat, said, and I read from the Herald Sun:

Despite a broken elbow, broken collarbone, fractured skull and 40 per cent burns, he dragged an Australian girl out of the club and we think he saved her life. He was airlifted to Singapore and underwent extensive skin grafts but passed away yesterday in hospital with his family by his side.

Ben played with University for a number of seasons in the mid to late-1990s. He played in the middle grades while he was undertaking his degree at John XXIII College. I think his courage and his spirit epitomise that of so many people who were involved in this tragedy at Bali.

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