There are some moments that will forever define the history of a person, community, or nation. The newest acquisition of the National Museum of Australia captures a moment that defined gun reform in our country. The correspondence between a grieving father and the Prime Minister following the Port Arthur massacre will be on display until 16 July.
In the small tourist town in Tasmania, 28 April 1996 will forever be remembered as a tragic defining moment in Australian history. On that Sunday, a single shooter killed 35 people and left another 23 wounded; the Port Arthur Massacre remains the worst mass murder in Australia’s modern history.
A mere nine days later, grieving widow and father, Walter Mikac, picked up a blue biro and penned a letter to then Prime Minister John Howard; another defining moment, one that would go on to shape gun reform in Australia.
While grappling with the loss of his wife, Nanette, and two young daughters, Alannah and Madeline, Mr Mikac says it was almost a sense of disbelief that spurred him to write the original letter. He says they were living in this tiny part of Tasmania where you didn’t lock your house or car and he couldn’t fathom a tragedy like the one that occurred happening near them.
“It was almost like therapy really, I felt like I need to just put this down so I can capture how I feel, and I thought if I send it to the PM something may come of that, it may not also, but I thought for what it’s worth, get it done,” explains Mr Mikac.
It was part of a process of grief while also wanting something tangible to come from the event – the removal of semi-automatic weapons from civilians’ hands. While the letters helped spark national reform, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation honours Mr Mikac’s daughters and advocates for the protection of children from violence and harm, and for firearm safety.
Prime Minister and patron of the foundation, Anthony Albanese, says that the first letter is one of the most extraordinary things he has ever read. Right from the powerful opening line ‘I’m writing to you to give you the strength to ensure no person in Australia ever has to suffer such a loss’, he says it shows the remarkable man Mr Mikac is.
“Not only somehow to find the strength to think of others, to think of the future and then to try and make sure no one would ever suffer as you and your loved ones had,” says the Prime Minister, “not just that but going that step further, seeking to share that strength to give it to the Prime Minister of Australia, to encourage him to hold onto his convictions and do what John Howard knew was right.”
At the time, Mr Albanese was serving his first term, he says it was to Mr Howard’s enduring and eternal credit that he followed through, showing courage and determination in a moment of monumental national challenge. He says Mr Howard and the Leader of the National Party, Tim Fischer, answered Mr Mikac’s call to be strong and act now, even when it opposed the interests of some of their voter base.
They faced great opposition from the gun lobby but 12 days after the events in Port Arthur, they put a motion in to pass major gun reform. With the bipartisan support of Kim Beasley and the Labor Party, federal parliament banned automatic weapons and the ensuing buyback scheme removed 700,000 firearms from communities at a cost of $300 million.
Over a quarter century later and they are closer to placing the final piece of the puzzle. This July, National Cabinet will review the proposal for a new National Firearms Registry.
“The gun registry was actually part of that original agreement; it just has been ad hoc about how it has been done … It’s going to save lives, it’s going to save potential police and community lives when they know what they’re going up against,” says Mr Mikac.
Regrettably unable to attend the event himself, Mr Howard was represented by Peter Dutton, Leader of the Opposition. He says the bravery shown by Mr Mikac went on to shape the country and its leadership, and believes Mr Howard’s greatest defining moment in office was his response to the Port Arthur massacre.
“You [Mr Micak] inspired that, you made it happen and you really defined his period of prime ministership in this country, and that is a very powerful individual act one could take,” says Mr Dutton.
Not only was it a moment of powerful leadership, but it was also the beginning of more than 25 years of remarkable courage, says Mr Albanese. He says Mr Mikac’s words belong to history, while his actions and legacy continue in perpetuity.
“When your children are aged three or six, you are their hero, not necessarily for anything you do, but simply for who are because you are their world, their dad. Tragically, Alannah and Madeline didn’t live long enough to know their dad is a hero to all of us, to all Australians.”
See one of the defining moments in Australian history at the National Museum of Australia until 16 July; nma.gov.au
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