Remarks at candlelight vigil for Nepal, King George Square, Brisbane
Tonight we do stand with you in grief and solidarity. We stand with the Venerables, we stand with our great friend Tikaram, we stand with the Nepalese Association of Queensland and all of the community leaders who’ve joined us here today. We mourn tonight those we have lost and we hold out hope for those who are not yet found.
It’s hard for us to fathom what it was like in those towns and villages along the Nepalese side and also on the Tibetan side, to imagine that when a piece of those majestic mountains, the Himalayas, came free, that it would cause this rolling thunder of catastrophe in such a beautiful part of the world. It’s hard for us to understand. We can watch as much of the footage as we like but it’s hard to comprehend what it was like to be in those valleys and in those villages and those towns.
But I want you to know that we do understand how much it hurts to lose loved ones, to fear for their safety and we want you to know that we appreciate the Nepalese community every day, but on days like today we are there for you. I think one of the cruel ironies of this devastation is that so many Australians go to that part of the world seeking solitude and serenity.
That those mountains are more than some kind of geographical oddity, they are a spiritual necessity for so many people, not just Australians of Nepalese origin, but indeed citizens of the world. They go to that part of the planet seeking something extraordinary. We know that just as extraordinary as the majesty of the Himalayas is the contribution that Nepalese people make to our own community that we represent, whether it’s Logan City, or Brisbane or further afield, you are an indispensable part of our community.
And that’s why we are here tonight to stand with you. Australia sends some of its finest people, we send millions of dollars in aid, but most of all I know that every single Australian at this very difficult time sends our love. And I assure everyone here that anything that is needed by our friends in Nepal will be provided by your friends in Australia.