Sydney to hold public service to mark 2nd anniversary of hostage crisis

A public service is set to be held in a church in Sydney on Dec. 15 to mark the second anniversary of a hostage crisis caused by a lone gunman in the city that left two victims dead and several others injured.

"Thursday 15 December marks two years since the Lindt Café Siege in Martin Place, an event that irrevocably changed the lives of so many," New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said in a media statement on Monday.

"For the families of Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson, the day is a reminder of their terrible loss, and the tragedy of these two lives taken in such a violent way."

Other than the service at St Stephen's Uniting Church in Macquarie Street at 12:30 pm local time, work is also continuing on a permanent memorial in Martin Place, Baird said.

On Dec 15, 2014, gunman Man Haron Monis took 10 customers and eight employees of a Lindt chocolate café located at Martin Place hostage.

The crisis, also known as the Sydney siege, lasted more than 16 hours and ended when Monis was killed by police. Three other hostages and a police officer were also injured by police gunfire in the raid.

"The siege prompted an overwhelming response from the public and, in the days following, more than 110,000 floral tributes were laid in Martin Place," said Baird's statement.

The tributes were subsequently collected and turned into compost, some of which was recently laid in the flowerbeds surrounding the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park.

The floral tributes will also form "the basis of a permanent memorial for the victims of the tragic events that took place in the Lindt Café two years ago." Endit