Lindt Cafe back to business a year after siege but dark layer remains
AS the one-year anniversary of the Lindt cafe siege approaches, and as Christmas looms, the city that shook to the core when terror came knocking on December 15, 2014 is still under threat, as shown by the latest terror arrests.
Here in the cafe the mood is buoyant; Christmas shoppers taking a welcome break, office workers chatting over a mug of the signature hot chocolate.
There’s an air of normality. Normality that disguises the dark layer underneath.
A chocolate croissant served with a side of notoriety. A toasted sambo with a front-seat view of infamy. A weak flat white with a dash of defiance.
Can a place like Lindt cafe, even a year after the terror attack that shocked the usually unflappable city, ever return to that safe ground called normalcy?
Joel Herat is here, his brown apron smudged with hard work; his demeanour ever warm and engaging.
The one-time brave hostage is forthright yet playful with his colleagues, like a floor manager battling with the mix of new-found leadership and trying to maintain old friendships.
Where an Islamic flag hung in the window there is a festive poster emblazoned red with golden stars.
Eyes roam here more than most cafes. And it’s not awe at the green marble pillars or the art on the walls.
It happened here.
Right here.
Nick Dumbrava is taking a happy snap outside the cafe front door, crouching low and using a real camera to capture the moment. His family are visiting from Perth and wanted to pay their respects, and drink some coffee at the same time.
“We came here to have a coffee and show some support. It looks normal, people are friendly, the food is good, but (the siege) is always in the back of your mind,’’ Mr Dumbrava said.
“I don’t think it will ever go back to normal.’’
Despite his smile and fierce work ethic, the return to normalcy for Joel Herat is a difficult task to accomplish. He stares every workday at the walls that ricocheted bullets.
He himself is the target of stares, as customers knowing his identity and story, follow him with their eyes and he walks past, before whispering to their lunch companions.
Source: The Daily Telegraph, Andrew Carswell, 12th December 2015
