A Sad Story in Melbourne
Over the past week Melbourne has gone through a tragedy that shook the whole state of Victoria. Cases like this probably happen across the country, and perhaps even more abundant in USA and UK. Records showed that approximately 5,000 people go missing yearly in Australia. But why did this case cause so much havoc and people grieving? One very obvious reason - victim's total randomness and innocence. The power of social media also cannot be denied, with the public plea made on Facebook engaging everyone to extend their helping hand, sharing thoughts, and giving comfort. The page rapidly spread, with hundreds of people sharing this page on their Facebook profile as a gesture to help look out, and also generating thousands of 'likes' for support.
Moved to Melbourne 3 years ago, Irish woman Jill Meagher and her husband stays in Brunswick. We all know Brunswick is full of good cafes and popular pubs. And most people living in Melbourne will know that that place is safe during the day, but could potentially be unsafe at night. There were cases of women almost getting mugged/dragged into cars by unknown people late at night, but were lucky to escape unscathed. But this Irish lady who works for the ABC was not as lucky.
She disappeared on Saturday 22/9 1.30am when she was returning home from drinks with her colleagues at a bar on Sydney Road in Brunswick. Her house is only 5 minutes walk away from the bar, so she declined a colleague when he offered to see her back. She was never seen then. Her handbag was found in a little alley by a passerby a few hours later, with her mobile missing, but she was unreachable when her husband tried to called her. Her husband was searching frantically for her, posting a site on Facebook pleading for the public to keep a lookout for her. Flyers were pinned up everywhere in Melbourne in search of her. For one week there weren't any news, until Friday 28/9, her body was found 55km north west of Melbourne in a shallow grave, and Victorian police has arrested the alleged culprit based on a CCTV footage provided by a bridal shop in Brunswick capturing the guy who approached Jill on her way home. The culprit has allegedly raped and murdered Jill Meagher, and disposed her body in the grave. Brunswick residents were outraged, grieved for the loss of a lovely young woman, and feared because this incident could have happened to anyone. Literally anyone. It seemed like Jill was really random and was extremely unfortunate. She was at the wrong place, at the wrong time and met the wrong person. Should she have gone home earlier, or later, or has taken a slightly different route, she could have avoided the incident altogether and still be alive today.
Even though I do not reside in Brunswick, I was shaken by the news. I do not know Jill, or has ever met her, but I felt that her innocence, and being picked at random makes it extremely hard to accept. People say Melbourne is the world's most liveable city, and is safe in world standards. I have accepted this statement til then even though there have always been news about people being mugged, killed (usually of an intentional nature, e.g. people seeking revenge for something), stolen cars, or houses being broken into etc. Most crimes happened with the effect of alcohol (that person who abducted Jill was allegedly sober). We all know where the unsafe parts are and we avoid those places. But at least, metropolitan Melbourne is still safe. Now is it really that safe? I am extra cautious when I walk home from work at night now as a result. Our male colleagues would rather wait for all of us to finish work so that they can at least drive us home. They say the area I live in is actually very safe. But who knows what would happen, right? Who can guarantee criminals will only act in one area and not move to another place? They have legs, or cars to move around too. How is anyone's safety guaranteed when they are obviously heaps of psychos out there?
My heartfelt sympathies and condolences to Jill's family either here or in Ireland. May Jill RIP.
Moved to Melbourne 3 years ago, Irish woman Jill Meagher and her husband stays in Brunswick. We all know Brunswick is full of good cafes and popular pubs. And most people living in Melbourne will know that that place is safe during the day, but could potentially be unsafe at night. There were cases of women almost getting mugged/dragged into cars by unknown people late at night, but were lucky to escape unscathed. But this Irish lady who works for the ABC was not as lucky.
She disappeared on Saturday 22/9 1.30am when she was returning home from drinks with her colleagues at a bar on Sydney Road in Brunswick. Her house is only 5 minutes walk away from the bar, so she declined a colleague when he offered to see her back. She was never seen then. Her handbag was found in a little alley by a passerby a few hours later, with her mobile missing, but she was unreachable when her husband tried to called her. Her husband was searching frantically for her, posting a site on Facebook pleading for the public to keep a lookout for her. Flyers were pinned up everywhere in Melbourne in search of her. For one week there weren't any news, until Friday 28/9, her body was found 55km north west of Melbourne in a shallow grave, and Victorian police has arrested the alleged culprit based on a CCTV footage provided by a bridal shop in Brunswick capturing the guy who approached Jill on her way home. The culprit has allegedly raped and murdered Jill Meagher, and disposed her body in the grave. Brunswick residents were outraged, grieved for the loss of a lovely young woman, and feared because this incident could have happened to anyone. Literally anyone. It seemed like Jill was really random and was extremely unfortunate. She was at the wrong place, at the wrong time and met the wrong person. Should she have gone home earlier, or later, or has taken a slightly different route, she could have avoided the incident altogether and still be alive today.
Even though I do not reside in Brunswick, I was shaken by the news. I do not know Jill, or has ever met her, but I felt that her innocence, and being picked at random makes it extremely hard to accept. People say Melbourne is the world's most liveable city, and is safe in world standards. I have accepted this statement til then even though there have always been news about people being mugged, killed (usually of an intentional nature, e.g. people seeking revenge for something), stolen cars, or houses being broken into etc. Most crimes happened with the effect of alcohol (that person who abducted Jill was allegedly sober). We all know where the unsafe parts are and we avoid those places. But at least, metropolitan Melbourne is still safe. Now is it really that safe? I am extra cautious when I walk home from work at night now as a result. Our male colleagues would rather wait for all of us to finish work so that they can at least drive us home. They say the area I live in is actually very safe. But who knows what would happen, right? Who can guarantee criminals will only act in one area and not move to another place? They have legs, or cars to move around too. How is anyone's safety guaranteed when they are obviously heaps of psychos out there?
My heartfelt sympathies and condolences to Jill's family either here or in Ireland. May Jill RIP.
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