A brush with death and the kindness of strangers<\/p>\n
Dewi Anggraeni, Contributor, Melbourne, Australia<\/p>\n
He represents the image with which many Australian men, some
\nconsciously, others unconsciously, want to identify -- energetic,
\ncasual and bent on enjoying life. When he spoke of his near-miss
\nexperience in Kuta on Oct. 12 last year, there was a hint of
\nintensity, but none of bitterness.<\/p>\n
Rick Elliott, a Melbourne business developer in his thirties,
\nloves sports, especially surfing. On that fateful day, he arrived
\nin Bali in the afternoon, carrying his backpack, with surfing in
\nmind. He was not on a business trip, so he did not have a strict
\nschedule to stick to. He had not even booked a hotel.<\/p>\n
It was during a leisurely stroll along the beach that he found
\nthe hotel he liked, and checked in then and there. After a swim
\nand a brief rest, he was ready for a night out.<\/p>\n
Later in the evening he found himself at Paddy's Bar, where he
\nmet up with other tourists, many of them fellow Australians.<\/p>\n
Around 11 p.m., Elliott left the bar, heading back to his
\nhotel. However, the sight of the crowd in Sari Club reminded him
\nthat it was a Saturday night and he was after all in Kuta, a
\nfavorite fun resort for Australians. So he walked in.<\/p>\n
Feeling somewhat encumbered by his backpack, Elliot walked up
\nto the front bar and asked the bar waitress if he could leave his
\nbag with her. The waitress suggested that he walk around to the
\nback and stow it there. They had to yell at each other because of
\nthe general noise of the music.<\/p>\n
Before leaving his backpack, Elliot took out his passport and
\nwallet and slipped them in his pockets. It was then that there
\nwas a huge explosion and he was thrown across the room. It went
\ntotally dark, but he knew that the roof collapsed on top of him.
\nHe was still fully conscious, and he knew he had to get out of
\nthere fast.<\/p>\n
He knew a bomb had gone off, and he had learned that bombs
\nusually go off one after another. Little did he know that what he
\nhad just experienced had indeed been the second blast, the first
\nbeing in Paddy's Bar, and he had not heard it because of the
\nnoise.<\/p>\n
As he looked up and his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he
\nchecked for any movement around him to see if anyone needed help.<\/p>\n
Then it seemed to him everyone was rushing to the back and
\nscurrying past him. When he finally turned around there were
\ncrowds three persons deep trying to scale the back wall, as fire
\nravaged the building.<\/p>\n
He rushed further back and scaled the brick wall, then leapt
\nonto the roof of the next building which was slowly crumbling.
\nAgain, he turned around to see if anyone needed help, but the
\nheat kept him moving, away from the inferno. Some people on the
\nother side helped him find his way to relative safety. Then they
\nall ran for their lives.<\/p>\n
When he was far enough away from the area, he began to feel
\nsafer. Seeing people's reactions, however, Elliot realized
\nimmediately that he was a frightening sight. He had a gushing
\nwound in his head, with blood streaming down his clothes, his
\nbare arms and bare legs already covered in glass and pieces of
\ndebris.<\/p>\n
A group of young people gave him antiseptic, then one of them
\ntook him to his hotel on his motorbike. Elliot had a quick shower
\nand changed into clean clothes while the young man helped him
\npack. Lucky for Elliot, he found a taxi, which rushed him to the
\nairport.<\/p>\n
He was the first bomb victim to arrive at Ngurah Rai airport,
\nand was promptly checked in on a Garuda flight leaving for
\nDarwin.<\/p>\n
\"On the flight I was continuously asked if I was comfortable,\"
\nhe said. \"They even moved people away so I could lie down. My
\nhead was really hurting then\".<\/p>\n
In Darwin he was the first of the bomb victims to be
\ninterviewed by the Australian media.<\/p>\n
A year later, Elliot still cannot believe that he came out
\nwith relatively minor injuries. He hung around in Paddy's Bar,
\nthen in Sari Club, and both places were blown to pieces -- and he
\nescaped death. The experience has made him appreciate his family
\nand his friends much more.<\/p>\n
He takes more care about pleasing those around him. He makes a
\npoint of seeing them or talking to them on the phone. But he does
\nnot bother to see a professional counselor as he finds it easier
\ntalking about his experience with close friends in informal
\nsituations.<\/p>\n
While conceding that he has intense emotions from time to
\ntime, the overriding feeling is about how lucky he has been.<\/p>\n
\"I guess I'm also lucky in that I was there so briefly that I
\ndidn't have time to make friends or any other emotional
\nattachment,\" he said. \"I couldn't even remember faces. Still I
\nfeel sad each time I think of those victims. Sad and regrets.
\nRegrets that I didn't have time to do anything to help them.\"<\/p>\n
Regarding the death sentence meted out to Amrozi and Imam
\nSamudra, Elliot said: \"I think it's too easy for them. My
\npreference would have been to give them hard labor or make them
\n'pay' for their crime, or a punishment which makes them see the
\nconsequence of their crime.\"<\/p>\n
He does not feel vengeful toward Indonesians in general, and
\nneither does he feel fearful about going back to Bali.<\/p>\n
\"The only reason I haven't been back is because I've been
\nbusy. I believe people are generally good. I understand a handful
\nof people have gone out of their way to harm other people. I'm
\nconscious of not branding all Indonesians and simplifying issues.<\/p>\n
\"You need to separate politics from real life. I'll certainly
\ngo back as soon as I can,\" he said emphatically.<\/p>",
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