Real Life

Tori would have loved Martin Place tribute

The partner of Sydney siege victim Tori Johnson has thanked Australians for their tributes and ongoing support.

A heartbroken Thomas Zinn read out an emotional statement to viewers of the TODAY show this morning, expressing his grief and thanking the community for their strength and support.

“As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family,” he said.

“We are experiencing unimaginable grief but when we look at the sea of flowers with all the heartfelt messages, and the crowds of supports at Martin Place, we know this grief is shared by the country and the rest of the world.”

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He also extended his thoughts and sympathies to the family of Sydney barrister Katrina Dawson, another victim of the siege.

“This tragedy will remain with us forever but the uniting effects of this week, how they have galvanised our city and our country, makes us even more proud of Tori and Katrina and proud of all Australians,” he said.

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“We cannot undo the events of December 16, but it has made our diverse community even stronger and more unified. From the bottom of our heart, thank you all immensely.”

Mr Zinn said the floral tribute in Martin Place was very special because Tori loved flowers and the tribute is a warm reminder of that.

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“Tori loves flowers, this is probably the most beautiful thing that he – and I’m sure he can see it – that he has ever seen,” he said.

“When I was down there yesterday I could smell the flowers through Sydney and I think it’s just amazing that he has been able to make our city smell like flowers.”

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