⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses gun violence and includes details of mass shootings and child victims.

In April 1996, the peaceful historic site of Port Arthur, Tasmania, became the scene of one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern history. Thirty-five people were killed and 23 injured when Martin Bryant opened fire, shocking Australia and the world.

In this first part of our two-part deep dive, Dee and Isla take you through the background to the massacre: the life of Martin Bryant, the social and political context in Tasmania, and the events that led up to that fateful day.

Along the way, they untangle the myths and misinformation, explore Bryant’s disturbing early behaviour, and set the stage for how a quiet tourist site turned into a crime scene that would change Australian society forever.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we cover the massacre itself, the trial, and the extraordinary political response that reshaped gun laws in Australia.

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The following is a list of those killed in the Port Arthur massacre.

• Winifred Joyce Aplin, 58

• Walter John Bennett, 66

• Nicole Louise Burgess, 17

• Sou Leng Chung, 32

• Elva Rhonda Gaylard, 48

• Zoe Anne Hall, 28

• Elizabeth Jayne Howard, 26

• Mary Elizabeth Howard, 57

• Mervyn John Howard, 55

• Ronald Noel Jary, 71

• Tony Vadivelu Kistan, 51

• Leslie Dennis Lever, 53

• Sarah Kate Loughton, 15

• David Martin, 72

• Noelene "Sally" Joyce Martin, 69

• Pauline Virjeana Masters, 49

• Alannah Louise Mikac, 6

• Madeline Grace Mikac, 3

• Nanette Patricia Mikac, 36

• Andrew Bruce Mills, 39

• Peter Brenton Nash, 32

• Gwenda Joan Neander, 67

• William Xeeng Ng, 48

• Anthony Nightingale, 44

• Mary Rose Nixon, 60

• Glenn Roy Pears, 35

• Russell James Pollard, 72

• Janette Kathleen Quin, 50

• Helene Maria Salzmann, 50

• Robert Graham Salzmann, 57

• Kate Elizabeth Scott, 21

• Kevin Vincent Sharp, 68

• Raymond John Sharp, 67

• Royce William Thompson, 59

• Jason Bernard Winter, 29

Sources:

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News – Coverage of Port Arthur massacre and aftermath (2016 retrospective articles and interviews with survivors and officials).

• CBS News, Sunday Morning – “What can Australia teach us about guns?” (Interview with Port Arthur survivor Carolyn Loughton and former PM John Howard, broadcast May 29, 2022).

• Council on Foreign Relations – “U.S. Gun Policy: Global Comparisons” (Backgrounder updated June 10, 2022, by Jonathan Masters).

• ABC News (Apr 2024) – Interview with Walter Mikac on gun reform advocacy and reflections 28 years later.

• ABC News – Survivor accounts (Australian Story/7.30 reports, e.g. Pauline & Peter Grenfell interview, Lynne Beavis interview).