They have thrown themselves wholeheartedly into creating a positive legacy for the beloved mum, wife, daughter, barrister and friend who died in the Lindt café siege on December 16, 2014.
In a bid to create something meaningful out of such a tragic loss, they have launched the Katrina Dawson Foundation, which aims to “find, fund and mentor inspiring young women”.
Katrina’s husband, Paul Smith, is the hands-on chairman who is looking forward to helping young women who have Katrina’s drive and passion.
“I hope that the young women the foundation supports are inspired by Katrina’s attitude to life – which was to make the most of every opportunity she had and to approach all aspects of her life with a sense of joyous energy that infected everyone she knew,” he says.
One of the first to receive a fellowship, Ngaree Blow, is studying a Doctor of Medicine at Melbourne University and wants to work in the field of improving the health of Indigenous Australians.
She, along with Dr Sarah McEwan and Teina Te Hamara, are thrilled to be the inaugural recipients of this prize.
“This foundation has reminded me again of the strength of women in our society,” says Ngaree.
“I strongly identify with Katrina’s qualities. From what I have been told and have read about her, Katrina was dedicated, highly principled and a loving person; something I endeavour to reflect in all that I do.”
The first recipients of the foundation’s scholarships to Sydney University Women’s College will be announced in January, 2016 – the basis of a collection of gifts for young women who are financially restrained from pursuing their dreams.
“We had to try to do something to create a positive thing out of such horror, so to have come this far in 12 months I think actually, personally, it has helped,” says Katrina’s brother, well-known barrister Sandy Dawson.
“From that quite unspecific determination to do something, it’s translated into three young women who have extraordinary potential, suddenly having access to something they would never have had without us. And that’s all about Katrina.”
Sandy told the Sydney Morning Herald that the gap in the family’s lives is “still as big as ever” and they are all feeling it acutely.
“But we are trying to honour her by getting on with things, looking after all the kids, looking after each other, and I think we are genuinely sustained by knowing that we have turned the last year into something tangible in her name, that we are proud of and she would have been proud of,” he said.
“She was a very practical and grounded person and her attitude would be ‘well, this can’t ruin your life, you have to be positive and constructive and make life as good as it can be’, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of flowers will also forever illuminate Martin Place, in a permanent memorial to how the city healed itself and defied fear.
NSW Premier Mike Baird says the design chosen features 400 flower symbols inlaid into the granite pavement and will shine at night in a starburst pattern.
For an inspiring message of hope and peace from London bombing survivor Gill Hicks click here.
