To Have and To Hold
A modern day love story cut short.
By Walter Mikac and Lindsay Simpson.
On 28 April 1996, Walter Mikac lost his wife Nanette, and two daughters, six year old Alannah and three year old Madeline. They were shot dead, along with 32 other innocent people, during the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania.

To Have and To Hold is Walter's tribute to Nanette and the girls, and their uniqueness. Walter recounts their early life together, their love for each other and the years of happiness they shared - all of which have sustained him through his grief.

He tackles with courage and honesty aspects of bereavement that are rarely acknowledged. After having the love and security of a family, he is now a single person confronting an unknowable future. He has also found himself thrust into the media spotlight, his grief exposed for the world to see.

Through the issue of gun control and the establishment of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Walter has channeled his energy into ensuring that their lives were not lost in vain - a commitment that was sparked by meeting the parents who lost children in Scotland's Dunblane massacre.

Walter Mikac is an ordinary person who, through no fault of his own, has been put in an extraordinary position. Coping with the unimaginable loss of his family has led Walter down a spiritual path of discovery - one of hope and belief that the circle of life continues. His grace and dignity in the face of tragedy have inspired a nation.

With 24 pages of photographs and a foreword by the Hon. John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, this is a delightful book to read. It will leave you in tears but you should come away with a new feeling of hope in your life.

Author's Note:
A conscious decision has been made in this book not to print the name of the gunman who perpetrated the dreadful acts of 28 April, 1996 - a campaign begun by the Dunblane Parents in a book published in Great Britain in 1997 called Our Year Of Tears.

As we prepared this book for publication, we were determined to continue their crusade. This is a story of love and hope with no place for either of these creatures. They do not have a place in history, alongside their victims.

W.M. & L.S.
1997.
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation was formed in February 1997, with the Prime Minister, Mr. John Howard as its patron. Its aim is to provide financial or other support to child victims of violent crimes or the sudden loss of family.

If you would like to know more about the Foundation or would like to send a donation, write to:

(In Australia)
GPO Box 9948
Your Capital City

(Elsewhere in the world)
GPO Box 9948
Perth WA 6001

Or telephone:
(03) 9513 7200

BACK