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Katrina Dawson honoured with posthumous bravery award
Victims of the Lindt Café siege in late 2014 have been recognised for their valiant actions in this year’s Australian Bravery Decorations.
Jerome Doraisamy
Barrister and mother of three Katrina Dawson, who was fatally injured by fragments from police bullets during the storming of the Lindt Café in Sydney, was one of 34 people to receive the Bravery Medal, presented by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove.
The citation for Ms Dawson’s award, as listed on the Governor-General’s website, said that she had remained calm and composed when interacting with the gunman and in carrying out his demands.
“At one point, it appeared that the offender indicated that Ms Dawson could leave the café. However, without consideration for her own safety, she appealed to, and bargained with, the offender to also release another hostage,” the citation said.
“When he refused, Ms Dawson continued to provide genuine support to other hostages throughout the ordeal.”
Throughout her ordeal, Ms Dawson was said to have provided support to other hostages, including fellow barrister Stefan Balafoutis.
Café manager Tori Johnson, who also tragically perished during the siege, was one of only two recipients of the Star of Courage.
His citation said that he had displayed “conspicuous courage” during the incident.
In addition, a third hostage, Jarrod Morton-Hoffman, who was 19 at the time of the siege, was also honoured with a bravery award.
Seventy-one individual Australians were honoured with bravery awards this year, with additional persons receiving group bravery citations.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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