What does it mean to be an Australian?A major event in my lifetime was the Bali bombing where Australia was targeted in an act of terrorism. This event happened on October 12 2002, and at the time it was the first direct act of terrorism against Australians, we were targeted for the reason being that we had helped the United States of America in the pursuit of Osama bin laden in Iraq. This was exposed when an audio cassette was aired from Osama bin laden himself stating: "You will be killed just as you kill, and will be bombed just as you bomb," "Expect more that will further distress you." This act of terrorism consisted of a single bomb being set off in a nightclub by a suicide bomber. Then when many people were out in the streets fleeing for their lives another bomb was set off in a car near by.
English: Osama bin Laden interviewed for Daily Pak...
English: Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden fo...
English: Frame grab from the Osama bin Laden video...The Bali bombings set in place many more terrorist cautions, as an attack on Australia was thought to be the next in their regime. This then affected many sporting events, museums were now under tighter security and there was a massive clamp down on any act or suspicion of terrorism. This act of terrorism directed at Australia did in fact not make me very proud, but I have recently spent two years in China. This has changed my opinion of Australia entirely and made me proud to be an Australian, the fact that we were pursuing a major terrorist and were targeted back for that effort. Makes me proud that we are trying to promote peace in a very unmerciful world, IÃÂm sure that the compromise of those peoples lives in the Bali bombing, has therefore saved many other Australians and people of different nationalities in a significant...