THE MESSAGE that love conquers hate was palpable at Victory Memorial Gardens today as the Wagga community stood united during a candlelight vigil for the Sri Lanka bombing victims just over one week ago.
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On Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka, multiple bombs exploded in what officials believe was retaliation for assaults on mosques in New Zealand.
The death toll from the bombings has been estimated to be more than around 250 to 300.
The first six bombs - in three churches and three luxury hotels - exploded within 20 minutes of each other.
Two more explosions - at a downmarket hotel and a house in Colombo - took place in the early afternoon.
A large group of residents and the city's leaders attended the vigil to pay tribute to the victims, their families and those in the local Sri Lankan community.
Resident Chaminda Rathnayake, 43, said that when he heard the news, his and his family's first thought was to somehow share their condolences with those in Sri Lanka.
"We haven't been able to sleep properly [since the incidents]," Mr Rathnayake said.
"We had war and we grew up with that war, but thought something like this would never happen.
"But tonight shows that there's a really strong connection in the community.
"We don't feel alone here, we feel welcomed and supported."
The father of two, who knows families and friends who were directly affected by the attacks, said that he hoped the vigil would continue to help improve cohesion and relations among all peoples.
Similarly, Anthony Perera, who spoke at the vigil, said this latest tragedy has had an immediate impact on him because his mother and sister goes to St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, one of the sites attacked.
"My immediate reaction was to call my mum and sister to make sure they were OK," Mr Perera said.
"Thankfully, they were OK, physically.
"However, psychologically, my family has been left quite broken and my sister was left distressed after seeing the carnage."
Mr Perera said the sadness that was shared was the same sadness felt after the Christchurch shootings earlier this year.
Members of the Muslim and Buddhist communities also spoke and the proceedings finished with the Lord's Prayer by Reverend Father Gavin Krebs.
Residents then laid their candles to remember those who lost their lives.
The vigil was an initiative between the local Sri Lankan community, the Multicultural Council of Wagga and Wagga City.
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