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Bryant's physical appearance estimates. Edwards described him as "22-23 years old". Noble - Age described him as "20-25 years of age". Of the 40-odd persons who survived the shootings inside the Thus no actual witness to the shootings at Port Arthur cited an Broad Arrow Café, only a few provided physical descriptions of | age above twenty-five. The only witness who did so (Justin the gunman. In these, his estimated age is 20 or less. Karen Atkins Noble) cited the figure as the top end of the range, and would be of Sydney told the Australian (29 April 1996) that, very soon after equally comfortable with twenty. It would therefore be accurate to the shootings, she had spoken to a woman who had met the say that all actual witnesses said that the man was in his late teens gunman in the café. According to this woman—who can be or early twenties. identified as Rebecca McKenna, on account of the content of the Yet at the time of the massacre, Bryant was a few days away conversation she had with the gunman—he was: "...a young from his 29th birthday and could not reasonably have been fellow, about 18 or 19. He looked like a surfie. He arrived ina _ mistaken for anyone under about twenty-seven. This much is clear Volkswagen and he walked into the cafeteria carrying a tennis from a photograph which shows Bryant together with the woman bag." we have been told was his girlfriend: Petra Wilmott. Since the This description could perhaps be dismissed on the grounds that pair reportedly only became romantically involved in February itis second-hand. However, it tallies with the description given by 1996, the photograph had to have been taken within three months Carol Pearce. According to : of the massacre. Despite its poor Pearce, the gunman, whom she quality, it shows Bryant's face passed on her way into the Broad unframed by hair, and so gives a Arrow Café, was: "...between very good idea of what he looked 18-20 years of age; he had really like at the time. It's obvious from blonde [sic] hair which was this picture that Bryant was by no collar length; it was fairly means "a young lad". [See straight with a bit of a wave in it. photo A] He was clean-shaven, he was It is also obvious that those average in height and build." who saw the gunman at close Pearce's description is distance and who gave their invaluable, as it was given on 28 descriptions before anything April 1996, the very day of the about Bryant's appearance had massacre. Like the woman to been made public are to be whom Atkins spoke—Rebecca considered by far the most McKenna, as mentioned reliable. The only eyewitnesses above—Pearce therefore could who estimated the gunman's age not have been influenced by the in the upper 20s are witnesses media campaign of vilification like Yannis Kateros, who only against Martin Bryant. No saw him from a considerable picture of him had as yet been distance, and most of them gave published. statements to the police a week The same age-range is or more after the shootings when specified by former RAF officer the matter of Bryant's age had Graham Collyer, who was shot already been established by the in the throat inside the café. In Photo A: This photograph of Petra Wilmott and Martyn Bryant media. his untainted witness statement had to have been taken within three months of the massacre. Kateros, who gave his taken on 7 May 1996, Collyer statement on 10 May, estimated described the gunman thus: "He seemed somewhere about 20. He the shooter's age as twenty-eight. Is it only a coincidence that this had long blonde [sic] bedraggled hair, about 3-4 [inches?] below is the same age the media were citing for Bryant? the shoulder. He looked like he might have had a lot of acne. A pitted face. He had scraggly trousers; I don't remember what Facial features colour." Collyer is a valuable witness because, in his statement But there were more than years separating Bryant and the Port from a second interview on 8 May, he noted: "I still haven't seen Arthur gunman. Only one witness, Rebecca McKenna, got a good anything in the media about the person who shot me. I have been look at the man's face. (Most witnesses saw very little on account sedated or sleeping since the shooting." of the long blond hair.) Although there are major problems with On 10 May, Jim Laycock, who was the co-owner of the Port her statement—what kind of physical description omits a reference Arthur Motor Inn at the entrance to the PAHS, told police that the to the person's age?—McKenna's description of the gunman's man was in his "low twenties". Another witness, Joyce Maloney, appearance makes disturbing reading for anyone who thinks that told the police: "I thought he was about 18-22 years old, only a _ he could have been Bryant: young lad." Betty Daviess described him as a "young male "I would describe this male as follows:- Approximately 173 cm person". tall. Slim build. Blonde [sic] hair, past his ears, wavy with a part Of the individuals who gave their statements to the police before in the middle. Unshaven dirty looking. the barrage of images of Martin Bryant appeared in the media, "His eyes appeared to be blue... He appeared to be German Carmel Edwards, who held the door open for the gunman as he left looking. His eyebrows appeared to be blonde [sic] and bushy. He the café to eat his lunch on the balcony, and Justin Noble, a appeared ‘dopey’ looking, his eyes appeared to be bloodshot. His member of the New South Wales police force who said he saw the facial skin appeared to be freckley [sic] and he was pale. His face gunman exiting the café after the shooting, gave the oldest age seemed skinny and withdrawn. His ears were fairly large..." Photo A: This photograph of Petra Wilmott and Martyn Bryant had to have been taken within three months of the massacre. - Facial features But there were more than years separating Bryant and the Port Arthur gunman. Only one witness, Rebecca McKenna, got a good look at the man's face. (Most witnesses saw very little on account of the long blond hair.) Although there are major problems with her statement—what kind of physical description omits a reference to the person's age?—McKenna's description of the gunman's appearance makes disturbing reading for anyone who thinks that he could have been Bryant: "I would describe this male as follows:- Approximately 173 cm tall. Slim build. Blonde [sic] hair, past his ears, wavy with a part in the middle. Unshaven dirty looking. "His eyes appeared to be blue... He appeared to be German looking. His eyebrows appeared to be blonde [sic] and bushy. He appeared ‘dopey’ looking, his eyes appeared to be bloodshot. His facial skin appeared to be freckley [sic] and he was pale. His face seemed skinny and withdrawn. His ears were fairly large..." 12 = NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2006 www.nexusmagazine.com