 |
| Image from here |
It was the eleventh day of the nine month, year 2001. Sinking back into my office chair after
returning from a lunch in the brisk London autumn sunshine, I spied an email
pop into my inbox.
There were only two sentences. “A plane has crashed into the
WTC Tower New York. There are fatalities”.
WTC Tower New York. There are fatalities”.
Confused, I turned to my boss, who cast an imposing figure as he towered behind me, and made
mention of the unusual email I’d just received.
He gave me a look as if to say “that’s preposterous. I’m the
Editor-in-Chief of Financial News. I think I’d have been informed of such an
event before my lowly PA.” But instead he just arched an eyebrow and turned his
attention to his own emails.
mention of the unusual email I’d just received.
He gave me a look as if to say “that’s preposterous. I’m the
Editor-in-Chief of Financial News. I think I’d have been informed of such an
event before my lowly PA.” But instead he just arched an eyebrow and turned his
attention to his own emails.
And then all hell broke loose in the newsroom.
*****
Anyone who was old enough to remember September 11 will
never forget where they were.
never forget where they were.
I’d been living in London for almost 5 months, and was 6
days into my newest temporary Personal Assistant position. Hence the reason my boss assumed it
impossible I could have been informed of something so cataclysmic before
he. I was an Aussie girl playing PA in
the offices of a London Financial Newspaper.
I didn’t have any contacts. But
apparently the person I replaced did (Hi Sam!) because the email had come addressed
to her. And it seemed to have a sense of urgency that could not be ignored.
days into my newest temporary Personal Assistant position. Hence the reason my boss assumed it
impossible I could have been informed of something so cataclysmic before
he. I was an Aussie girl playing PA in
the offices of a London Financial Newspaper.
I didn’t have any contacts. But
apparently the person I replaced did (Hi Sam!) because the email had come addressed
to her. And it seemed to have a sense of urgency that could not be ignored.
Seconds later the TV’s came to life, phones began
to ring off the hook and the boss had no choice but to believe me.
to ring off the hook and the boss had no choice but to believe me.
The newsroom fluctuated wildly from frantic action stations
to just shattered silence. Many of us
congregated in the centre of the office, standing quietly, watching and praying
as the terror unfolded before us on the TV screens as the newshounds buzzed
behind us.
to just shattered silence. Many of us
congregated in the centre of the office, standing quietly, watching and praying
as the terror unfolded before us on the TV screens as the newshounds buzzed
behind us.
Soon the staff would thin.
Many had business colleagues in New York (including Cantor
Fitzgerald, which lost almost 700 staff members that day) as well as family. Some
departed for the pub, in desperate need for a drink. Some made hysterical phone
calls and before they swept out of the office in a frenzy. Many just wanted to go straight home to hold
their loved ones tight.
Many had business colleagues in New York (including Cantor
Fitzgerald, which lost almost 700 staff members that day) as well as family. Some
departed for the pub, in desperate need for a drink. Some made hysterical phone
calls and before they swept out of the office in a frenzy. Many just wanted to go straight home to hold
their loved ones tight.
And when I left work that day, I saw that the thriving
metropolis I’d come to love had been transformed in to a ghost town. The perpetually crowded streets of the City of London had been cleared. Terror and
the unknown lurked as the world waited for what just might happen next.
metropolis I’d come to love had been transformed in to a ghost town. The perpetually crowded streets of the City of London had been cleared. Terror and
the unknown lurked as the world waited for what just might happen next.
That night, after meeting a friend for a much needed stiff
drink, I received an influx of concerned texts and phone calls from home. One warned me not to take public transport –
right at the moment I was stepping on to the Tube to make the long trip back to
South London to where my sister and I were flat sitting. It was an uncomfortably
long and nervous trip home.
drink, I received an influx of concerned texts and phone calls from home. One warned me not to take public transport –
right at the moment I was stepping on to the Tube to make the long trip back to
South London to where my sister and I were flat sitting. It was an uncomfortably
long and nervous trip home.
We rang our parents, even though it was the middle of the
night back in Australia, to warn them they’d witness something horrific when
they turned on the TV come morn, but
that we were okay. We knew to pre-empt the imminent parental anxiety, after the
time we’d been in Turkey and a Four Seasons hotel had been bombed and they’d
been wild with worry. (As we’d pointed
out, if only we’d been able to afford such luxurious
accommodation, instead of sharing one room with about 6 other backpackers…)
night back in Australia, to warn them they’d witness something horrific when
they turned on the TV come morn, but
that we were okay. We knew to pre-empt the imminent parental anxiety, after the
time we’d been in Turkey and a Four Seasons hotel had been bombed and they’d
been wild with worry. (As we’d pointed
out, if only we’d been able to afford such luxurious
accommodation, instead of sharing one room with about 6 other backpackers…)
They begged us to come home. But if ever the world was on
full alert for similar strikes it was now.
We felt relatively safe to stay.
full alert for similar strikes it was now.
We felt relatively safe to stay.
(However I admit
that the next day, as I took a stroll downtown in my lunch hour, under the glamorous
guise of collecting my boss’s lunch, there was the unmistakeable sound of a low
flying plane directly above me. I nearly wet my pants in that split second, wondering whether to
freeze or run. Perhaps the lingering
fear would not dissipate so soon after all….)
that the next day, as I took a stroll downtown in my lunch hour, under the glamorous
guise of collecting my boss’s lunch, there was the unmistakeable sound of a low
flying plane directly above me. I nearly wet my pants in that split second, wondering whether to
freeze or run. Perhaps the lingering
fear would not dissipate so soon after all….)
There are so many images that day that stay sickeningly easy
to recall. The minute you realised it
was not just an accident, after the second plane hit, watching in sheer horror
as the towers tumbled to the ground. Hearing the wails of my workmates, the
stark silence on the streets of London, and even my sister’s tear stained face
as she sat glued to the TV coverage as I arrived home. We watched in a cone of silence, weeping
tears of disbelief, my stomach churned in knots of trepidation as I struggled
to comprehend the enormity of such human loss and devastation. And to this day
I still grapple with understanding the how and why…
to recall. The minute you realised it
was not just an accident, after the second plane hit, watching in sheer horror
as the towers tumbled to the ground. Hearing the wails of my workmates, the
stark silence on the streets of London, and even my sister’s tear stained face
as she sat glued to the TV coverage as I arrived home. We watched in a cone of silence, weeping
tears of disbelief, my stomach churned in knots of trepidation as I struggled
to comprehend the enormity of such human loss and devastation. And to this day
I still grapple with understanding the how and why…
A decade on, and the date September 11 remains eternally
shrouded in a mist of sad remembrance. This is the day where time stood still
and life as we knew it, peace in our time, ended. We remember almost 3000
fathers, mothers, sons, daughters who lost their lives. The brave. The
innocent.
shrouded in a mist of sad remembrance. This is the day where time stood still
and life as we knew it, peace in our time, ended. We remember almost 3000
fathers, mothers, sons, daughters who lost their lives. The brave. The
innocent.
Lest We Forget.
I too was in a newsroom but because it was in Australia it was all of arriving at the office that morning in shock. Some had still been up and saw Sandra Sully deliver the incredulous news the night before. Some woke to it on morning tv. My eldest kids were 5 and 6 – it was the first time I had to sit down with them and try to explain what was going on in this mad world.
I was at work. We saw the report of the first tower on-line and then we hooked up a tv in the staff room. In stunned silence we watched the events unfold. All of us were in tears as we watched live as the south tower collapsed.
It was just days before my first wedding and my husband-to-be’s aunt and uncle were on a plane taking their first flight from Italy to attend out wedding. Needless to say, their plane was diverted.
It all happened before I had kids so I have never had to explain it to them. Sadly though, they are living in a world forever changed, and not for the better in my opinion, because of the events of that day.
Jenn
I was in high school, year 8 and I remember my mum turning on the television for me and my sister to watch the ABC channel [my sister was 4] and all that was on was coverage.
I was in Forster though, not Sydney and it didn’t hold a big impact on me. Until we were discussing it at school that day.
wow, that time must still seem very surreal to you! I was on the train between Calais and Dover when it happened, they removed 3 people from the train + swept the train in Calais. It really is a day that changed the face of the western world quite dramatically.
Tatum
Wow. You were in London. I was in Tokyo. After New York, they’re 2 of the biggest financial capitals.
And it sounds as though the atmosphere was so similar in both cities.
You would agree that being so far away from home during such a tragic event made things far more fragile. Especially when you city was highly likely to be targeted next.
And all those families and friends of all the victims.
Lest we forget.
I was here in Australia and my Dad woke me up to get ready for work & he said “you’re going to be busy at work today”.
I worked in a newsagency and it was mayhem trying to keep up with everyone wanting newspapers & expecting me to be able to tell them what was going on. I was only 20 & i don’t think i could quite comprehend the magnitude of what had occurred.