Polly Brooks still has scars on her arms. They are a permanent reminder of the trauma she experienced when the bomb went off at Bali’s Sari nightclub in 2002.
She had been on the dance floor and managed to pull herself to relative safety, but had suffered extensive burns.
Her husband Dan Miller and her friends all died in the attack.
Polly Brooks lost her husband and best friend in the 2002 Sari Nightclub bombing. Source: SBS News
She is now remarried with two children but says it took years to properly deal with the grief.
"It’s only when everything was back in place and I was back at work, that I started to think that I hadn’t dealt with what had happened to me," she told SBS News in her home near London.
"Only by dealing with that could I start to look forward."
She is one of the founding members of Survivors Against Terror, a campaign group which is bringing together people who’ve found themselves in the most unimaginable situations.
2002: The aftermath after a bomb ripped through the the Sari Club (in the background). Source: AAP
Its goal is to ensure victims of future attacks receive the support they need from government and to fight extremism and hate speech; often the root causes of terrorism.
Sajda Mughal is another founder of Survivors Against Terror.
In July 2005, she was an investment banker, taking the London Underground to work.
A terrorist detonated his suicide device in the carriage next to hers.
"I still have flashbacks," says Sajda Mughal who was a victim of a July 2005 terrorist attack in the London underground. Source: SBS News
"I still have flashbacks, it’s lifelong," she says.
"When you go through the experience of surviving terrorism or losing a loved one to terrorism, it scars you for life."
"I received no support. I received no counselling, no financial compensation, it was really my family providing me with that and me paying privately for counselling.
"There needs to be more assistance for victims and survivors. I know some who have gone into spirals of depression."
The new group Survivors Against Terror is UK-based with plans to expand overseas. Source: SBS News
While the group is based in the UK, the founders would like to hear from any Australian survivors of terror attacks, or family members of those killed.
By sharing experiences, Survivors Against Terror hopes to help authorities understand what support is needed by those facing unimaginable trauma and grief.
"One of the worst things that can happen to you is being involved in a terrorist attack, and the last thing you need to be doing is scrambling around searching for support," says Mrs Brooks.
"You almost want someone there telling you right, this is available to you, you can do this. That’s what we’re trying to do."
