The story of how one person’s evil act changed a country forever
Bryant was named the sole beneficiary of Harvey’s will, inheriting assets worth several million dollars. He spent part of his inheritance on trips abroad, visiting cities like London, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Bangkok.
The mysterious death of his father
After Miss Harvey’s death, Bryant’s father, Maurice, 60, took over running the farm where his son and the older female companion had lived. But Maurice’s life would soon also end tragically. In the summer of 1993, a visitor looking for Maurice at the property found a note pinned to the door reading “call the police” and discovered several thousand dollars left in his car.
Authorities searched the property but could not locate Maurice. Reports say Bryant even joked and laughed with police while they were searching the property.
Divers were then called to investigate the four dams on the land, and on August 16, Maurice’s body was recovered from the dam nearest the farmhouse, with a diving weight belt around his neck. Police described the death as “unnatural,” and it was officially ruled a suicide.
Bryant then inherited the proceeds of his father, around $160,000.
Isolated and drunk
With the deaths of both Miss Harvey and his father, Bryant grew increasingly isolated. But with his newfound wealth, the young man started amassing a large collection of firearms. At the same time, he also began drinking heavily. Reports estimate his daily intake included about half a bottle of Sambuca and a full bottle of Baileys Irish Cream, along with port wine and other sweet alcoholic beverages.
Even though it was clear that Bryant was on a slippery slope, no one could have predicted the day he would erupt in violence.
On April 28, 1996, Martin Bryant unleashed a deadly rampage that would leave an indelible mark on Australia’s history, a day that would become known as the Port Arthur Massacre.
Having spent part of his childhood at his family’s beach house in Carnarvon Bay, which sits near the Port Arthur Historic Site, Bryant was very familiar with the area.
Port Arthur, the site of the massacre, is a historic former 19th-century penal colony that had been turned into an open-air museum.
Horrific rampage
On the morning of April 28, 1996, Martin Bryant began his horrific rampage at the Seascape guesthouse in Port Arthur, where he shot the owners before casually walking over to the Broad Arrow Café to order lunch.
Moments later, he pulled out a Colt AR-15 rifle and fired on diners, killing 12 people in just 15 seconds, the start of the deadliest mass shooting in Australia’s history.
Ian Kingston, a security guard at Port Arthur, saw Bryant open fire and immediately dived for cover, shouting at visitors outside to flee.Continue reading…
