The reminders are everywhere for bereaved father Joe Giardina. A beach ball bouncing near him, with nobody else in sight. A heart-shaped patch of condensation on the bedroom window, mirroring a framed snapshot of his late son, Paul. It's 20 years since the brutal Boxing Day tsunami killed an estimated 227,898 people. Sixteen-year-old Paul Giardina was one of 26 Australian victims.
Among the world's worst natural disasters, the tsunami was born of a massive undersea earthquake which ruptured the earth's crust just south of Banda Aceh in Indonesia and released the equivalent of two million atomic blasts' worth of energy over 10 minutes and across 1200 kilometres. The resulting ocean swell wiped out entire communities in 14 countries around the Indian Ocean, with waves up to 30 metres high.
The tsunami was as pitiless as it was capricious, washing away one family member while sparing another sheltering beside them. Newlywed Trisha Broadbridge, honeymooning on Thailand's Phi Phi Island, lost her AFL hero husband, Troy. Sydneysider Moi Vogel, who'd phoned home the previous day to tell her family she was pregnant, also perished. Tragically, the youngest Australian victim, six-month-old Melina Heppell, was swept from her father's arms. So too was Paul, the very special boy with Down syndrome, whose parents had nicknamed him the “love machine”.
To this day Paul's mother, Evanna, remains so distressed that she finds it impossible to share her thoughts outside of close family. But his father, Joe, gains solace from talking about Paul and his enduring legacy of unconditional joy.
This story is from the January 2025 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2025 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Maggie's kitchen
Maggie Beer's delicious veg patties - perfect for lunch, dinner or a snack - plus a simple nostalgic pudding with fresh passionfruit.
Reclaim your brain
Attention span short? Thoughts foggy? Memory full of gaps? Brigid Moss investigates the latest ways to sharpen your thinking.
The girls from Oz
Melbourne music teacher Judith Curphey challenged the patriarchy when she started Australia's first all-girls choir. Forty years later that bold vision has 6500 members, life-changing programs and a new branch of the sisterhood in Singapore.
One kid can change the world
In 2018, 10-year-old Jack Berne started A Fiver for a Farmer to raise funds for drought relief. He and mum Prue share what happened next.
AFTER THE WAVE
Twenty years ago, the Boxing Day tsunami tore across the Indian Ocean, shredding towns, villages and holiday resorts, and killing hundreds of thousands of people from Indonesia to Africa. Three Australians share their memories of terror, loss and survival with The Weekly.
PATRICIA KARVELAS How childhood tragedy shaped me
Patricia Karvelas hustled hard to chase her dreams, but it wasn't easy. In a deeply personal interview, the ABC host talks about family loss, finding love, battles fought and motherhood.
Ripe for the picking
Buy a kilo or two of fresh Australian apricots because they're at their peak sweetness now and take inspiration from our lush recipe ideas that showcase this divine stone fruit.
Your stars for 2025
The Weekly’s astrologer, Lilith Rocha, reveals what’s in store for your astrological sign in 2025. For your monthly horoscope, turn to page 192.
MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently'
One year on from going public with her bowel cancer diagnosis, Mel Schilling reveals where she's at with her health journey and how it's changed her irrevocably.
Nothing like this Dame Judi
A few weeks before her 90th birthday, the acting legend jumped on a phone call with The Weekly to talk about her extraordinary life – and what’s still to come.