Where were you?

[GNR4LIFE]

Interested to hear stories from people who remember where they were when an event has occurred that has pretty much stopped the world or the nation. I have a few.

Princess Diana - I remember it was about 8-9 o'clock on a Sunday morning and i was watching Sports World with good ol Bruce Mc and they crossed to Kylie Gillies who would be at the news desk and she went on to say (paraphrasing) ''this has nothing to do with sport but it is something that needs to be mentioned, Princess Diana has been involved in a car accident in Paris''. They didn't announce her death but you could tell it was serious, and then watching the news for the next 4 or 5 hrs, it was finally confirmed

Michael Hutchence - Was never really the biggest Inxs fan, but i knew who the guy was and knew how big he was, probably one of the biggest rock stars this country has ever produced. Well not probably, definitely. I remember again sitting in front of the TV and it came up as a newsflash. Was only a couple months after Princess Di, so that was another great shock

Sept 11 - I remember i was in the car on the way to school with my mum and we were listening to something supposedly tragic that had happened in New York. I couldn't grasp it given i didn't even know what the twin towers were at the time and i hadn't seen any footage of the event. Wasn't till i got home that afternoon that i saw the footage of of the plane hitting one of the towers that i finally realized how serious it was.

There have been others. I've noticed lately anytime this kind of thing happens, i tend to find out about it first on the net. I remember when Michael Jackson died it first popped up on ninemsn, and then only last week when Ray Manzerak died. I know Ray isn't somebody who would have stopped the world or the nation, but for any Doors fan he was a massive loss

So im interested to hear other peoples stories. Particularly if anyone is old enough to remember where they were when they heard about Elvis or John Lennon, or even JFK

 

[greatodensraven]

Princess Di…can't remember (no disrespect)

Michael Hutchence...was on schoolies @ the Gold Coast, great singer from a great Aussie band, very sad day for me

9/11...was woken up by my dad watching it live on tv. Saw the 2nd plane hit. I remember working in the Cbd that day, everyone was very shocked.

Here's another, Kurt Cobain's death...remember the clock radio going off & the dj announcing it.

And something a little more upbeat, the announcement of Sydney getting the Olympics...I was @ warriewood beach getting blind with some mates in celebration of my last day of high school!!

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[Sabre]

September 11 - I was in grade 1 and we had just come back into the classroom and our teach wheeled in a TV.
We were all excited because we thought we were going to be watching a movie. Then the news report gets put on. Being 7 years old at the time it was hard to grasp the absolute tragedy that it was. As ridiculous as it seems I remember being disappointed at the time that the extended news casts meant that the Simpsons wasnt on.

Michael Jackson I remember I heard it in the morning before school but reports were that he was in hospital. Rumours were saying he had died but at that stage although it seemed inevitable it was unconfirmed. Then in first period I had maths and our teacher read out that he was confirmed dead, this was towards the end of the lesson. Next class I had english and we discussed it. Our english teacher was in tears and there were remarks from boys in the class along the lines of he deserved it after what he did, I couldnt disagree more with that.

Steve Irwins death I was on the bus home from school and overheard someone say it but thought id either heard wrong or that it was a horrible fake rumour. Then I got picked up from the bus stop by my mum and it turned out to be very real.

Osama Bin Ladins capture was also after school, this time in the car with my dad.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

September 11 - I was in grade 1 and we had just come back into the classroom and our teach wheeled in a TV.
We were all excited because we thought we were going to be watching a movie. Then the news report gets put on. Being 7 years old at the time it was hard to grasp the absolute tragedy that it was. As ridiculous as it seems I remember being disappointed at the time that the extended news casts meant that the Simpsons wasnt on.

Michael Jackson I remember I heard it in the morning before school but reports were that he was in hospital. Rumours were saying he had died but at that stage although it seemed inevitable it was unconfirmed. Then in first period I had maths and our teacher read out that he was confirmed dead, this was towards the end of the lesson. Next class I had english and we discussed it. Our english teacher was in tears and there were remarks from boys in the class along the lines of he deserved it after what he did, I couldnt disagree more with that.

Steve Irwins death I was on the bus home from school and overheard someone say it but thought id either heard wrong or that it was a horrible fake rumour. Then I got picked up from the bus stop by my mum and it turned out to be very real.

Osama Bin Ladins capture was also after school, this time in the car with my dad.

Thats pretty crazy that a teacher would put something like that on tv for a class of yr 1 kids.

 

[stryker]

I actually missed a couple of these things….

Princess Di - I was in Na Trang absolutely blind and missed it by 8 hours at least.

9/11 - I was at the top end fishing and missed it by 2 days. Got the shock of our lives when we reached civilisation again.

Cobains Death - Had a rain day and was in the pub playing pool when the news broke. The pub was in Ubatuba, Brazil. I remember everything about that day.

Bali Bombings - Was up at the Bathurst 1000, thats the way we woke up the morning of the race. Found out a couple of days later that a school mate died there.

Wacko Jacko - Was in a pub in Ho Chi Minh (Go2Bar) hadnt reached daylight yet. Was a spin out as the Asians loved him.

Hutchence - Was playing cricket when the news broke in Hanoi. Came off for a beer and was told.

Challenger explosion - Spent the day with the old man chasing mud crabs...mum told us when we got home and I watched the replay 100 times at least.

Iraq War - Unfortunately I was in barracks at the time. Never forget the call. Had been overseas before during service but not in a fully co-ordinated force like this....crazy times.

Probably forgot some...interesting how you always remember stuff like this.

Bin Laden Death - Some claim this happened years before, I know some in the know and it does appear that it really happened the day we heard about it. Was a great afternoon. I was diving at the GBR and had a dozen calls on my mobile when I surfaced, the celebrations lasted long.

Steve Irwin Death - Was in Cambodia and it was the breaking news, headline story. I shed many tears that day.

 

[Sabre]

Thats pretty crazy that a teacher would put something like that on tv for a class of yr 1 kids.

Yeah thinking back it was a bit odd, but I guess it was news that we werent going to be able to be sheltered from.
And the year 2001 was different too, Im fairly certain a teacher would not do that now.
It may have been moreso because he wanted to see the news, rather than it being him showing the class.

 

[Winnipeg]

Funny, as soon as I saw the topic I knew what this would be about and Princess Di is the first one I thought of. The answer is 'I was at home, my parent told me and I didn't really care'

Iraq War (desert storm) all I remember is being pissed off they took The Goodies off TV

9/11 I was up surfing the 'Internet' and saw it all on the late news… The first plane it was like 'oh yeah' but the second was 'phwoarrrrrrr'

Bin Laden is a very interesting one for me, I went into St Vincent's hospital in Sydney for a bit of minor surgery, came out from under the anaesthetic and was watching TVin the recovery room when it was announced... So human history has a very definite split between pre-Osama and post-Osama for me. I also haven't discounted the fact that we are living in the matrix and he never even existed 😱pen_mouth:
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Thats pretty crazy that a teacher would put something like that on tv for a class of yr 1 kids.

Yeah thinking back it was a bit odd, but I guess it was news that we werent going to be able to be sheltered from.
And the year 2001 was different too, Im fairly certain a teacher would not do that now.
It may have been moreso because he wanted to see the news, rather than it being him showing the class.

Yeah seems like the teacher was looking for an easy half day :laughing:

 

[Fraze23]

Princess Di - Being only 6 at the time, there's not a whole lot I remember of the when. I do remember staying up late with the family to watch the funeral.

9/11 - I was in year 5 at the time, I remember my mum came in and woke me up early telling me there had been a horrible plane crash in America. We sat in her bedroom watching it unfold on tv til it was time for school. After seeing the second plane hit the news then broke that it wasn't an accident. I'm not sure why but we spent the entire day at school making paper cranes, and talking about how we felt about what had happened.

Steve Irwin - Heard the news at school. Looking back it's sad the way the news broke. It seemed like a contest to tell people first at school, rather than grieve the loss of an Australian Icon.

Michael Jackson - I was doing a job at Blue Mountains Mazda at the time and it was just all over every radio station. I don't think you could turn the dial and find a station that wasn't playing a Michael Jackson song.

 

[happy_tiger]

Princess Di Actually at the Wests v Crushers game Last ever Crushers games , we lost and i got abused by Clinton Schitzoske's parents for calling him a druggie

9/11 Just got home from work and turned on News and they got just hit the 1st tower

Cubains death had actually just returned from a funeral and wake

1st bali bombing Home ,2nd occurred the day of the 2005 GF got back from the pub getting some brews for the night

Wacko Jacko No idea

Hutchence Down the Gold Coast about to go to the Casino

Challenger Sudying I think

Iraq War Had justed moved to Moura after fiance and unborn child died
Life was a mess understandably

Steve Irwin was at work and a customer told me and the wife rang and told me

 

[Flippedy]

I'll never forget the day I heard about John Lennon's death. I was working in a suburban Sydney dental surgery at the time and the news came over the radio. We all just stopped what we were doing (poor patients lol) and ran to the radio not really believing what we were hearing. We had a Pommie dentist working with us, who hadn't been long in Australia and he just went right off! I don't think he could work for a the rest of the afternoon.

It was a real shock that Lennon was actually gone, but they way it happened was what got me the most. The world lost a brilliant human being that day because of a senseless act of murder.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Being born 6 yrs after Lennon died, him being dead is all i've ever known, but i can't imagine what it must have been like to be around and hear that news. Losing one of the most influential not only musicians but human beings that has ever lived in such a shocking, sudden way is something i can't comprehend. I think the only act of tragedy thats happened since that you can compare it to is Sept 11

After Lennon's death there were at least 3 people who committed suicide just hearing the news

 

[Juro]

Princess Di - My parents had only just gotten foxtel, and I didn't know what channel was what. I was really confused because I thought it must be some sort of joke on a comedy show I didn't recognise. Flipping channels, it only dawned on me when they were talking about it on so many different channels.

Michael Hutchence - I was signing up for a gym membership. A guy walked in from another room talking about it. The girl signing me up and I both thought he was joking.

September 11 - I slept through it until my radio alarm woke me up with talking instead of the usual music. Turning on the TV, took me a fair while to figure out what was going on. Working in the city the next day was pretty surreal.

The Gulf War - I had become addicted to Maya the Bee over the school holidays. I was pissed off that they took it off for day after day so they could talk about the war.

The Newcastle Earthquake - I was at home in Northmead, studying in bed, when it started to shake. At first I thought one of my brothers was under my bed playing a trick on me.

The 2004 Tsunami - I was driving from Sydney to Melbourne, listening to CDs all the way. I had no idea what was going on until seeing some newspapers at a service station the next day.

 

[Sabre]

On John Lennons death there's a good movie called Chapter 27 that documents it. I would recommend it.

Forgot to mention Heath Ledgers death I was on holidays up the coast and woke up to the news.

Interesting that all these moments are quite grim.

 

[Peaches]

Awesome topic first of all. So many interesting stories and points of view around the same event.

9/11: I was in year 7 and turned on the tv hoping to watch Cheese TV on channel 10 and the news coverage was on. I was disappointed I couldn't watch some cartoons. Little did I know it would change the world forever.

Steve Irwin's death: I got a text from dad when I was in homeroom and thought he was pulling my leg. I just couldn't believe it the way it had happened.

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[tigertye]

9/11: Was in Year 6 and woke up to mum screaming to my grandma on the phone. My uncle, her brother, had sent her a text the day before saying he was having a great time and that he was going to be checking out the tourist sites in NYC/Manhattan the following day and mentioned he was going to the Towers. Luckily he had gone out in town the night before and was too hungover to go out that morning. He didn't see the towers fall, but saw the rubble later and said the dust literally covered the entire city for days and it was as if time stopped. Definitely a day I'll never forget.

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[Demps]

Princess Diana - Was a youngster, watching cartoons with my brother. I remember one of my fav cartoon was on, about 3 young ducks - Donald Duck's song and it was interrupted for a news update on this topic. I remember being extremely sad my show was cancelled and there was nothing but this tragedy on every channel… Just a kid remember guys.

Michael Hutchence - He was a friend of the fam through a previous marriage or something... I never met him but I remember my family being shocked by this.

Sept 11 - Watching Dragon Ball Z before school and interrupted again. I was absolutely blown away by all this. Every one went to school buzzing in shock and the whole school had a big assembly to discuss it. Such a tragedy that shouldn't of happened but people do stupid things.

 

[Glen_McWilliams]

Princess Di: Heard it on the radio while driving with my old man to find a drive through bottle shop (It was Sunday, there were still heavy Sunday restrictions in Perth back then). we had found one and it came on the news. We had been busy working all morning on a pergola and listening to the racing channel so didn't get it earlier.

9/11: I was only just home from work and about to turn in for the night as I had to be back at work for 6am, I remember there was a 6.30am list scheduled. Watching a bit of nothing TV and then the loveley Sandra Sully broke the news. My mrs was worried as her father was working in NY at the time. Turned out he had gone upstate that morning otherwise he would have been about 5 blocks north of ground zero. The next day at work a lot of surgery was delayed as surgeons, anaesthetists, and nurses all gathered around the TV watching the surreal footage of people falling from bruning buildings.

Hutchence: I really can't remember

Bali Bombing: heard when I arrived at cricket, my team mates were all speaking of it in very hushed and devastated tones (I always listened to my own music before a game and not the radio so I was oblivious). A few of my teammates had a connection with the Kingsley Football Club who lost a few people, hrough knowing some members or playing against the club. Many of them also went to Bali annually and knew the bar in particular all too well.

Cobain: At high school, in the common room talking rubbish and avoiding school work. First thing one of my cynical mates said was "How much is Courtney Love going to milk this the talentless …."

Jackson: No idea. But I do remember a mate getting tired and emotional at a poker night and wanting to blue me because I said everything Jackson did after Thriller was self indulgent tripe.

Irwin: No idea

 

[Yossarian]

9/11 - I was watching The West Wing when the first news flash came. Nine kept running the rest of the episode before they crossed to the constant coverage. I'd just started a new job in a law enforcement agency so I always remember when I started that job.

Steve Irwin - I was in NYC at the time so I read in the NY Times over breakfast! He was well-known enough over there that it made the news.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Port Arthur was another one. I remember every Sunday id take my radio out the back, listen to the footy and run around pretending i was a first grader, pretty much waiting for the Maggies to score then i would emulate the try myself. Anyway, i remember Hadley one day stopped dead in the middle of a call and announced it.

 

[tigerbenji]

Princess Di, I was @ home & told my Wife & she thought i was kidding. J F K i was @ my Brothers place & it seems like yesterday, couldnt believe it. Peter Brock shocked me when it came over as a rumour, shed some tears that day.