A week on from the killings in Christchurch, hundreds of people from across the community gathered in Ballarat's own mosque for a prayer and remembrance ceremony.
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It was standing room only for any latecomers, who stood on an unusually warm autumn afternoon to hear several speakers both from the mosque and the wider community.
They addressed a packed crowd of well-wishers - with a noticeable police presence - with people of many different faiths and roles in the city in attendance.
Officials at the Islamic Society of Ballarat decided to open the mosque doors to everyone as a thank you for the "overwhelming" support they received in the wake of the massacre, which targeted Christchurch's Muslim community.
Many people spontaneously went down to the mosque, which lies in a semi-industrial part of Canadian, to offer their sympathy for those lost in the worst terrorist attack on New Zealand soil.
I was born in New Zealand in Christchurch, so it is very close to home. I thought I must come along. I thought it was very moving. It's lovely to come together like this. It's like what our prime minister said in New Zealand: 'we're all brothers and sisters' and that's what I make of it as well.
- Sister Helen, attendee Ballarat Mosque prayer ceremony
The walls of the mosque remain lined with flowers and condolence messages.
Suhail Qaseem, a student and member of the Islamic Society of Ballarat, was one of the speakers. "It's a great support, it's great to see everyone coming together and supporting us in this moment. It's just so heartwarming, seeing all these flowers, all these cards - people we don't even know."
The Courier also spoke to Sister Helen, who only moved this week to be part of the Sisters of Nazareth in Ballarat, and saw the article in The Courier earlier in the week.
"I was born in New Zealand in Christchurch, so it is very close to home. I thought I must come along.
"I thought it was very moving. It's lovely to come together like this. It's like what our prime minister said in New Zealand: 'we're all brothers and sisters' and that's what I make of it as well.
I couldn't be prouder of our Ballarat community. It's just really, really special. It's just amazing.
- Juliana Addison, Member for Wendouree
"I couldn't be prouder of our Ballarat community," said Juliana Addison, the MP for Wendouree, who was also there. "It's just really, really special. It's just amazing."
It was the culmination of a few days lent extra poignancy by the Harmony Week festival that had been held around Ballarat this week.
The previous evening a candlelit vigil for those who died in Christchurch took place at the Anglican Cathedral Church on Lydiard Street South, including a minute's silence.
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