The state coroner administering the inquest offered his condolences and support to the victims and their families but warned the anniversary would be a hard day of remembrance for all despite the outpouring of support that followed the siege.
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Following the tragedy, a sea of flowers left by thousands of people lined the city and was a sign of solidarity and hope.
Two did not make it out alive – cafe manager Tori Johnson, shot execution-style by Monis, and barrister Katrina Dawson.
Sydney residents and the families of the victims killed in the Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney’s Martin Place will mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting with a twilight vigil.
The site soon transformed into a stunning makeshift memorial.
Martin Place will undergo refurbishment as part of a City of Sydney upgrade, as well as the construction of a new Metro station.
“What was most powerful about the flowers was a couple of things”.
Mr Scipione said while December 15 changed the city it was also a day that Sydney – and Australia – stood up and said “we’re not prepared to tolerate this sort of violence”.
City officials have spent 12 months conjuring a fitting – and lasting – marker of the day when global terrorism came to Sydney.
Clear cubes containing flowers will be embedded into the concrete and will shine with specialised lighting.
Professor Johnson is renowned for his understated work, and has previously designed the Museum of Sydney, National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, the refurbishment of the Sydney Opera House in collaboration with Jorn Utzon, and most recently, the award-winning refurbishment of an historic bank at 50 Martin Place.
“Whilst nothing can replace the void that Katrina’s death has brought to our lives, the warmth of those many voices of support has helped us enormously on the darkest of days”, the family said in a statement.
“In the face of division, we saw unity”.
The next step will see an artist selected to design and produce around 400 individual flowers.
“We tragically lost Katrina and Tori. We stand in hope”, he said.
A candlelight memorial ceremony will be held in Martin Place on Tuesday evening.
“In the days following the siege, we saw a monumental outpouring of emotion as thousands of people paid their respects to Katrina and Tori and Martin Place”, Mr Barnes said.
He said he was conscious the Lindt Café inquest was a challenging and confronting process for the families of Ms Dawson and Mr Johnson and thanked them for their constructive input.
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Light projections incorporating the floral tributes which were left at Martin Place after the siege will be beamed onto the Lindt Cafe building in a show that will continue for the next five nights.
